MisterProject
2013
This game is why we need writing/gameplay separation in our discourse. The writing is, simply put, shitty. The gameplay, on the other hand, is fast, fluid, satisfying, violent, at times silly, and all in all, agressively fun.
The game's vast arsenal of weapons, while mostly standard, also features a katana: a surprisingly effective melee weapon and arguably the most striking innovation of the game. Each slash is accompanied by streams of blood, fleshy sounds, sometimes even the occasional severed limb. The other weapons are all also great in their own right, with their own powerful sounds and satisfying effects. In the department of Game Feel, the developers did a great job.
The gameplay flow also (mostly) works - enemies swarm in from everywhere, each one presenting a different challenge in battle, creating a game loop similar to the "Combat Chess" principle that'd later be introduced by DOOM. At every second, the player is confronted with the question of what enemy to prioritise, and with what weapon.
This system, however, does come with its fair share of criticisms: boss battles feel sluggish and slow, the black golem enemy is frustrating and boring, and the protagonist's "powers" swing wildly in effectiveness: three of them are either useless or really situational, while the first one, the healing spell, is ludicrously more important than the rest, breaks the flow of combat by forcing the player to pause and heal every so often and reduces the game's difficulty by giving the player the ability to flee and heal up at almost any time. DOOM's approach to healing with its Glory Kills would've worked way better here.
Finally, there's the writing. Admitedly, it does kind of fit the gameplay - the gameplay is silly and over-the-top, the writing is silly and over-the-top. The problem is, while the gameplay is fun, the writing is cringy, unfunny, childish, and also, weirdly dissonant - just after hearing a joke about condoms in teenager's purses, for example, there'll be an emotional scene with a character sacrificing themselves. It just doesn't work for me.
Still, do I recommend Shadow Warrior? Well, yeah, I do. The story is annoying and skippable, but honestly, it's the least important part of a game like this. This game definitely took a page from DOOM, and it seems to perfectly echo its creators' words - "Story in a game is like a story in a porn movie. It's expected to be there, but it's not that important."
The game's vast arsenal of weapons, while mostly standard, also features a katana: a surprisingly effective melee weapon and arguably the most striking innovation of the game. Each slash is accompanied by streams of blood, fleshy sounds, sometimes even the occasional severed limb. The other weapons are all also great in their own right, with their own powerful sounds and satisfying effects. In the department of Game Feel, the developers did a great job.
The gameplay flow also (mostly) works - enemies swarm in from everywhere, each one presenting a different challenge in battle, creating a game loop similar to the "Combat Chess" principle that'd later be introduced by DOOM. At every second, the player is confronted with the question of what enemy to prioritise, and with what weapon.
This system, however, does come with its fair share of criticisms: boss battles feel sluggish and slow, the black golem enemy is frustrating and boring, and the protagonist's "powers" swing wildly in effectiveness: three of them are either useless or really situational, while the first one, the healing spell, is ludicrously more important than the rest, breaks the flow of combat by forcing the player to pause and heal every so often and reduces the game's difficulty by giving the player the ability to flee and heal up at almost any time. DOOM's approach to healing with its Glory Kills would've worked way better here.
Finally, there's the writing. Admitedly, it does kind of fit the gameplay - the gameplay is silly and over-the-top, the writing is silly and over-the-top. The problem is, while the gameplay is fun, the writing is cringy, unfunny, childish, and also, weirdly dissonant - just after hearing a joke about condoms in teenager's purses, for example, there'll be an emotional scene with a character sacrificing themselves. It just doesn't work for me.
Still, do I recommend Shadow Warrior? Well, yeah, I do. The story is annoying and skippable, but honestly, it's the least important part of a game like this. This game definitely took a page from DOOM, and it seems to perfectly echo its creators' words - "Story in a game is like a story in a porn movie. It's expected to be there, but it's not that important."
This... I really, really wanted to like this game. Its premise sounded promising, and its artstyle looked pleasing. Unfortunately, Inua failed my expectations.
For one, the game's short. Too short. None of its characters receive proper development for me to care about any of them, and most of them are frankly assholes who just seem unable to look past their own preconceptions. This narrative desperately needed more time to flesh them out, or at least inject some nuance into them, but it just doesn't have time to do that when it needs to keep the plot moving.
