Leopution
2023
Masterful storytelling - the only thing keeping this from 5 stars was the fact that the mechanics themselves seemed to get in the way of experiencing the narrative.
2016
Having played the other games in the franchise, I was not expecting this. I liked the unique setting but the writing and character development paled in comparison to 1 and 2. To add on to that, it's just too damn long. I am personally offended that I had to drive my ass across the entire map between the same boilerplate missions.
2023
The narrative framing of this game is spectacular. The protagonist is caught somewhere between guilt and selfishness, dragging the player with them through their mess. This game is important in its portrayal of the nuances of south/southeast asian queer identities and cultural expectations. The art, writing and character arcs are delightful. What keeps this game from truly being brilliant is... Everything else. You can't expect quick time events and a shallow turn-based combat system to hold their weight against everything else this game brings to the table.
2022
There are some really excellent puzzles in this game. For the number of scenarios there is a good deal of puzzle variety. The hint system here does a great job of making this game and its conclusion accessible to all. Its one pitfall is the narrative which feels cheap and disjointed.
2019
Light in pretty much all aspects which is both good and bad. A fun time to do some wicked kicks.
2021
The combat and mechanics are trying to do something really interesting and they do have depth. I played through the game on the easiest difficulty so I was able to get away with a lot of garbage spam, not thinking too much about move combinations. Had I played through on a harder difficulty I think it would have forced me into the nuances of the systems.
The narrative? Pretty abysmal. I don't know if that is, in part, to do with the localization.
The narrative? Pretty abysmal. I don't know if that is, in part, to do with the localization.
2019
A game that is 90% juice. The mechanics themselves are well polished but nothing new. The reduced color palette at times hinders understanding of what is on the screen and different types of feedback. Worth the three hours.
2022
A narrative experience inspired by old text adventures in a way that I have never seen before. This is maybe the most successful execution of metatextuality that I have experienced. It not only acts as a clever contextualization for the text adventure mechanics themselves but allows for an alternate dimension to consider overarching plot lines and events.
2010
I think my experience of this game was tainted by the fact that I played RDR2 first. This took the impact away from the narrative reveals of Marston's past. I only found myself invested at the very end. I am sure had I played this first or when it originally came out my experience would have been better. This game feels like a GTA game with a Western skin while RDR2 felt like its own title.
A wonderful logic and inference puzzle steeped in a timeless, unique art style and haunting story beats. A really interesting experience if a little cumbersome to review known knowledge.
"You don't get to live a bad life and have good things happen to you."
RDR2 tells the story of men rebuilding themselves in the face of desperation for better and worse. You get to be an outlaw and part of an odd, volatile family. This game does its darndest to make you feel like the world is real and you have consequences for your actions. What other game like this has a hair growth mechanic? At times this realism can lend itself to tedium but that is intentional. Being a cowboy is not all gunpowder and vinegar. It is beautifully and thoughtfully crafted.
I appreciate that this game both acknowledges the cultural and social beliefs of the time and uses a modern lens. It is not perfect by any stretch but it did explicitly lead the player to draw the conclusion that both racism and sexism are bad.
RDR2 tells the story of men rebuilding themselves in the face of desperation for better and worse. You get to be an outlaw and part of an odd, volatile family. This game does its darndest to make you feel like the world is real and you have consequences for your actions. What other game like this has a hair growth mechanic? At times this realism can lend itself to tedium but that is intentional. Being a cowboy is not all gunpowder and vinegar. It is beautifully and thoughtfully crafted.
I appreciate that this game both acknowledges the cultural and social beliefs of the time and uses a modern lens. It is not perfect by any stretch but it did explicitly lead the player to draw the conclusion that both racism and sexism are bad.
2022
This is the best game I have played in a long while. It's absurd and kept me laughing the entire time. Three cheers for toots and turds.
2018
Huge fan of the setting and subject matter of this game. Characters on an individual basis are written well while major plot points and reveals are not. At times it feels like a chore to talk to the characters in the game. The coexistence of the combat, feeding mechanics and imposed morality is clumsy at best.
2022
Absolutely uncomplicated seratonin.
2019
Maybe the first roguelike I've stuck around to try and reach the endgame for. Interesting variety of character archetypes/abilities. I wish I could say the same for boss fight mechanics. Unique and effective art style.