KSykes94
Man, I remember this being so much harder to complete. I breezed through it in a matter of days. Don't get me wrong, it can still get challenging (especially later on). There were a couple rooms I had to retry because of how ludicrous the rules were. For example, you can strike a certain amount of times with only weapons, OR you can't use weapons or use your fists. No matter what you do with the latter challenge, the grim reaper is coming for you.
Honestly, I still enjoy this game despite its flaws. Sure, the gameplay is pretty basic (and the map screen is pointless due to the linearity), but I can't get enough of it. Almost anything can be used as a weapon! A cake, drums, bottles, books, frying pans, and even a zombies arm that came off lol. I recall reading it was meant to be more open world when it started on GameCube. However, when two of the developers were asked about this by Matt McMuscles, they weren't sure where that came from. It was always meant to be a simple beat 'em up.
They felt burnt out after working on a big project like Banjo-Tooie, which I can respect. I'm always finding new ways to take out my enemies. The extra challenges outside the story don't hurt either. The hardest ones involve trying to avoid getting hit. To my surprise, I fared better with the freaking reaper compared to the Imps (their hit boxes are ridiculous). It still doesn't explain the map though. I guess they thought it was funny animating Cooper picking his nose.
For years, I dreamt of a sequel. Hell, I would still love one!
Honestly, I still enjoy this game despite its flaws. Sure, the gameplay is pretty basic (and the map screen is pointless due to the linearity), but I can't get enough of it. Almost anything can be used as a weapon! A cake, drums, bottles, books, frying pans, and even a zombies arm that came off lol. I recall reading it was meant to be more open world when it started on GameCube. However, when two of the developers were asked about this by Matt McMuscles, they weren't sure where that came from. It was always meant to be a simple beat 'em up.
They felt burnt out after working on a big project like Banjo-Tooie, which I can respect. I'm always finding new ways to take out my enemies. The extra challenges outside the story don't hurt either. The hardest ones involve trying to avoid getting hit. To my surprise, I fared better with the freaking reaper compared to the Imps (their hit boxes are ridiculous). It still doesn't explain the map though. I guess they thought it was funny animating Cooper picking his nose.
For years, I dreamt of a sequel. Hell, I would still love one!
2016
This review contains spoilers
It's finally done!! One of the longest games I've ever played, but it was worth it overall. As much as I want to give it a 5, there were SOME grievances I had. Plenty of story beats could have been handled better, and certain character arcs aren't as fulfilling as they could have been (one of them ends abruptly while another takes FOREVER). Worst of all, we have the Mementos. One of the most tedious parts of any game I played. It doesn't help they're required to advance many confidants.
Some things are easier to obtain than others as well. I can max out my knowledge and proficiency well enough, but charm can fuck right off! And as we all know by now, Morgana constantly telling you to go to bed. It at least gets easier to manage over time. Thankfully, I heard Royal improves on most of those things I mentioned. I'll get around to it eventually.
Everything else? It's amazing. I love the battle system, all the different party members, and the great perks you get from them among other things. That soundtrack is forever embedded in my brain. This is the game that really got me into RPGs, so I'm glad I finally got to complete it.
Some things are easier to obtain than others as well. I can max out my knowledge and proficiency well enough, but charm can fuck right off! And as we all know by now, Morgana constantly telling you to go to bed. It at least gets easier to manage over time. Thankfully, I heard Royal improves on most of those things I mentioned. I'll get around to it eventually.
Everything else? It's amazing. I love the battle system, all the different party members, and the great perks you get from them among other things. That soundtrack is forever embedded in my brain. This is the game that really got me into RPGs, so I'm glad I finally got to complete it.
2019
Damn, this was some trippy shit. People have made comparisons to Twin Peaks or The X-Files (I can only vouch for the latter currently). Despite this, I was still very engrossed in the story. Jesse is one of my favorite female protagonists in recent years. All the abilities you learn really add to the exploration and combat. I've always been a sucker for psychokinesis, and getting to pick up and destroy everything around you is so satisfying. I couldn't help thinking of Luigi's Mansion 3 in a way (though, it's arguably more impressive there since the Switch is less powerful). It's also extremely gorgeous to look at. It makes me hate that Sony removed Facebook functionality. I have a lot of pictures saved.
As you can tell by the rating, it's not perfect. The difficulty can be very cheap at times. Certain enemies can take out huge chunks of your health and you'll have little time to recover. You could just want to explore, then a barrage of them will spawn in a room. One boss fight was so annoying, I ended up turning on immortality. The final moments feel pretty anti-climactic compared to what came before, but it leave things open-ended for a possible sequel (plus, I still got the DLC to play). There are notable framerate issues either from all the action onscreen or simply un-pausing the game. I figured it was just on consoles, but even the PC version does it. I didn't think that was possible.
And my biggest gripe, the map sucks ASS!!! Sure, it will highlight your next location, but it doesn't take into account whether there's a locked door or some kind of debris in the way. I had to look up walkthroughs on occasion because of it. Metroid got it right in 1994, so what's the excuse here? Regardless, I really enjoyed this one. I look forward to more from Remedy. Praying that the next game is Alan Wake 2.
As you can tell by the rating, it's not perfect. The difficulty can be very cheap at times. Certain enemies can take out huge chunks of your health and you'll have little time to recover. You could just want to explore, then a barrage of them will spawn in a room. One boss fight was so annoying, I ended up turning on immortality. The final moments feel pretty anti-climactic compared to what came before, but it leave things open-ended for a possible sequel (plus, I still got the DLC to play). There are notable framerate issues either from all the action onscreen or simply un-pausing the game. I figured it was just on consoles, but even the PC version does it. I didn't think that was possible.
And my biggest gripe, the map sucks ASS!!! Sure, it will highlight your next location, but it doesn't take into account whether there's a locked door or some kind of debris in the way. I had to look up walkthroughs on occasion because of it. Metroid got it right in 1994, so what's the excuse here? Regardless, I really enjoyed this one. I look forward to more from Remedy. Praying that the next game is Alan Wake 2.
2017
A near perfect gem! Unlike Breath of the Wild (which it's been compared to), its flaws are a little harder to ignore. Jumping and climbing never felt quite right, the character animations can be janky (at least in the base game. They were improved a bit in Frozen Wilds), some NPCs are rather flat, and the melee combat is...there. The option of overriding the machines was sadly undercooked as well.
Everything else was amazing though!! I love all the different ways you can kill your enemies. Your focus allowing you to scan for any weaknesses and also read up on people from the past. I was so caught up in the lore, I did just about everything. I only require five remaining Blazing Sun medals. I only did a little bit of Frozen Wilds, yet I still made sure to get every artifact. The environments are absolutely gorgeous. I learned from The Completionist that the areas were based on Colorado and Utah. Having visited the former, yeah that's about right. Finally, Aloy is one of my favorite protagonists in recent years. A great arc combined with a fantastic performance by Ashly Burch.
I'm looking forward to the upcoming sequel. The comic sounds promising too.
Everything else was amazing though!! I love all the different ways you can kill your enemies. Your focus allowing you to scan for any weaknesses and also read up on people from the past. I was so caught up in the lore, I did just about everything. I only require five remaining Blazing Sun medals. I only did a little bit of Frozen Wilds, yet I still made sure to get every artifact. The environments are absolutely gorgeous. I learned from The Completionist that the areas were based on Colorado and Utah. Having visited the former, yeah that's about right. Finally, Aloy is one of my favorite protagonists in recent years. A great arc combined with a fantastic performance by Ashly Burch.
I'm looking forward to the upcoming sequel. The comic sounds promising too.