Leopution
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.
2015
This game has the most effective sound design I have ever experienced. Every scene and every interaction is given a distinct edge and discomfort - a complete echo of inhabiting a queer body in a heteronormative and predominantly Christian society. Very Good.
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.
The artwork, atmosphere, rhyming dialogue and cow centered narrative was charming. However, there is a great amount of tedium that comes with the point and click adventure genre. There were some solutions that were not possible (for me) without the help of a guide. Deeply problematic choice to follow the schema of Indian independence and depict them as an alien race.
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.
2021
I am so conflicted about this game. It is designed for the queer community and has been heavily scrutinized. This is often the case as the queer experience is not universal - we tend to want to critique things that do not fit the definitions we have forged from our own trauma. I can appreciate what this game does. It opens the door for polyamory, exploring intimacy with and without sex and it also sometimes forces you to face rejection. In this way, it does a good job of emulating the mess and wake of human relationships. It also has some genuinely funny moments, many of which are hinged on the game's primary conceit - you smooch swords.
However! It is deeply unfortunate that this game is just sort of... Mediocre on all fronts. It tries to do so many things between the genre mash up and the cast of characters that it doesn't do anything masterfully. The action RPG is truly just button mashing. At times the writing for dialogue feels rushed or cut short. The hype for this game has certainly worked against it. Everyone was looking for it to be so much more than it was.
Of course there is the stalker character and the controversy surrounding him. While I don't think that developers should shy away from topics that could make people uncomfortable, it needs to be done with a little finesse. In this instance, the character... is simply not written well. His character arc resolution is not believable. At times you are forced to interact with him, even by your own cousin. Another aspect of this game which suffered from its brevity and lack of depth.
Overall, I did enjoy my time at Verona Beach and I maxed out each weapon just wanting to get to know them. It is a step towards queer representation and an interesting concept. I just wish the execution was as good as the premise.
However! It is deeply unfortunate that this game is just sort of... Mediocre on all fronts. It tries to do so many things between the genre mash up and the cast of characters that it doesn't do anything masterfully. The action RPG is truly just button mashing. At times the writing for dialogue feels rushed or cut short. The hype for this game has certainly worked against it. Everyone was looking for it to be so much more than it was.
Of course there is the stalker character and the controversy surrounding him. While I don't think that developers should shy away from topics that could make people uncomfortable, it needs to be done with a little finesse. In this instance, the character... is simply not written well. His character arc resolution is not believable. At times you are forced to interact with him, even by your own cousin. Another aspect of this game which suffered from its brevity and lack of depth.
Overall, I did enjoy my time at Verona Beach and I maxed out each weapon just wanting to get to know them. It is a step towards queer representation and an interesting concept. I just wish the execution was as good as the premise.
2019
Light in pretty much all aspects which is both good and bad. A fun time to do some wicked kicks.
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.
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.
An intriguing mess of JRPG mechanics and pointed queer representation. I think this game suffers most from its control scheme (I am an unfortunate soul who played it with a keyboard) and its third act. I think it would have deeply benefitted from character drama rather than inner turmoil/monologuing. Masterclass in UI design though.
This is the first narrative that I've been able to get into in awhile. The characters are distinct and likeable in their own ways. The setting is very well done between the cars, city design and dialogue. A fantastic game that is not drawn out longer than it needs to be.
So like... Here's the thing. I love star wars so it was incredibly cool to be a part of that world. However this entire thing was expositional. (I mean, it makes sense considering that the other chapters are monetized). It's also an excellent demonstration of what is possible in VR. It just didn't feel like a complete experience. It felt shallow and hollow.
2019
Hysterical, personal vignettes about the awkward intimacy of falling in love. This game was delightful and concise.
2019
This, in many ways, feels like a dragon age game. However, it falls a little short and flat. It has created a very interesting world with corrupt/dynamic factions and has postured the player as a diplomat. There are so many opportunities for drama that the game does not capitalize on in service of its larger narrative. By the end of the game it feels like a slog to reach the conclusion. As a side note, it feels Pretty Bad to play as a colonist.
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.