Zelda Team......I kneel.

I'm not even sure where to begin for this one. Aounuma and Zelda Team really just put out peak fiction like it was nothing. Tears of the Kingdom expands on all of Breath of the Wild's strengths, as well as strengthening the main story tropes found throughout the series.

Like in BotW, you can do anything you want, except this time they mean it. The Zonai Arm abilities are far more flexible than the Sheikah Slate abilities and not one of them manages to feel useless (RIP Cryonis lovers). Ultrahand is just Better Magnesis, Fuse creates one of the greatest gameplay loops ever while simultaneously improving on the durability system from BotW. Recall at first looks lamer than Stasis and while it has virtually no application in combat, it makes up for with sheer versatility. With unlimited range and no cooldown, there is so much you can do with this ability, especially when combined with others. Ascend is basically the Wall Merge from A Link Between Worlds but vertical instead and just like it, it completely changes how you approach the landscape and how levels are designed. Autobuild just ties back into Ultrahand, allowing you to recreate anything you've built (and i mean literally anything) in exchange for Zonaite, which i'm about to get into that.

Fuse is one of the best gameplay loops in the game. It turns out there's a second gameplay loop that's also just top-tier. The world is far more expansive than in BotW obviously but what's truly impressive is how they all connect to each other on a gameplay level. Transitioning between the Sky, Surface and Depths is completely seamless and they all have things that feed into the other. On the Surface is most of your adventure. This is where the main story primarily takes place. On the Surface you can find Skyview Towers that launch you into the Sky while filling in the map. From there, it's easy access to the Sky Islands. The Sky Islands is where most of the Zonai Dispensers are, literal gacha machines that give you Zonai Devices that you can use to build machines that violate the Geneva Convention. But to use them you need Zonai Parts and to use the Zonai Devices themselves, you need Energy Cells and Zonaite if you want to recreate them via Autobuild. So you jump into a chasm on the Surface to reach the Depths, which is basically just it's own video game down there. It's pitch black save for very few lights, so to see you need to bring Brightbulb Seeds that are found in caves on the Surface. As you explore the Depths, you'll come across Lightroots that are directly below the Zonai Shrines on the Surface, their names being mirrored too. The Depths is where you'll find Zonaite deposits, which you can mine and then head to the.....mines to exchange them for Energy Crystals and Zonai Charges. You then return to the Surface to exchange those Energy Crystals for Energy Cells, which allow you to use the Zonai Devices you get from the Zonai Dispensers that take your Zonai Charges as payment longer and that is a sentence i just wrote. Oh and any Zonaite you have left with you can then be used to replicate those war machines you just built. Actual genius gameplay loop, it just works.

The Surface in particular gets extra points for how it's used. Yes it's the same map as in BotW but there's quite a few geographic changes here and there and i love how the game uses previous knowledge to it's advantage. Central Hyrule Field felt completely new because i hardly spent time there in BotW on account of Guardian threat. Other locations challenge your expectations of what you thought they were, some big, some small. It just works.

The Zonai Shrines are a massive step up from the Sheikah Shrines, both aesthetically and mechanically. While there's more, there's also a greater ratio of Shrines that are actually good and practically all of them can truly be solved however you see fit. The only limit this game has is your imagination. Nothing is impossible. The mechanical complexity of the Zonai Shrines was reminding me of CrossCode which means i really have nothing but praise in this department (keep in mind with the comparison i am comparing a 3D game to a 2D one).

The main story dungeons are improved from the Divine Beasts in every aspect, and i say this as someone who likes the Divine Beasts. What i really like about the Temples in this game is that they all feel like big events rather than just "thing you do because plot". In most Zelda games, accessing the dungeons is fairly quick and easy. Usually it's talking to an NPC for directions but in the 2D games especially, you really just....walk in. In this game, the dungeon sequence feels like a proper story arc, focusing on each of the Sages. From a gameplay perspective, the companion system allows you to use each of the Sages' abilities when you need them while they also fight for you. It feels like an expanded version of the Wind Waker companion system. This time, the Sages actually feel like your companions, more on that later.