Speaking of which, the plot. It's fine. Having the three time periods interact with each other, with each of their protagonists' struggles overlapping, was nice - but since this game is mostly plot-driven, none of the struggles its characters face, which are foundational to the story's overall message of hubris and over-determination, translate into a mechanic with which the player can interact and relate. It's a passive experience.
So what did I get from it? I'll say some positives - the artstyle is consistently pleasing, its soundtrack is powerful, and its dialog mostly works, even if some of the voice actors end up botching some of it. And the message it is trying to tell, that sometimes people get way over themselves and cause calamity because of it, is something I rarely see in media, and something I think is important to remind ourselves sometimes. We always hear of the determined achiever that succeeded against all odds, and never of the countless failures who persisted and failed and got their friends in a worse situation.
Unfortunately, while the underlying message worked, its execution didn't. It's a short, garbled mess, marred by an empty ending, and as such, I can't move myself to recommend it.
For one, the game's short. Too short. None of its characters receive proper development for me to care about any of them, and most of them are frankly assholes who just seem unable to look past their own preconceptions. This narrative desperately needed more time to flesh them out, or at least inject some nuance into them, but it just doesn't have time to do that when it needs to keep the plot moving.
Speaking of which, the plot. It's fine. Having the three time periods interact with each other, with each of their protagonists' struggles overlapping, was nice - but since this game is mostly plot-driven, none of the struggles its characters face, which are foundational to the story's overall message of hubris and over-determination, translate into a mechanic with which the player can interact and relate. It's a passive experience.
So what did I get from it? I'll say some positives - the artstyle is consistently pleasing, its soundtrack is powerful, and its dialog mostly works, even if some of the voice actors end up botching some of it. And the message it is trying to tell, that sometimes people get way over themselves and cause calamity because of it, is something I rarely see in media, and something I think is important to remind ourselves sometimes. We always hear of the determined achiever that succeeded against all odds, and never of the countless failures who persisted and failed and got their friends in a worse situation.
Unfortunately, while the underlying message worked, its execution didn't. It's a short, garbled mess, marred by an empty ending, and as such, I can't move myself to recommend it.
You know, this game had everything for me to dislike it. Its story is painfully boring, its artstyle is brown and uninteresting, its movement is slow and dull.
And yet... and yet I enjoyed it, somehow.
Maybe it was the satisfying blood splatters that explode out of orcs' heads whenever you hit them. Maybe it was the simple yet effective arsenal of weapons the game offered to the player. Maybe... Maybe it just caught me at a phase where I needed a relatively brainless experience for me to wind off.
In any case, I found this worth my time. I played it, I had my fun, and I stashed it away, not giving it a single extra thought. Not all games need to be remarkable - some are just fun.
This is one of those games.
And yet... and yet I enjoyed it, somehow.
Maybe it was the satisfying blood splatters that explode out of orcs' heads whenever you hit them. Maybe it was the simple yet effective arsenal of weapons the game offered to the player. Maybe... Maybe it just caught me at a phase where I needed a relatively brainless experience for me to wind off.
In any case, I found this worth my time. I played it, I had my fun, and I stashed it away, not giving it a single extra thought. Not all games need to be remarkable - some are just fun.
This is one of those games.
This review contains spoilers
This game has some of the lowest lows and the highest highs of the franchise. On one hand, there are the first and third cases, one which is forgettable, the other which is nonsensical, boring and at times, borderline creepy (uh, two grown adults fighting for a 16 year old girl?).
On the other hand, there's Case 4. My favorite case of the entire series.
There are few instances in which I cry while playing video games. For all the 6 main games and the 2 spin-offs, I only cried once with the Ace Attorney series - and it was with this game.
While Justice for All doesn't offer much in terms of a grand narrative, only really contributing with the introduction of (the utterly adorable) Pearl and her mother, Justice for All works with themes - that is, the theme of Justice.
"What is justice?", the game asks. Is it justice to lust after revenge? Is it justice to imprison someone who's sorry for what they've done? Is it justice to defend someone to the bitter end?
