15 Reviews liked by LauraLob0


Didnt really know anything about this game going in other than 1) its published by annapurna and 2) its a game involving puzzles and patterns and ciphers and mysteries, aka a game for me. I did not expect to be as into this game as I was.
This is a really effective puzzle game, once you get going it completely ensnares you in its gameplay loop. There keep being new crumb trails to follow both in the puzzles you solve and the mystery you unravel. You probably need to take some notes while playing this which is a plus in my book.
The central mystery is incredibly intriguing (if pretentious, but i forgive it), and much of my gameplay time was spent reading and re-reading notes i found to try and piece together some tangible narrative, but it was not until the end that (most of) the full picture became clear (which I didnt mind, and honestly at that point i wouldve been happy NOT to get explicit answers from the game)
Obviously the one big flaw that many people have already talked about is the bizarre control scheme, especially when the player has no option to set custom controls. This is a weird choice and causes some frustration and confusion, but i personally didnt find it that detrimental to my enjoyment (plus i really truly got used to it. still a bad design choice, but tolerable)

I'm just going to rewrite this after finishing the game cause my smooth ass brain formed wrinkles and I ACTUALLY BEAT IT. To preface my puzzle experience is very minimal i've 100%'ed games like Tunic and The Witness, with a sprinkle of hidden object games but other than that its not my genre of choice. Now I see Simogo, the LEGENDS of making good games put out cryptic teasers and eventually a trailer for their new puzzle game coming off of the momentum of the goated Sayonara Wild Hearts. So i picked it up day 1 and expected a leisurely tour through this manor solving logic puzzles and im stuck. So ya the game threw so much at me I got tangled in all the notes and I got stuck, this wouldnt be the first time this would happen also, but the moment I untangled my thoughts and progressed was euphoric. As im solving these puzzles, im floored at the visuals, sounds and vibe this game just emits. The puzzles themselves I really wanna make myself feel better and say they are hard, but even though some are easier than others they are really fun to figure out and solve, especially the later ones. The story is soaked in this thick veil that you can only see blotches and that process of making out whats going on isnt the easiest as its hidden behind cryptic wording and out-of-order sequencing, but piecing it together is as satisfying as everything else this game has. Oh and the godlike Trio (Jonathan Eng and Daniel Olsen and Linnea Olsson) coming back to create a phenomenal soundtrack is the cherry on top. This is a contender for GOTY for me, even of all time to be honest and it comes from major Simogo bias but even that aside, this game knows what it wants to bring to the table and its made to perfection, or simply just another banger by Simogo

“Sega hired fans, isn’t that so cool???”
Wake me up when they hire the coolest and sexiest fan (me)

LIKE THIS POST IF YOU THINK THE MIIS THAT COLONIZED WUHU ISLAND SHOULD BE GIVEN THE DEATH PENALTY

I have this game's creator blocked on twitter to prevent me from raining insults on them.

Aparece no Anime Anohana Ep.8 aos 7:05 minutos kkkkkkkkkk

Funny story about Demon Front:

I've searched far and wide for this game's name for years. There was a place in my hometown named "Mundo Pequeño" for children's parties that had a single arcade game beneath the play area. I remember being about 5 years old and stumbling upon it. For the next five years, every single time a friend of mine had a party there, I immediately rushed to the Demon Front arcade to play it. It was one of the most magical experiences I've ever had.

When a kid came to play with me, we banded together to beat level after level up until the very final boss. I beat the game so many times, and I still wanted to play it again every time I came to "Mundo Pequeño". After years of playing it, when I was around 10-11 years old, a tragedy happened.

The machine started failing for some reason. Maybe rainwater got to it, or the years and elements just started to affect it. But the colors changed and became all red. Also, a periodic glitch made the game crash and erase all your progress. Still, I wanted to keep playing Demon Front. I still enjoyed it, but it felt sad to see the arcade machine suffer (apparently) permanent damage.

About a year later, the machine was gone. I guess it finally broke down. It was sad to see something that brought me so much joy disappear, and by then I had kind of outgrown children's parties. I spent a few more times in that place, without the game that I spent countless hours playing. And years later, it faded into an obscure memory.

Now, I finally remembered this game. I saw a couple of gameplay videos on YouTube and the nostalgic memories came right back. Apparently, it is a very rare Taiwanese title that was only released on specific arcade game boxes. In a way, it is kind of a miracle that I was able to experience it, but I feel so happy to at least remember it once again.