Of course at the end of each Temple is a boss. And the bosses are so good. Wind Temple boss legit one of the best in the series while the only boss in the game that i don't feel too strongly on is the Water Temple boss. What's great is that in this game you can refight the bosses in the Depths, of which at least one of them drops exclusive parts that you can Fuse (there's that gameplay loop again). The optional bosses you can find in the world are about the same as they were in BotW, except this time Taluses get cheesed so hard by Recall. On the other hand, Gleeoks and Flux Constructs can prove to be a great fight. And of course, the man himself, Ganondorf. Actually the best final boss in the series and it's not even a contest. Bro he broke my Hylian Shield. Ganondorf can Flurry Rush your Flurry Rush. For the first time ever, Ganondorf is actually on Link's level, Link doesn't just curbstomp him like he does in the other games. I was reminded of the fight with Demise in Skyward Sword and this was that but like 10x better.

As for the story, well, which one? Like BotW, TotK does have it's memory flashbacks that you have to find. It's both better and worse executed here. On one hand, it makes a lot more sense contextually, as it feels like another side to the story as opposed to just the story. On the other hand, they definitely shouldn't have let you see these out of order. Ultimately however, the way it's executed allows the main story to still feel like it's happening, which is something that BotW lacked. As a whole, the story is pretty good and at worse, you could just argue there's just a storytelling issue.

But wait, there's more! This game has sidequests that actually matter. I didn't think they'd do it again. It's the thing Majora's Mask did and no other Zelda game did......until now! The sidequests are so good in this game, fleshing out the world for real while tying into the game's main theme: cooperation. In the main story, the Sages fight alongside you but even before then, the four affected regions dealing with their problems are being handled by the people already there. Think about how many times some monster caused chaos in a Zelda game and the people affected by it just go "oh well nothing we can do". Not here, the people are already working to solve their own problems before Link gets there. You see this in the main story but even the sidequests as well. Monster Control Squads patrolling various regions of Hyrule, journalism uncovering secrets and rumors, a musical troupe travelling around bringing joy, an entire town figuring out their future, etc. The Upheaval was a massive event that unleashed hordes of monsters into Hyrule and Ganondorf himself is at his most terrifying in this game and yet, people don't give up. Unlike basically every other game in the series, the people of Hyrule are not sitting around wallowing in misery until the Hero arrives. No, they all do their part. For the first time in the entire series, the people of Hyrule fight back and that makes this version of Hyrule easily the one that i give a shit about the most. It is the most lived in version of Hyrule and it makes this the most lived in game in the series since Majora's Mask (albeit for different reasons, MM admittedly still had Link be the sole savior of the land). Even the Yiga fit into this theme, granted they are working against you instead of with you but they feel like an actual organization now as opposed to just a throwaway group. With all that, plus the actual greatest Master Sword pull in the series (it legitimately feels earned in this one), plus other narrative beats that i won't talk about, i can pretty confidently say that this game has one of the best stories in the entire series.

Oh and the music? It's pretty good. Most of it is minimalistic like in the last game but when the music hits, it hits. Especially in the Temple themes.

If there's any criticisms i have about this game, it's minor stuff. I did a mostly no fast-travel run of this game but leaving the Depths without fast-travel is very rough. The storytelling could've been done better. The Depths could've had more visual variety and Combat Trial Shrines suck because they slowly teach me things i already know. Why are there like 8 Combat Trial Shrines when there was only one in BotW? At least the Proving Grounds (this game's version of Tests of Strength) are way, way, way better.

I spent 110 hours on this game before i beat it. There is still a lot for me to do left. But now that i've beaten it, i am confident in one thing: this game dethroned Majora's Mask for me. Majora's Mask held on to it's "best Zelda game" spot for almost a decade and Tears of the Kingdom surpassed it. What made me sure of that, after all those 110 hours, was the climax and ending. Actual peak.

Crazy how the two best games in the series are both asset flips.

Man i love Fire Emblem. Fire Emblem is cool. Fire Emblem has also never been this good.

After the success of Three Houses, i'm sure the last thing anybody expected after the next game is a colorful, corny game that doesn't seem to take itself too seriously. And honestly, i'm glad. Three Houses is great, i love Three Houses, but damn i wouldn't want it to be the future of the series. So here comes Engage, proving once and for all that Intelligent Systems constantly changes up the series, even when the previous entry had a winning formula. But enough about Three Houses, that's not relevant here. What is relevant is Fire Emblem Engage and how it's so good i think it's retroactively hurting my ability to play the older Fire Emblems a bit.