This game, in my opinion, is the one in which Phoenix has the most growth and character development. When Miles returns and tells Phoenix that he'll need to learn what it really means to be a lawyer, he's right. If in the first game it was Edgeworth who had to go through a personal journey, this time, it's Wright the one who's walking down this path.
So, even though the rest of the game is mediocre, I don't care. As I said, Case 4 is still my all-time favorite case. When Phoenix, Maya and Pearl finally reunite... fuck, that's powerful. And that's what I think of Justice for All.
On the other hand, there's Case 4. My favorite case of the entire series.
There are few instances in which I cry while playing video games. For all the 6 main games and the 2 spin-offs, I only cried once with the Ace Attorney series - and it was with this game.
While Justice for All doesn't offer much in terms of a grand narrative, only really contributing with the introduction of (the utterly adorable) Pearl and her mother, Justice for All works with themes - that is, the theme of Justice.
"What is justice?", the game asks. Is it justice to lust after revenge? Is it justice to imprison someone who's sorry for what they've done? Is it justice to defend someone to the bitter end?
This game, in my opinion, is the one in which Phoenix has the most growth and character development. When Miles returns and tells Phoenix that he'll need to learn what it really means to be a lawyer, he's right. If in the first game it was Edgeworth who had to go through a personal journey, this time, it's Wright the one who's walking down this path.
So, even though the rest of the game is mediocre, I don't care. As I said, Case 4 is still my all-time favorite case. When Phoenix, Maya and Pearl finally reunite... fuck, that's powerful. And that's what I think of Justice for All.
This review contains spoilers
After thinking for a while, I've come to realize that I don't really like this game. The questions it poses and the world it presents are interesting enough, yes, but at the same time there were multiple points in which I didn't find it very believable. I also didn't care much for its characters, which were mostly fine but not that compelling, and its ending, which was just brutally abrupt and unsatisfying.
Perhaps I'm just not its target audience, as I loathe browsing Facebook and Twitter. Watching a group chat on Whatsapp or Discord probably would've made a bigger impact on me. Ah, oh well.
Perhaps I'm just not its target audience, as I loathe browsing Facebook and Twitter. Watching a group chat on Whatsapp or Discord probably would've made a bigger impact on me. Ah, oh well.
2018
This game is undeniably charming, yes, and I don't regret playing it, but its premise is unfortunately less impressive than what was advertised. I expected that its time loop was an actual time loop instead of just a limitation of the duration of a single life. I feel like the game could've had so much more potential, both narrative and mechanics-wise, if it went all the way with it...
As a companion for this game, I recommend the Minecraft map (yes, a minecraft map) called 72 Seconds. It's mostly a puzzle, there's no story, but it's brillant - after 72 seconds, everything resets, and the only thing you get to keep is information. It is short, it is smart. If you have Minecraft and you liked Minit, play it.
As a companion for this game, I recommend the Minecraft map (yes, a minecraft map) called 72 Seconds. It's mostly a puzzle, there's no story, but it's brillant - after 72 seconds, everything resets, and the only thing you get to keep is information. It is short, it is smart. If you have Minecraft and you liked Minit, play it.
2009
I'll write this through the lenses of a child, as this was how I first played this game and how the designers probably intended it to be played.
I had never played an RTS before. For someone just starting out, slowly understanding how the economy of collecting resources and amassing an army functions was a delight. The different factions with their different maps and units were also a treat, especially considering that after beating a campaign with one of the factions, you got to play and understand the other side. This narrative trick was really novel to me.
The thing that I most fondly remember of this game, however, were the cutscenes with the now well-known flavor of LEGO-themed humor. They were the reward at the end of the journey, the cherry on top.
And yeah, I could mention the game was a bit buggy, but honestly, as a child, you don't really care about those things that much. I was so enthralled by the story and the gameplay that I just ate it all up. Nowadays, I see the many flaws of this game... but in the end, what matters is the experience - and mine was a great one.
I had never played an RTS before. For someone just starting out, slowly understanding how the economy of collecting resources and amassing an army functions was a delight. The different factions with their different maps and units were also a treat, especially considering that after beating a campaign with one of the factions, you got to play and understand the other side. This narrative trick was really novel to me.
The thing that I most fondly remember of this game, however, were the cutscenes with the now well-known flavor of LEGO-themed humor. They were the reward at the end of the journey, the cherry on top.