Yakuza 7 busca um novo começo para a série: em gênero, protagonista e tema. A história que queria contar envolvia a mensagem de superação e sobrevivência depois de cair para o lado errado das graças da sociedade - seguia ao redor de ex-presidiários, moradores de rua, prostitutas e imigrantes ilegais. A escolha, portanto, de basear sua essência em JRPGs e shonens, tanto tematicamente quanto mecanicamente, fazia sentido - são gêneros cuja mensagem tema costuma ser o triunfo meritocrático mesmo diante de impossíveis adversidades. Infelizmente, sinto que Yakuza 7, em seu processo de assimilação e reconstrução, acabou por absorver o pior das duas formas. Primeiro, sua inspiração em JRPGs clássicos (principalmente Dragon Quest) e shonens, ao ser imposta em cima de um drama criminal e familiar, acabou relativizando-o e suavizando seu impacto. Sendo o primeiro Yakuza que joguei até o final, já esperava - e ansiava por - um nível saudável de melodrama e tosquice; porém, a história do jogo sofre pesadamente pela adoção de arquétipos shonen como o triunfo do poder da amizade e reviravoltas desnecessárias e inconsequentes. Não me sinto mais investido na história quando Kasuga consegue convencer sua amiga bartender a enfrentar um prédio cheio de Yakuzas armados apenas porque eles são amigos, ou quando o vilão desnecessariamente expõe seu plano de forma não-característica e sem sentido diante do protagonista, especialmente quando essa mesma história tenta muitas vezes puxar pra um realismo seletivo: a justaposição de uma cena de jovens sendo executados cruelmente nas ruas por uma gangue rival e logo depois o assassino sendo convencido pelo poder da bondade é mais ridícula do que impactante. Não é como se eu fosse avesso à chicoteios tonais, afinal, sou fã assíduo de Metal Gear Solid - só acho que as estéticas shonen adotadas aqui foram um detrator enorme de uma história que tem todas as porradas emocionais para ser um puta melodrama.

Além de ferir a história, a inspiração desmedida de Dragon Quest também feriu grosseiramente o jogo - me surpreende que, um jogo tão bem apresentado em todo aspecto, que muitas vezes assume bem o posto de paródia e homenagem a Dragon Quest, consiga ser pior e mais antiquado em todo aspecto mecânico do que o tão engessado vovô dos jogos que o inspira. Sistemas de progressão que simplesmente não tem fluxo ou lógica; crafting arcaico; requerimentos de grinding artificiais, inimigos de qualquer embalo da história; e, como pior ofensor, combates repetitivos e inconsequentes compostos de inimigos irrisórios que não oferecem desafio algum (coisa que Earthbound, de 1995, já tinha resolvido), são o comum aqui - acho que conto em uma mão quantas lutas me incentivaram a engajar com todos os sistemas de batalha.

Na maioria das vezes que jogava, especialmente na história principal, ou estava entediado ou estremecia de vergonha alheia de ter que ver Naruto versão thriller policial. Ainda assim, joguei quase 60 horas desse jogo. Escrevi tanto e me entreguei tanto porque aqui encontrei brilho, escondido e apagado pelos seus defeitos gritantes - o protagonista Kasuga é reflexo perfeito do jogo, estupido e amável, apesar de todos seus defeitos. O combate, por mais bobo e fácil que seja, é visualmente impecável e dinâmico, e a substories oferecem a tosquice de qualidade que eu esperava de Yakuza, junto do ridiculamente engajante "mini"-game de CEO, que compôs mais de ¼ do meu tempo total de jogo e foi um dos pontos altos da experiência toda. Vejo nesses pequenos brilhos o que amam em Yakuza - o melodrama, o teatro, o humor, toda a alma colocada em cada esquina de seus ambientes, tudo formando um pacote deliciosamente idiossincrático, que não tem pretensão de se expor-se ridículo e emotivo como é. Infelizmente, só não acho que souberam bem usar o gênero que escolheram para ser o novo âmago da série.

Echo

2015

I had an anxiety attack for 5 minutes after reading something past an hour and a half down what i imagine is a multi-route story idk.

There's too much to it that's disturbingly close, I was reminded of the relationships I've personally left behind and the estrangement and my own mental well being. The poisonous toxic nature of the clear asshole in the group revealing all of the pent up frustrations and completely strung relationships, their inability to really let their feelings known to each other due to the way their lives has moved coming to an emotional head that I imagine, is going to whittle down on all of the barriers I have left that keeps me coolheaded.

This is not a condemning of the novel, but it needs to be understood that the content warning on the itch.io page does not lie. Or at least, it certainly wasn't lying to me. These people all have living fractures and the text is glass, whether or not you have good feet for it doesn't matter.

I do hope to return to it when I'm of better self control. Who knows I may end up reading it again soon in almost perfunctory self-flagellation either from stubbornness or in the hopes that there is a light at the end of that that brings peace to those anxieties for me.

any hint of respect I may have had for Mogeko's work left because of this game. it's utterly tasteless, horrible "omg how twisted!" shock content pervaded with gratuitous sexual assault of a high schooler, and nothing else about it is good or even memorable enough to grit your teeth through it. don't bother.

esse jogo é uma MERDAKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKK

Couldn't get into this at all. It's a hidden role game, but the opponents aren't human enough for you to tell if they're lying, so you're just blindly guessing. The plot that's supposed to develop between rounds did so way too slowly, with most attempts to trigger an event just being met with "go away, I hate you".

If you skip all of the lame writing you might actually have fun!

Every now and again there comes along a game that I feel suits me conceptually and aesthetically, and then I try it and it's not actually any fun.

I love when he says some shit like "is your character known for writing FNAF Minecraft AU fanfiction" on like the third question and you just have to politely say no.