I've given TOTK a fair shake. 95 hours in and at this point it just feels like a chore. Still too many repeated and easy boss fights. Still too many samey locations (the sky and the depths are such disappointments after a couple hours). Still too many repeated chores disguised as "content". All glued together with an admittedly innovative but extremely limited building mechanic. And don't even get me started on that excuse for a story...makes BOTW look like William fucking Shakespeare.

I do think the main story dungeons were quite an improvement but these BOTW era games have a serious bloat issue. I guess that's what gamers want these days. They need 'things to do' to keep their thumbs busy and the dopamine rushing. Quality be damned.

I'm a little sad that this is obviously the direction 3D Zelda will take based on the sales and general reception. It's not even an issue of traditional items alongside traditional dungeons for me. I love the ideas of ultrahand, ascend, and fuse. The problem for me lies that 3D Zelda has gone from neat, curated experiences with a strong emotional core in their simple narrative to sprawling, unfocused sandboxes with little focus or reverence to its story or quality of worldbuilding and NPC interactions. That works for a lot of people but it rubs me the wrong way.

I suppose I can only wait till the next top-down installment and hope that doesn't get BOTWified.

It's badass.

Finally getting to pick this up and play feels a bit surreal to me. I've been eyeing this since it originally released. At the time I passed on it, because I was a lame and judgy 17 yr old who wrote it off as too weird and anime. By the time I convinced myself, physical copies started getting somewhat rare in retail but I was able to find an affordable import on ebay. After playing through it, I can't say my initial impressions were wrong but Astral Chain 's over-the-top, seinen-laced DNA is precisely what endeared me to it so much.

I like how the story carries itself with a sincere grace. The game's narrative somehow manages to grip onto you despite its cast of supporting characters feeling somewhat generic. Fortunately, the twins' relationship takes center stage in the latter half of the game and it's all the better for it. It nevers feel quite too serious though and I appreciate that because I am mowing down demons with my funny dog persona after all.

Speaking of mowing down demons... The combat in this game is pure bliss. I love how responsive the dodge feels. Pulling off a row of perfect dodges into a slew of sync attacks against a miniboss/boss injects you with a metric fuck ton of adrenaline and is some of the most satisfying game feel I've ever encountered. The legions are all so varied and fun to use. There are probably some that are just objectively better to use for an entire playthrough but enemy encounters often had me switching legions mid combo depending on the situation. I like that I felt forced to experiment with the strengths of other legions because it leads to combat always feeling fresh even near the end of the game.

As much as Astral Chain tries to cutout the bullshit and throw the player into the thick of action, it also pays an impressive amount of respect to its setting. At the end of the day you are a police officer and the priority is to protect and serve. The inclusion of the IRIS and the investigation notes add an extra layer of immersion that connects you to this world, its people and its history. The game also expresses this through a variety of optional missions within in each "file" outside of the main quest. These missions can range from balancing a tower of ice cream for a snot-nosed kid to destroying a cocky officer's high score in the shooting range with your Arrow legion. Others can be more sprawling side adventures that often end up in you having to save civilians from an Eldritch horror residing in the Astral Plane. I personally think it strikes the right balance of variety and quality of content. I was a little disappointed with the lack of motorbike missions and how much time I spent on that last sliding puzzle (you know the one).

I would be remiss if I didn't throw out a mention to this game's OST. Astral Chain boasts a seamless dynamic soundtrack. The HQ and civilian area themes present moody, serene synths that effortlessly transition into the more frenetic electric guitars and drums once chimeras burst on the scene. The music is a character in itself and cranks some of the most cinematic moments in this game (like the entirety of File 11) from a 7 to a 10.

Anyways this review is already too long. This is easily a top 2 switch game and has converted me to PlatinumGames enjoyer. I hope they can make a sequel granted the funds and material are there. I'm going to go collect the S+ ranks I missed.

Well 4 months later and here we are. Wonderful experience. Much preferred the writing in this game compared to its successor. Dialogue between characters feels more natural and the humor consistently lands for me. As a result I found myself very endeared to this cast of characters. I’ll miss them. Even Yosuke and Teddie.

There are definitely things that annoyed me such as the procedurally generated grindy dungeons, the weak epilogue with Marie and just how unsatisfying the combat can feel compared to Persona 5’s at times. Even with all those things against it, Persona 4 Golden just feels like a better “experience”. This game sort of has an infectious, cheerful vibe to it (despite its darker plot points) that will make me remember it fondly and hum “Signs of Love” to myself on a cloudy day.

This is the probably the most infuriating shit I've played this year (honestly, a contender for one of the worst games I've played period). The combat is extremely restrictive and offers no perceivable freedom of skill expression. The mobs are a fucking slog to get through since the game insists on you learning a parry, which just does not feel natural, responsive or particularly satisfying to pull off. The bosses have fun character designs but are some of the most one dimensional, and uninteractive fights I've had the displeasure to play through.
The voice acting is fine but is dragged down by some spectacularly unfunny writing.
The only saving grace here is the cute pixel art style and the charming ost by Megan McDuffee. I don't even want to finish this.