And yeah, I could mention the game was a bit buggy, but honestly, as a child, you don't really care about those things that much. I was so enthralled by the story and the gameplay that I just ate it all up. Nowadays, I see the many flaws of this game... but in the end, what matters is the experience - and mine was a great one.
2014
Great game feel. This is a slick, polished and difficult game. As soon as you start to play it, you immediately feel the kinetic motion of your aircraft, cutting through the skies like a blade. Turning, shooting and accelerating are all simultaneously really responsive and almost a bit out of your control, like you're going too fast for your own good - the camera even seems to have a hard time keeping up with it sometimes.
As you play the game, you slowly unlock new weapons, engines and bodies for your craft (which can all be combined in different ways) by completing certain achievements. Each craft part has different achievements, by the way, and so the player is encouraged to experiment and eventually master them all.
Aside from this progression system, however, the game doesn't offer much else in terms of sticking power. There's no campaign, multiplayer or leaderboards - it's a singleplayer arcade game, and its fun is derived solely by its tight gameplay loop. In my opinion, this will come down mostly to how good you are at the game - this seems like the perfect game to "enter in the zone", or for the more game design-savvy people, "the Flow State". If you're good enough to eventually reach that, honestly, this game seems like paradise. For the swads of people that aren't, though... I'd give you 5-6 hours before you shelve it.
As you play the game, you slowly unlock new weapons, engines and bodies for your craft (which can all be combined in different ways) by completing certain achievements. Each craft part has different achievements, by the way, and so the player is encouraged to experiment and eventually master them all.
Aside from this progression system, however, the game doesn't offer much else in terms of sticking power. There's no campaign, multiplayer or leaderboards - it's a singleplayer arcade game, and its fun is derived solely by its tight gameplay loop. In my opinion, this will come down mostly to how good you are at the game - this seems like the perfect game to "enter in the zone", or for the more game design-savvy people, "the Flow State". If you're good enough to eventually reach that, honestly, this game seems like paradise. For the swads of people that aren't, though... I'd give you 5-6 hours before you shelve it.
1995
A vast and heart-warming story spanning multiple time periods. Chrono Trigger earns its reputation by its rewarding combat system, incredibly charismatic characters, memorable soundtrack, gorgeous pixel artwork and a well-written narrative.
While some of its chapters sometimes end up dragging its pacing a bit (I'm looking at you, Tyranno Lair), its structure is overall well balanced, with its first half being mostly linear, introducing the world and its characters and events, while its second half opens up to exploration and time manipulation. For a game made back in 1995, CT has a lot of ideas well ahead of its time, and I respect it for that.
While some of its chapters sometimes end up dragging its pacing a bit (I'm looking at you, Tyranno Lair), its structure is overall well balanced, with its first half being mostly linear, introducing the world and its characters and events, while its second half opens up to exploration and time manipulation. For a game made back in 1995, CT has a lot of ideas well ahead of its time, and I respect it for that.
2018
This review contains spoilers
Not quite as ground-breaking as Undertale, of course, but still a solid story with great characters and an improved combat system. Scenes such as Susie vs Lancer and Jevil's battle are some of the greatest highlights not only of this game but of Undertale's universe in general.
2019
A creative and colorful roguelike dice-building game with six different characters, each with their unique playstyle. Although luck is thematically placed front and center in this game, most matches don't feel cheaped out by RNG, as tactics such as risk management and number manipulation help alleviate a lot of would-be luck-related grievances.
Not only that, but the design of both the enemies and the cards allow for really inventive play with the dice received each round, estimulating a "work-with-what-you've-been-dealt" mentality that takes a lot of frustration out of the game and makes each round more or less independent from the rest, increasing the information fog and reducing analysis paralysis, which is something I really appreciate.
Not only that, but the design of both the enemies and the cards allow for really inventive play with the dice received each round, estimulating a "work-with-what-you've-been-dealt" mentality that takes a lot of frustration out of the game and makes each round more or less independent from the rest, increasing the information fog and reducing analysis paralysis, which is something I really appreciate.
2012
I basically do not remember anything from this game besides two things: one, Haytham's stylish outfit, which is very stylish, and two, the fun I've had with its naval combat feature.
