technically havent finished it but the final boss of the immortal severance ending is so fucking hard im just gonna give my rating now

edit: finally cut off isshin's wrinkly old balls and its now my favorite boss fight, 5/5 withstands

edited edit: about 7 playthroughs in, this is seriously one of the best games ever made. i would even go as far as to say its the best game from software has ever and possibly maybe will ever make. its quickfire pace, its buttery controls, its insane boss fights, its gorgeous world, the IMPECCABLE combat, it all comes together to form a game that is not only unforgettable, but god damn legendary.

edit of the edited edit: playthrough counter well within the 20s. not sure when this will end. if i dont make it out, cancel my elden ring pre-order.

edit of the edited edit edit: isnt it kind of funny how its called "Shadows Die Twice" but typically in games this difficut you tend to die as the player many more times? always thought that was a pretty silly observation

this game is one of extremely high highs, and extremely low lows.

the combat feels satisfying, but its completely rudimentary, mostly involving getting behind an enemy to spam attack or holding block in exchange for a free damage move.

the story is basic and melodramatic, but the interactions between the main cast are down to earth and can be far more emotional than i ever expected they would.

the music is great.

for everything it gets right, it gets two things wrong. there are several chapters that are thrilling from start to finish and some that are just absolute garbage. there are some story moments that get me misty eyed, and some that make me laugh unintentionally. its a technological marvel with some of the systems working exceptionally well, but sometimes the actual gameplay can completely bug characters out of position and look jank as hell. its baffling that this game exists at all, and its baffling it ended up in this state. conceptually its a fantastic idea, and in execution its a pretty god damn good game. but its makes too many mistakes for me to come back to it any time soon.

really doesnt do anything to improve the original's gameplay (i.e. the combat still feels muddy, especially compared to Sekiro) and also really fails under scrutiny when later sections resort to hardcore aggressive enemy spam that tests the player on how efficiently they can use their force currency to insta-kill enemies rather than actually engage with combat. it adds stuff, but its more facetious fluff than meaningful evolutions of the gameplay.

the metroidvania structure of the original is mostly thrown aside in favor of a more generic open world with side quests and fewer key abilities. it still maintains the facade, but the focus is definitely on being "big," the opposite of where the genre thrives.

story-wise its about as schlocky as the original, although somehow feels more self-serious. the drama still falls completely flat and includes more of it thanks to the naughty-dog-esque "slowly follow behind somebody while they mumble at you" sections during the massive walks between objectives. however, to a lesser extent than the original granted, it still is very much capable of that star wars shlock with insane plot twists and cool displays of force abilities. watching cal use sith abilities on someone because hes pissed about a recent plot twist is awesome, listening to him mumble to his girlfriend about nothing is not. one of those is much more prevalent than the other.

the reason im being so harsh, even though i do ultimately like the game, is because its a sequel to a star wars game. i dont feel like any leeway is granted in something so safe as that, and for it to take so few risks or even improve in any meaningful way makes me inclined to treat it a little more harshly. honestly, as an aside, so much about this game reminds of God of War Ragnarok which i had damn near the exact same feelings about.

heres the review: if you liked fallen order, youll like this. just dont expect to be excited by it.

that extends to the fact there are still ZERO circle wipes in a DAMN STAR WARS GAME

more of a gimmick showcase than a 3d platformer with some of the shittiest level design ive ever seen in a game. if this game was 100 hours shorter maybe itd be a bit tolerable but the sheer amount of garbage you have to deal with on top of this game getting by on people's radars solely for the pedigree of the studio and the nostalgia it gives off of a different and much better game gives me absolutely no good will for this piece'a dongo ass.

you cant even jump off of slopes, making uncharted 4 objectively a better platformer