Nanaya
2006
It's the type of puzzle game I'm really bad at but I really love the artstyle. Shame the characters don't talk or anything but their animations are cute.
Solid beat 'em up with a lot of nostalgia-value for people like me who watched the old cartoon series. The gameplay is standard for the genre but the stages never overstay their welcome while still introducing a large variety of settings and the soundtrack is real good.
2019
Every bit as good as the original version with some solid improvements and a great new ending. It doesn't completely remix the game or anything but being able to go out at night more often takes out a lot of morgana-related frustration and Maruki is an excellent addition to the cast. Kasumi is alright and at least fits in better than Marie did in P4G. The only notable issue with Royal is the terribly redone Okumura boss fight but that's easily handled once you know to switch to Merciless. Overall I'm glad it finally came to PC so I could justify replaying the whole thing and I had a blast.
2022
Surprisingly fun Overwatch clone with a refreshing lack of focus on roles. I really enjoyed how all the suits played and each one felt very distinct and unusually balanced aside from the exia and mahiroo. Unfortunately the monetization is godawful and the content is lacking. I also wish they used more gundam in their gundam game because the sense of scale is really lacking and they don't even implement pilots from the franchise. I plan to hop back in when they add more suits or maps but I have a feeling nobody will be playing by then if it even happens.
2021
Serviceable gacha with a lot of nice character designs and some solid spritework. It actually has levels to clear with puzzles and everything but they end up being pretty uninteresting and there's not much opportunity for the characters to show personality which is pivotal for a gacha.
Extremely charming game with combat that is very rough around the edges. The silly characters, distinct designs, great soundtrack, and awkward-yet-endearing voice acting give NSR a soulful feeling reminiscent of obscure japanese PS2 games that somehow got localized but played by nobody. While the gameplay isn't terrible, it is unfortunately hindered by some unpolished controls and probably the worst co-op camera I've ever seen despite the game clearly being intended for co-op. Also SAYU CUTE
2021
This review contains spoilers
A solid sequel that falls a tad short in the main story but excels in side content unlike the first game. The tedious and excessive tailing missions have been reduced (though LJ introduces the equally dull platforming if you can even call it that) and the combat has been polished to a mirror sheen.
I wouldn't say I dislike the main story but it often feels like the characters are just running in circles (literally with how much I had to keep taking taxis between kamurocho and ijincho) and while the conflict between Yagami and Kuwana's viewpoints is an interesting one from an objective standpoint, the fact that Yagami just constantly cries about Sawa-sensei as his only argument makes his character feel a lot weaker this time around. This was especially an issue since the game failed completely to make me like Sawa-sensei or really feel sympathetic for her. I've gotten pretty tired of japanese stories focusing so heavily on bullying but at least in this one I get to beat them up so that gets an A+ from me.
The sidequests are much more enjoyable in LJ compared to the first game where it was practically an afterthought for me since you had to go around raising friendships with employees and stuff. The school clubs varied wildly in quality but I greatly enjoyed completing all of them and solving the professor mystery while racking up SP. I do really wish that they had removed the photography club entirely and added to the virtua fighter club instead because they both feel very insignificant despite VF easily being more fun than the other minigames.
The combat is the best it's ever been with additional styles, skills and super smooth animations. I really loved the boxer style even though it basically trivialized the game. Helps that it's tied to the best school story too.
I wouldn't say I dislike the main story but it often feels like the characters are just running in circles (literally with how much I had to keep taking taxis between kamurocho and ijincho) and while the conflict between Yagami and Kuwana's viewpoints is an interesting one from an objective standpoint, the fact that Yagami just constantly cries about Sawa-sensei as his only argument makes his character feel a lot weaker this time around. This was especially an issue since the game failed completely to make me like Sawa-sensei or really feel sympathetic for her. I've gotten pretty tired of japanese stories focusing so heavily on bullying but at least in this one I get to beat them up so that gets an A+ from me.
The sidequests are much more enjoyable in LJ compared to the first game where it was practically an afterthought for me since you had to go around raising friendships with employees and stuff. The school clubs varied wildly in quality but I greatly enjoyed completing all of them and solving the professor mystery while racking up SP. I do really wish that they had removed the photography club entirely and added to the virtua fighter club instead because they both feel very insignificant despite VF easily being more fun than the other minigames.
The combat is the best it's ever been with additional styles, skills and super smooth animations. I really loved the boxer style even though it basically trivialized the game. Helps that it's tied to the best school story too.
2020
Pleasant little game with surprisingly fun combat and a cute main character. I liked dumping all my levels into int and sniping monsters with lightning and the boss fights were pretty well-done. The areas are mostly enjoyable but scrounging around for the lightning magic in the dark area was annoying. Story was mostly forgettable but I liked the character designs. Locking the bunny costume behind a huge grind is the greatest sin this game commits.
2017
Neat game with puzzles of varying quality. I can't say looking at manuals or trying to figure out the right text adventure commands is thrilling but the presentation is solid. The atmosphere is really nice and the story is interesting, though I think I would've preferred it without the ending twist. Overall it's worth the short playthrough.
Charming presentation, great sprites and pretty good soundtrack but annoying as a beat 'em up.
Generally solid rebalance and I like how they implemented all the legendary events. The elite 4 is a pain though.
2022
It looks cute but it impressively loses its novelty in like 20 minutes tops.
2022
It's a fun time but too similar to the original to the point that I get tired of playing it pretty quickly. The new stages are pretty nice though and they did an admirable job with the artstyle to match the feel of the original.
2019
Solid enough beat 'em up with a few glaring issues. Has a cute artstyle and some nice spritework as well as satisfying attack animations. The soundtrack also has some bangers that fit the game's style to a T. The most prominent issue is the game's insistence on padding despite being in a genre that's better off being only a few hours long at most. This is only made more annoying by the petty story reasons which kind of lose their comedic appeal when it's actually impeding my experience. Speaking of the story, it's surprisingly plentiful but despite the high quality presentation, the dialogue is often just awkward. However it does end up coming across as sort of endearing in a way, maybe because the girls are cute or because it feels like the creators were just having a fun time making the game.
More cuphead is always appreciated, though it ended surprisingly soon and the final boss's first phase is a pain.