Knuckle Sandwhich is a JRPG developed by Andrew Brophy and the game is his own attempt at a love letter for video games. It stars a silent protagonist, moving to Bright City to find a job, only to have Weird Shit constantly happen. You also commit a murder. Fun. What adventures await our Protagonist as he solves the mysteries of Bright City?

Combat was fun and was the standout part of the game for me. KS uses a take on Paper Mario’s Action Command battle system, and this one uses Wario Ware inspired microgames to determine if you’re successful or not on Attack or Defense. Usually these games last anywhere from 3-8 seconds, which gives a lot of room for battles to get to a point where they can drag, and it has for some players. But for me and my playthrough I didn’t really have that problem, even with the bosses most fights ended pretty quickly (thanks, Goblins!), and some cases TOO quickly (thanks, Gobilins!).

I’ve also seen complaints about the minigames getting to repetitive, but for the most part the "repetition" didn't really hit me. There’s a decent variety of mini games from the attacking enemies, and most of them were as enjoyable as playing a Microgame in Warioware complete with the difficulty of the Minigame going up when you succeed at one, so it kept the challenge fresh and engagement fun. There was a fatigue towards the end of the game, namely from the fact there's not a lot of variety in your own party's attacks and bosses and enemies attacks start to repeat, but luckily the game was in the final stages so it wasn't too hard for me to finish up.

On to the plot which is...fun? I’m not sure how to describe it. The game starts off running, combining a decent sense of mystery, supernatural and quirky comedy all assisted by an assortment of charismatic characters throughout, that kept me entertained and wanting to see what came next throughout the middle parts. And while it kept me entertained, the onslaught of new faces and details each chapter, while only hinting at answers started making the plot drag a bit, only for everything to be explained with a dump of information and twists in the last hour.

Though this is still saved by the fact that Bright City is just kind of a vibe. While there’s not a TON of secrets that’ll keep you busy for hours, there’s a fair bit of world here to explore and interact with that just feels comfy. I do wis there was more to do and see, more lines for the NPCs or even more secrets to find to flesh out the world, but whats here is enjoyable, and I’m sure there’s plenty of people who will get more out of it than I did.

This game is a bit of puzzling one to talk about. I think it’s a standout game, but I don’t think it’s a great game. Brophy's talent is apparent as it's sper easy to get drawn into the combat and world here I do get and even empathize with a lot of disappointment in this game, but I found the overall GBA cadence of the storytelling and gameplay to be comforting and enjoyable.

why do vanillaware titles always cause so much melties LMAOOOOOOO, notice how none of the review bombers have actually talked about the gameplay.

anyways, this shit is really good (so far - only 11hrs in), so if you're on the fence about picking up a cool srpg - i'd strongly say go for this.

also i carnally need berengaria so bad

Only at costa del sol but yeah this game is perfect

Update: finished the game yeah this game really was perfect

I fucking love ff7 dude