Makeke
Will come back and finish this eventually. Very cool concept for a RPG with the interplay of Bowser and the bros. actions effecting the other. It's just too piss easy to keep my attention for very long though.
2020
Why they do Kanji like that? I still love him regardless
2024
This review contains spoilers
Got the second ending ("true" ending?) today so i'm gonna count it as finished for now even if there are couple more things I need. Most fun I've had with a game this year. A metroidvania with a focus entirely on puzzle solving is a welcome novelty to me, especially when the items necessary to solve said puzzles are extremely fun and intuitive to use.
My only gripe here is that Animal Well can feel very "NES-y" in the sense that some of the secrets feel almost impossible to figure out without outside help. In some ways, I kind of like that because it fosters a small sense of community amongst players looking to crack open the game for everything its worth. Other times it bums me out that I can't piece everything together from my own deductive reasoning.
There isn't much for music in this game from what I could hear but Animal Well trades that in for a very somber ambience broken up by some surprising animal encounters. I think the stand out moments specifically were the first Ostrich and kangaroo encounters. There was something about the squawking and stomping as my little guy frantically searched for an escape that just made that memorable.
I have no idea what the lore of this game means right now, but i don't really mind if I never figure it out. For me this is something best experienced, than analyzed.
My only gripe here is that Animal Well can feel very "NES-y" in the sense that some of the secrets feel almost impossible to figure out without outside help. In some ways, I kind of like that because it fosters a small sense of community amongst players looking to crack open the game for everything its worth. Other times it bums me out that I can't piece everything together from my own deductive reasoning.
There isn't much for music in this game from what I could hear but Animal Well trades that in for a very somber ambience broken up by some surprising animal encounters. I think the stand out moments specifically were the first Ostrich and kangaroo encounters. There was something about the squawking and stomping as my little guy frantically searched for an escape that just made that memorable.
I have no idea what the lore of this game means right now, but i don't really mind if I never figure it out. For me this is something best experienced, than analyzed.
2024
Preliminary thoughts since I haven't completed it yet but this is one of the most intuitive metroidvanias I have ever played. The secrets are well telegraphed but not too obvious and the abilities/items are so much fun to use and mess around with. It also seems there are multiple ways to solve various puzzles. Play this right now and play it blind.
1994
This review contains spoilers
An RPG so committed to making you use every tool at your disposal, the final boss is vulnerable to what i found to be the riskiest ability available in my playthrough. Itoi is a mastermind.
2017
Feels good to finally get this off the backlog. Got this for free on Epic a while back. Such an exceptionally cool atmosphere that drips cosmic dread from start to finish. I sort of died a lot (I am terrible at FPS games) but it never really discouraged me because of how much fun the Typhon abilities are to use and how fluid the gunplay feels. The narrative forced me to pause for more than a moment to actually consider the consequences of my actions. It's not something I've done much based on the games I usually play, but's its a feeling that is more than welcome and I'll probably pursue going forward. I guess I can see the fuss about immersive sims now.
It's monster hunter ofc it's fun. I'll probably make a more detailed review once i play through iceborne, but I'm falling in love with this franchise.
2008
Maybe it's because I did all of the additional side quests this time. Maybe it's because I'm graduating this semester and this was the first game I played once I entered college. Or maybe I just really clicked with Chrono Trigger's DNA on this playthrough and came upon this realization.
It's not just one aspect of this game that's outstanding.
It's the flow of the nigh flawless, active turn based mechanics (dual tech and triple tech attacks are soooo cool man).
It's the gorgeous and amazingly aged pixel art that can craft a vibrant, whimsical yet often oppressive world in the player's mind despite the limitations of the style.
It's the music that makes you feel amped for battle, nostalgic for the past, hopeful for the future, tearful for what's lost or even just bust a move while trudging through a dilapidated factory.
It's the tightly written time travel narrative that hosts some of my favorite backstories and character interactions in fiction (I'm looking at you Frog, Robo and Lucca).
Chrono Trigger is pure magic from start to finish and feels like lightning in the bottle in nearly every facet of its production.
And in the heart of its magic it leaves a simple yet enduringly powerful message:
How can we hope to craft a better future without embracing and learning from the mistakes of the past?
It's not just one aspect of this game that's outstanding.
It's the flow of the nigh flawless, active turn based mechanics (dual tech and triple tech attacks are soooo cool man).
It's the gorgeous and amazingly aged pixel art that can craft a vibrant, whimsical yet often oppressive world in the player's mind despite the limitations of the style.
It's the music that makes you feel amped for battle, nostalgic for the past, hopeful for the future, tearful for what's lost or even just bust a move while trudging through a dilapidated factory.
It's the tightly written time travel narrative that hosts some of my favorite backstories and character interactions in fiction (I'm looking at you Frog, Robo and Lucca).
Chrono Trigger is pure magic from start to finish and feels like lightning in the bottle in nearly every facet of its production.
And in the heart of its magic it leaves a simple yet enduringly powerful message:
How can we hope to craft a better future without embracing and learning from the mistakes of the past?
This review contains spoilers
The GBA had quite a few gems didn't it?
I'm gonna start with the aspects that got on my nerves because they're pretty short compared to this list of things Superstar Saga nails:
• The Yoshi Theater beanstar felt like
obvious padding compared to the
other three locations as it mostly
entailed just walking about BeanBean
for a bit for fruits.
• Scaratroopeas (and Joke's End as a
whole) can go fuck themselves.
Now that's out of the way I can gush about how cute Mario and Luigi are in this game. Outside of maybe Luigi's Mansion I don't think their bond as brothers has ever felt so warm and real.
