Jahva
2023
Just a blast
I'm sure I'll revisit this to work for a new company one day
I'm sure I'll revisit this to work for a new company one day
2023
I adore the atmosphere in this game. It felt like being in a dream and being back in my childhood at the same time, the music makes the ambiance pure bliss.
I did get stuck with where to go towards the end and a map would definitely have solved this issue as many others have mentioned, but I really hope the map is limited somewhat because the feeling of being lost in this world is like nothing else.
I did get stuck with where to go towards the end and a map would definitely have solved this issue as many others have mentioned, but I really hope the map is limited somewhat because the feeling of being lost in this world is like nothing else.
This game is quite charming, and funny at times. The prince's hair flick had me chuckling every time.
I had to knock a point off for the difficulty curve of the game, especially with the final boss. I found a lot of the early bosses quite easy to beat, and I began slowing my pace with leveling a little to make up for that. I found the remaining fights a good difficulty after that, especially the koopalings. After this though, the final final boss was insane. I reached the fight at about level 31, later finding that something more like level 40 was expected for the fight. This was a huge knock to my motivation and I ended up doing the fight on easy mode, and despite the huge upgrades this gives I still found the fight to be a reasonable challenge.
I had to knock a point off for the difficulty curve of the game, especially with the final boss. I found a lot of the early bosses quite easy to beat, and I began slowing my pace with leveling a little to make up for that. I found the remaining fights a good difficulty after that, especially the koopalings. After this though, the final final boss was insane. I reached the fight at about level 31, later finding that something more like level 40 was expected for the fight. This was a huge knock to my motivation and I ended up doing the fight on easy mode, and despite the huge upgrades this gives I still found the fight to be a reasonable challenge.
1993
Played this in one go on the snes nso.
Short but very sweet game. For a game that was made for an entirely different series, it's amazing to see how many mainstay characters made their debut here. Some of the levels are pretty cleverly designed, especially in comparison to the original Mario Bros.
The music lives in my head rent free because of mario maker
Short but very sweet game. For a game that was made for an entirely different series, it's amazing to see how many mainstay characters made their debut here. Some of the levels are pretty cleverly designed, especially in comparison to the original Mario Bros.
The music lives in my head rent free because of mario maker
2016
This game is loud af and I'm all for it. Good "clean" fun beating up demons. I particularly liked the ammo balancing, I felt that I needed to use every weapon and got to know them very well, but never ran completely dry thanks to the chainsaw.
I thought the challenges were a cool way to encourage players to engage with the different systems, but the reward of upgrade points - which in theory are cool and do make your weapons more enjoyable to use - fell short thanks to the game forcing you to find the drones to unlock the repairs, they could have at least been made more abundant.
Need to give the soundtrack another listen when I don't have demons screaming in my ear.
I thought the challenges were a cool way to encourage players to engage with the different systems, but the reward of upgrade points - which in theory are cool and do make your weapons more enjoyable to use - fell short thanks to the game forcing you to find the drones to unlock the repairs, they could have at least been made more abundant.
Need to give the soundtrack another listen when I don't have demons screaming in my ear.
Played via the Wii trilogy release. I played the harder difficulty on this release, equivalent to the original difficulty on Gamecube.
Man, this game is just not as good as the first one. For me, the atmosphere is all gone. I found the structure of the map to be far less confusing this time, but I did like the feeling of being lost in Prime 1's map, and the genuine sense of relief when making it back to the starting area, which was missing here. The environments in this game are hit-and-miss, I particularly liked the Sanctuary Fortress but none of the others stood out.
The bosses in this game really suck. Maybe not all of them, but a good majority either go on for wayyy too long - because of the constant use of phases where you can't deal any damage - or have the most bs hitboxes I think I've ever seen. Genuinely took away from the experiences massively.
I felt like the upgrades felt a bit lackluster this time, the screw attack in particular could have been so much fun if it didn't control like ass.
Music is pretty good as per
Man, this game is just not as good as the first one. For me, the atmosphere is all gone. I found the structure of the map to be far less confusing this time, but I did like the feeling of being lost in Prime 1's map, and the genuine sense of relief when making it back to the starting area, which was missing here. The environments in this game are hit-and-miss, I particularly liked the Sanctuary Fortress but none of the others stood out.
The bosses in this game really suck. Maybe not all of them, but a good majority either go on for wayyy too long - because of the constant use of phases where you can't deal any damage - or have the most bs hitboxes I think I've ever seen. Genuinely took away from the experiences massively.
I felt like the upgrades felt a bit lackluster this time, the screw attack in particular could have been so much fun if it didn't control like ass.
Music is pretty good as per
2021
This review contains spoilers
I'm always impressed by a game that can leave a big impression in a short time and for me unpacking has delivered. Its so perfectly crafted in so many ways, there are so many touching moments that come from things as little as the order of items coming out of a box, so many small stories that combine into a beautiful little tale.