Much like how Metroid Dread is peak Metroid and Azure Striker Gunvolt 3, Fire Emblem Engage is peak Fire Emblem. For the first time in the series, the Weapon Triangle actually matters and that's an insane thing to say when you consider that it's been a central mechanic of the series since 1996. In Genealogy of the Holy War, the Weapon Triangle provides insane bonuses to whoever wins the interaction. So let me correct my previous statement: the Weapon Triangle in Engage actually matters for the right reasons. In every previous iteration, the Weapon Triangle merely provided stat bonuses, whether to an insane degree (FE4) to a miniscule (FE5). Fates took it a step further by having every weapon be a part of it but the principles were the same: winner gets higher hit and avo, loser gets less. In this game, those stat bonuses are gone, instead replaced by the Break mechanic, which is an insanely good mechanic. Now having WTA means you stop the enemy from counter-attacking for one interaction. That seems broken but it allows for the game to be the most player-phase focused game in the series. It allows weaker units to get in kills without fear of being countered. It allows axe-units to....suck relatively less than in other games in the series. And most importantly, the enemy can do the same thing, so it's something you have to account for. The Weapon Triangle in this game allows for actual strategy and not "let me put the swordmaster on the choke point".

The quality of the Weapon Triangle enhances the quality the maps. The map design across the game is really damn good, even if it dips here and there. It is in fact so good that the worst map in the game is still better than most maps in the series. Other ways the maps are enhanced by mechanics is the introduction of Class-Types, which are arguably more important than the Classes themselves. Mystic-Types can ignore avo bonuses, Covert units double their own avo bonuses, Armored units can't be broken which means they are finally good for the first time in the series, they actually have a niche. In addition, the low movement across the board for all units means nobody really falls behind. While low movement seems like a negative, execution is what matters, because honestly it's going to suck so hard when the next Fire Emblem game gives Cavaliers big movement again.

The gameplay still isn't done, because then there is the most advertised mechanic in the game: the Emblems. The Emblems are so conceptually broken in combat, yet everything in the game comes together to make them balanced. Emblems allow you to do massive AoE attacks, retaliation free attacks, multiple attacks, etc. My favorite is Emblem Corrin, because equipping her on Alear allows Alear to use any Dragon Vein tile, making Alear one of the best Lords gameplay-wise.

All of this comes together to create the most gameplay-story integrated game in the series. Yeah, the funny anniversary game integrates it's story to it's gameplay better than the rest of the series. It's why Ch.17 is one of the hardest chapters in the series and i don't just mean in terms of difficulty. It's also one of the three Fire Emblem games to actually acknowledge permadeath.

Speaking of story, i know some people went into this expecting Three Houses 2 or some shit. How they did that when the game opens up with a 4Kids opening, i have no clue but here's the thing about Engage's story: it's actually one of the better ones and it's all about intent. From the developers themselves, Engage's #1 priority was to be a fun SRPG. They accomplished that. Because of that intent, Engage's narrative weight is very light. If you're wondering what i mean by that, i mean that Engage didn't necessarily need to have a good story. The fact that it's actually pretty decent all things considered is more of a bonus. To compare, Three Houses had a heavier narrative weight, so that game had an obligation to tell a "good story". Whether or not you think it succeeded is up for debate but i will say this about Engage's story: it's the one game in the series that is allowed to get with some of the usual bad tropes found in the series. Hell, it lacks any of the bullshit that brought down the previous stories. There's no dumb cult bullshit like in Judgral or the funny Blood Pact in Radiant Dawn but again, it's all about intent.

As far as the characters go, they are pretty fun. Alear is unironically my favorite Lord in the series, she's fully of personality and i even like how she reacts to the Corrupted the same way i react to the unholy demons of the inferno known as "wasps". Yunaka is also another personal favorite of mine, Ivy's character is very surprising, the Solm royals are based, etc. There's a lot to go on. They are unfortunately held back by the rather slow Support grind. It's not as bad as in FE6 and it's still way better than the absolute slog that is Personality statchecks in Persona 5 but considering how quickly they could build in Awakening and onwards, it is a bit of an odd step back. Doesn't help that Skirmishes are harder than the game itself, you will fight for your life if you do them. So bringing up weaker units later is difficult, which also means grinding Supports is difficult. A shame.

Music bangs, i don't think i need to say anything there.

Fire Emblem Engage is peak Fire Emblem. It clears the entire series but the real question is how does it compare to Sparks of Hope, the best SRPG. Honestly? Very close. I'd give the smallest edge to Sparks of Hope because of the sheer versatility of that game. But Engage is a damn good game, it goes hard, and i do consider it peak fiction. I want to replay it immediately but i did spend nearly a week on the final battle because life and i really need to finish that Zelda-thon before Tears of the Kingdom comes out. But one day i shall be back. Yes i shall be back. When Wave 2 of the DLC drops.