I'm not, by the way, trying to be facetious or anything - I honestly, truly have forgotten basically 90% of this game. I have flashes of moments of gameplay, sometimes jumping through a forest, sometimes throwing a tomahawk... and also memories of being disappointed by its ending. And... yeah, I think that's it? If I don't remember about a game, then it was probably not worth playing.
I'm not, by the way, trying to be facetious or anything - I honestly, truly have forgotten basically 90% of this game. I have flashes of moments of gameplay, sometimes jumping through a forest, sometimes throwing a tomahawk... and also memories of being disappointed by its ending. And... yeah, I think that's it? If I don't remember about a game, then it was probably not worth playing.
2019
As charming as it looks - namely, extremely charming. Its visuals, writing and soundtrack are all really cute and endearing, and its level design has provided me with the second best exploration experience I've ever had with a game (after Hollow Knight).
I was feeling kind of down and tired before I started this game, but after playing it, I felt reinvigorated, happy, and with a powerful sense of hope in myself and... well, this might sound strange, but in humanity, in general. It didn't change my life, but it did improve my day significantly. Any game that is able to do that deserves high praise.
I was feeling kind of down and tired before I started this game, but after playing it, I felt reinvigorated, happy, and with a powerful sense of hope in myself and... well, this might sound strange, but in humanity, in general. It didn't change my life, but it did improve my day significantly. Any game that is able to do that deserves high praise.
I played this game when I was really young, so my view might be skewed on this. With that said - this is a damn fun game. Not fun in the sense of its gameplay loop, or level design, or even its narrative. It's fun because it sells its premise.
In Uncharted 3, the player embarks on this Indiana Jones-esque adventure around the world fighting baddies and solving mysteries, all the while doing batshit crazy action stuff like jumping out of a plane with no parachute while shooting goons. Its setpieces work well to sell the bombastic tone the game is going for, while the sassy and charismatic personalities of its main characters contribute to lighten the mood and give the game a blockbuster action movie vibe.
It's not a deep or innovative game and it knows it - not every title needs to be that. In the end, Uncharted 3 is effective at what it does (namely, sell an adventure), and if you're looking for that, well, here it is. I recommend it.
In Uncharted 3, the player embarks on this Indiana Jones-esque adventure around the world fighting baddies and solving mysteries, all the while doing batshit crazy action stuff like jumping out of a plane with no parachute while shooting goons. Its setpieces work well to sell the bombastic tone the game is going for, while the sassy and charismatic personalities of its main characters contribute to lighten the mood and give the game a blockbuster action movie vibe.
It's not a deep or innovative game and it knows it - not every title needs to be that. In the end, Uncharted 3 is effective at what it does (namely, sell an adventure), and if you're looking for that, well, here it is. I recommend it.
2016
SUPERHOT is undeniably an innovative game with a creative take on its genre; with that being said, ignoring the novelty of its main mechanic, it also deflates rather quickly as levels blend together and no new enemies get introduced.
I mean, look, I'm not saying that there's no variety in its levels, but its variety isn't that meaningful - the gameplay loop of dodging bullets and disarming enemies stays largely the same (save for one new mechanic introduced in the middle of the game), and as such, the experience ends up feeling... hollow. Like just going through the motions.
Basically, what I want to say is, unless you really, really enjoy the core loop of this game, there's not much here for you. DOOM, for example, is also relatively samey, but its gameplay was so engaging that I could just do it for hours on end. Unfortunately, I didn't get the same reaction with SUPERHOT. And considering that's basically the only meaningful thing it has to offer... well, I can't really recommend it, either.
I mean, look, I'm not saying that there's no variety in its levels, but its variety isn't that meaningful - the gameplay loop of dodging bullets and disarming enemies stays largely the same (save for one new mechanic introduced in the middle of the game), and as such, the experience ends up feeling... hollow. Like just going through the motions.
Basically, what I want to say is, unless you really, really enjoy the core loop of this game, there's not much here for you. DOOM, for example, is also relatively samey, but its gameplay was so engaging that I could just do it for hours on end. Unfortunately, I didn't get the same reaction with SUPERHOT. And considering that's basically the only meaningful thing it has to offer... well, I can't really recommend it, either.