This bond is so strong in fact that it allows you to effectively terrorize any enemy/boss encounter in the game as long as you have quick enough fingers, rhythm, and can easily discern between red and green.
Through the power of Bros Attacks you can render nearly any challenge in this game futile. I say nearly any, because some of the Koopaling fights in the end game as well as Fawful and Cackletta's heart will have you sweating...The power of said Bros Attack though depends on how comfortable you are with the timing of attack of by yourself. I adored how much care and character was put into each of the bros attacks, with unique, charming animations playing for each success and failure.
Above all though, this game is hilarious. Like actually laugh out loud material at points. I'm never gonna get over Luigi pouting over not getting a badge while Mario pushes him into the next scene 😭.
I'm gonna start with the aspects that got on my nerves because they're pretty short compared to this list of things Superstar Saga nails:
• The Yoshi Theater beanstar felt like
obvious padding compared to the
other three locations as it mostly
entailed just walking about BeanBean
for a bit for fruits.
• Scaratroopeas (and Joke's End as a
whole) can go fuck themselves.
Now that's out of the way I can gush about how cute Mario and Luigi are in this game. Outside of maybe Luigi's Mansion I don't think their bond as brothers has ever felt so warm and real.
This bond is so strong in fact that it allows you to effectively terrorize any enemy/boss encounter in the game as long as you have quick enough fingers, rhythm, and can easily discern between red and green.
Through the power of Bros Attacks you can render nearly any challenge in this game futile. I say nearly any, because some of the Koopaling fights in the end game as well as Fawful and Cackletta's heart will have you sweating...The power of said Bros Attack though depends on how comfortable you are with the timing of attack of by yourself. I adored how much care and character was put into each of the bros attacks, with unique, charming animations playing for each success and failure.
Above all though, this game is hilarious. Like actually laugh out loud material at points. I'm never gonna get over Luigi pouting over not getting a badge while Mario pushes him into the next scene 😭.
2022
Not super different from Spla2n based on the battles and salmon run matches I've played so far. At this point it's beating a dead horse but I don't think this game is different enough to justify a new entry. All the changes i've seen between the new specials and salmon run bosses could have easily been implemented into the already very successful prior entry.
It's still fun cuz it's sploon but it just seems like taking advantage of a loyal fanbase when this game has no real hook to differentiate from it the other two entries.
It's still fun cuz it's sploon but it just seems like taking advantage of a loyal fanbase when this game has no real hook to differentiate from it the other two entries.
2006
Is this the gateway drug to rhythm games? I was only supposed to try it out for 5 mins but the 2000s rock kept me locked in for like 2 hours.
2014
This review is just for shovel of hope.
It's fun I guess.
To my knowledge, this game is supposed to pay homage to the NES era of platformers and adventure games. It does a really good job of that, so much so that it includes some of the bullshit enemy placement and level design that turned me off NES games in the first place.
To Shovel Knight's credit though it is a lot more lenient with checkpoints than games of those ilk so I won't babyrage too much about my lack of skill when faceplanting into a spike pit for the billionth time.
I admittedly was not enjoying my playthrough too much until I completed my first Knight lair. The Order of No Quarter are the lifeblood of this game, a colorful assortment of personalities who wear their Robot Masters influences on their sleeves. They vary in difficulty but I appreciate how much thematic attention was put towards each of their levels, dialogue and boss fights.
The narrative itself while basic, does have you care enough about Shovel Knight's journey, with an especially sweet conclusion after the credits roll.
I'm curious how the rest of treasure trove iterates on this formula.
It's fun I guess.
To my knowledge, this game is supposed to pay homage to the NES era of platformers and adventure games. It does a really good job of that, so much so that it includes some of the bullshit enemy placement and level design that turned me off NES games in the first place.
To Shovel Knight's credit though it is a lot more lenient with checkpoints than games of those ilk so I won't babyrage too much about my lack of skill when faceplanting into a spike pit for the billionth time.
I admittedly was not enjoying my playthrough too much until I completed my first Knight lair. The Order of No Quarter are the lifeblood of this game, a colorful assortment of personalities who wear their Robot Masters influences on their sleeves. They vary in difficulty but I appreciate how much thematic attention was put towards each of their levels, dialogue and boss fights.
The narrative itself while basic, does have you care enough about Shovel Knight's journey, with an especially sweet conclusion after the credits roll.
I'm curious how the rest of treasure trove iterates on this formula.
2008
The DS is such a brilliant console when you take advantage of its functionalities man. Every game is so simple yet extremely unique and addictive. I wish I had played this when I was younger. Feels like it might have been a formative experience. Not to mention the added bonus of developing better rhythm.
2011
Growing up is realizing that the pinball minigame is more fun than the main game.
Finished on co-op with friends. I haven't had this much with 2d Mario since the 'new' formula started on ds. There were some levels that felt too easy and straight up filler. Others that were a good challenge. And others that only felt more difficult because of co-op mode. Despite this mixed bag, I was consistently amused by the gimmicks and the stylistic choices introduced by the wonder seeds.
They enhance the game's overall design as it keeps most levels from feeling static or samey like some of the latter 'New Super' entries. Not to mention some levels have some really well hidden wonder seeds you will probably miss on your first go, offering some decent replayability value.
Overall a very solid and snappy return to form for 2d Mario. Opinion will probably improve once I play through It solo.
They enhance the game's overall design as it keeps most levels from feeling static or samey like some of the latter 'New Super' entries. Not to mention some levels have some really well hidden wonder seeds you will probably miss on your first go, offering some decent replayability value.
Overall a very solid and snappy return to form for 2d Mario. Opinion will probably improve once I play through It solo.