Edit: Wave 2 wasn't supposed to drop today God damn it

A few days ago, during a fun Mario Kart 8 session with friends, i asked a question: "which Mario Kart game has the best selection of original tracks". To find the answer to this question, i have decided to set out and play every Mario Kart game and by every game, i mean every game that isn't Super or Super Circuit because the tracks in those games are all the same.

Mario Kart 64 is a game i've played before, a long long time ago and i distinctly remember not liking it because how ass the drifting mechanics were. Coming back to it in current year and actually playing through all the cups this time, my opinion still hasn't really changed but i have more to say about it. The game, like most N64 games, is very much a product of it's time and hasn't particularly aged well. It set the foundation for future Mario Kart games and that should be respected, however, the game itself suffers from the fact that it is very much not fun to play and this does hold the tracks back significantly. Drifting sucks, hitboxes are wack (this is like the one game where it's possible to get hit by a fake item block) and basically everything is a hazard with insane stun. If i was a kid in 1996, i would not have enjoyed this game and playing with friends would only improve the experience marginally.

Also the AI cheats, this is a proven fact.

Edit: nah playing with friends is hilarious but only because playing bad games with friends is hilarious.

It Takes Two is a special game. For starters, exactly like the title says, it requires two players to play through the game (unless you're Mr. Sakurai who took photographic evidence of him playing through the game on two controllers by himself). But the co-op isn't a gimmick, it's a fundamental aspect of the game design. "Little man in big world" is a trope that will always be good because there's so much you can do with it and this game goes above and beyond with it. There are so many creative setpieces just within a single chapter alone here it's hard to find a favorite, though if you were to ask me, i'd say the clock-themed world of Ch.4. Oh but then the music themed world of Ch.7 is very cool too. Or how about Ch.3 where you're travelling through toy sets of various different eras? See what i mean, it's hard to pick. And what brings these worlds to honestly some of the best gameplay i've ever had the pleasure of playing is the way they are fundamentally woven into the co-op design. Every time you get somewhere new, you are given new gimmicks to mess around with and these compliment each other perfectly. The only time it falls a tiny bit short is the snow globe world where both players are essentially given the same power. But even then, Hazelight Studios found unique and creative ways to use that power. Each puzzle is so simple yet well-designed and the way we interacted with the various world left both me and my friend with various "wow that's so cool" moments and sometimes these moments would just happen with how certain locations were shot because this game has some of the best art direction i've seen in a while. And these "that's so cool" moments were especially apparent in how the game is basically every game genre ever. You could be doing the standard gameplay one moment, then it turns into a shoot em-up. Then it turns into Street Fighter. Then it turns into a dungeon crawler, then it turns into Ace Combat and then there's even a "Sony cinematic third-person game" segment lmao. Like this game can have so many different game genres under it's belt and not once does it feel out of place. And this is just the main content because It Takes Two has a Nintendo-level of polish that i wasn't expecting at all. All across the world are various little competitive minigames you and your friend can do and just like the main game, there's a great variety of genres here. From sports games to racing to tank fighting to straight-up chess. And outside of this, there's a lot of little things you can interact with in the worlds that are just there to be neat. A lot of times we'd come across things that don't actually affect anything but it was neat that we could do it in the first place. Things that you can just do because it's neat is a Nintendo-tier level of polish and passion and it makes perfect sense that this game won the awards it did.

I've been exclusively talking about the gameplay here so i'm going to shift on to the story. As far as the story goes, it's basically "divorce sucks lmao". A magic book personified as a Latino stereotype (but like the funny kind and i say this as a Latino myself) makes it his life's mission to fix the marriage of our main characters. The humor generally lands and there are some neat themes here although i do think that despite the game's message, an actual couple going through a divorce or otherwise having their relationship near ending would....maybe not want to play this game. However while the story generally works, it unfortunately failed to stick the landing. As in, the game did not feel over when it ended and despite the wonderful game design, the wonderful art direction, the wonderful ideas put on display and the generally good script, i ended up feeling a bit....empty when we finally finished the game. I was fully prepared to admit this game into The Masterpiece Club throughout the entirety of the playthrough but unfortunately, that ending does really bring things down a bit.

It Takes Two is a fantastic game that, even if it wasn't my personal GOTY, i can see why it did win that and other awards even if award shows are pointless but shh . While the ending is really the game's only real negative, it's still a wonderful game that should be experienced if you're able to. The Friend's Pass is there so only one of you would need to purchase the game.