Counting this as mastered, even though I only got four stars. I refuse to play through every single level four more times. Other than that, it was a pretty solid game. Took me the first few worlds to really get into it, and overall, I might even prefer 3D Land, but for everything that wasn't great before, it offers the excellent final world, with some unusually difficult challenges that were the most fun I've had with a Mario game since the final star in Super Mario Galaxy 2. Lower mid-tier 3D Mario game.

Took me a long time getting through this game. First, I couldn't play for more than 1-2 hours before my computer would overheat, but it wasn't just that, it's also the density of the game with its overwhelming amount of wacky side characters, plot lines and misleading clues. In some, actually many ways, this reminded me of Inherent Vice and even more so when it was over, and given that IV is in my Top 5 films of all time, it's more than just a good thing.

This month, I fixed the overheating problem and finally pulled through, played through half the game in one week and finally fully submerged into the game's surreal atmosphere. I put most of my skill points into inland empire and empathy, didn't actually put too much effort into internalising thoughts, and completely ignored certain skills like authority, esprit de corps, half light or savoir faire. I was amazed at how big your options are and how one skill point can already make a noticeable difference in the following interactions, really makes you feel like you can really do everything your own way.

Very deep and complex, philosophical and fascinating when it comes to the political stuff, the characters are extraordinarily well written and it's easily one of the most literary games I've played, bringing to mind Samuel Beckett and Thomas Pynchon among others. Absurdist but still with a lot of heart at its core. Some great meta humour as well, I died in the first scene on my first playthrough, then again when I sat down on Evrart's chair. Loved it, highly recommended to everybody who wants to play something that's intellectually stimulating.