Lowkey almost cried when the pig came out in the baby's room. The second yoga mat put a big smile on my face, suddenly realising why there were so many of the same book at the end. The ongoing collection of chickens and sketchbooks. Leaving the boyfriend who didn't leave any space on the wall for your award straight away.
I didn't expect the backward compatibility of the Wii with the Gamecube to be canon in this world but here we are. I did enjoy trying to identify the games from the crudely drawn box arts.
The music is so good omg, I wish it didn't fade away sometimes.
The actual gameplay I found really fun, the big aha moments when you realise where the game wants you to put something hit just right.
In my opinion a perfect little game <3
Lowkey almost cried when the pig came out in the baby's room. The second yoga mat put a big smile on my face, suddenly realising why there were so many of the same book at the end. The ongoing collection of chickens and sketchbooks. Leaving the boyfriend who didn't leave any space on the wall for your award straight away.
I didn't expect the backward compatibility of the Wii with the Gamecube to be canon in this world but here we are. I did enjoy trying to identify the games from the crudely drawn box arts.
The music is so good omg, I wish it didn't fade away sometimes.
The actual gameplay I found really fun, the big aha moments when you realise where the game wants you to put something hit just right.
In my opinion a perfect little game <3
I don't think Majora's Mask was for me, I struggled to immerse myself in the struggles of the townsfolk beyond a couple of stand-out cases. I think the game wants you to really care about these people and help them with their issues, which I did, but for completion reasons more so than because I truly wanted to. With that in mind this game is just a less grand version of OOT for me, although the game makes up for having fewer dungeons with more engaging content between them along the main path, it lacks the scope of Ocarina that really left an impact on me by the end of that game.
2023
Nice little puzzle game with a unique mechanic that leads to some fun emergent solutions.
Wasn't interested in doing any of the optional content.
Quite enjoyed the final challenge, wish it was a little harder though.
Wasn't interested in doing any of the optional content.
Quite enjoyed the final challenge, wish it was a little harder though.
2023
This review contains spoilers
For a game purely about climbing, I was frustrated that there wasn't more freedom in choosing a route, though this did lead to some magnificent set-piece climbs. I was glad to see the climbs get more interesting for chapter 3 onwards.
The stamina system felt like a waste beyond forcing you not to jump a million times, the sections were too short for it to ever really matter. Running out of rope could have been an interesting mechanic with choosing a route but it boiled down to not missing a relay.
The stamina system felt like a waste beyond forcing you not to jump a million times, the sections were too short for it to ever really matter. Running out of rope could have been an interesting mechanic with choosing a route but it boiled down to not missing a relay.
1989
Charming little game that really shows its age. It's the first retro Mario I beat without using save states, which was more of a challenge than I was anticipating given the game's short length.
Music is surprisingly great for a Game Boy title.
Music is surprisingly great for a Game Boy title.
2022
This review contains spoilers
I find tunic hard to review. I loved my time with the main story and was able to get the first ending on my own, after this I was eager to get the true ending but was warned this was quite a challenge, and focussed heavily on the puzzle aspect of the game, whilst I most enjoyed the combat and exploration. I ended up using a guide to get the other ending, I don't think I would have hugely enjoyed combing the world for these secrets myself anyway. Even still there is more to the game, like decyphering the language and the tower puzzle. As someone who has grown keen to complete their favourite games this was disheartening, I've not had to grapple with loving a game but not actually being able to complete it. This has bittered my overall experience and I feel like I lack closure, where usually I have a clear stopping point and can look back with no regrets, Tunic has left me feeling like I could have done more.
10/10 worldbuilding, shortcuts, and music
10/10 worldbuilding, shortcuts, and music
2023
One of the best puzzlers I've ever played, the whole experience is so seamless and the difficulty curve is immaculate. Very well-paced aside from the very end in my opinion, the only thing stopping it from getting a 5 star rating from me
2007
Revisited this to get all of the stars again as Luigi. I don't think I was fully ready to revisit this game, it certainly hadn't been long enough at 2 years. Whenever I really recognised an area my first thought wasn't "oh yeah this part is great" it was more likely "oh yeah what horrible thing do they put me through here" because those areas were the ones I remembered the most.
I'm going to leave my review at the original 4.5 and not let this playthrough harm my perception of the game because I don't think I went into it with the right mindset, and playing as Luigi I also see as a direct detriment to enjoyment.
I'm going to leave my review at the original 4.5 and not let this playthrough harm my perception of the game because I don't think I went into it with the right mindset, and playing as Luigi I also see as a direct detriment to enjoyment.
Had problems with the checkpoint system in places which made the game quite frustrating.
Hoards of enemies in tight spaces made the game feel very claustrophobic at times.
Hoards of enemies in tight spaces made the game feel very claustrophobic at times.