ReCore has a lot of cool ideas and sometimes those come together into a really fun game but just as often they fall apart leave you with a frustrating mess.

The combat is the biggest weakness. It's easy to feel very overwhelmed by enemies due to sheer number of things they throw out at once, the very hard-to-see indicators for things outside of your view, and the lock-on not functioning very well in general. When only faced with two or three enemies it's fine but when it locks you into a small arena with seven or eight enemies, it's a massive pain to get anything done. Then, when you're out in the overworld, having enemies constantly pop up out of the sand feels like a nuisance after the first handful of hours.

The platforming usually feels quite nice. The combo of double jumping and boost dashing feels great. Then, throw in the spider climb and glider robot for some extra spice here and there and it's actually pretty good. But when I got into the dungeons that offer 'challenges' it starts to get messy. It's not always clear what they're asking you to do and so I ended up having to trial-and-error my way through it, occasionally feeling like I accomplished it in some unintended method that ultimately leaves it feeling very unsatisfying.

The story and writing isn't really anything special. It's not particularly good but it's not particularly bad. It gets the job done and nothing more.

I got the game on sale for five dollars and it's hard to recommend for getting if you'd have to spend more than that. It's a bundle of cool ideas that are interesting to see but it's too often veers into un-fun frustration to really be recommendable.

A great follow-up to one of my favorite indie games! It expands on the original's mechanics a bit to add to the game in addition to just having a bigger world with more things in it. Getting 100% completion felt a bit more tedious that in the first game but I think that's an pretty small complaint compared to how much joy this game brought me overall.

At the time of writing this, it is exclusive to Stadia and I think that's a bad service so maybe wait until it's out on Steam or EGS or wherever and play it then.

DONUT COUNTY REVIEW

I was so happy to finally play Donut County (Xbox always surprises me with the cool indie stuff they add to Game Pass.) Not only had I heard good things about it from friends, but I was absolutely enamored with the visual style of its promotion art. I didn't even know anything else going in; I just had a feeling that I would really like it.
... And I was right! DC is a very pleasant, relaxing experience, that's near-flawless stylistically. It doesn't overstay its welcome, either. The (approximately) 2-hour length means there's no padding. It's compact, leaving no time for you to get tired of the story or mechanics. It does what it wants to do, then it ends. It's a perfect 'in-between' title.
Turns out I played it at a perfect time, too, with Neon White just being announced! I'm super excited to see Ben Esposito's next project.


SHORT REVIEW

Visuals: 4.5/5
Sound: 5/5
Story: 3.5/5
Gameplay: 3.5/5
Worldbuilding: 4/5
Achievements (Does not count toward overall score.): 3.5/5
Overall score: 4/5


IN-DEPTH REVIEW

Visuals:
There is such a beautiful, unique art style permeating Donut County. So much sets it apart in this regard. Like I mentioned, this is what drew me to it initially.
I'll address the graphics first. While they ARE relatively simple, they're charming in their cartoony style and cuteness. But even if someone still had complaints about them, I think the color usage is more than enough to appeal to everyone. Everything is so bright and fun to look at, but it's also purposefully designed to not be overwhelming. DC makes excellent use of more subdued (but still pretty) background colors, so that characters and items on top of them can pop. It's perfectly balanced.
Speaking of, the character designs are all memorable and pleasant as well. Each townsperson is wildly distinctive. I love when games take liberties here; it's almost always so interesting and fun. And, of course, you can't go wrong when one of your protagonists is literally just a raccoon.
Another small detail I love is the pause menu - the background is a psychedelic effect of whatever was on-screen when you paused. It's very cool.
The only thing the game really lacks is strong movement of any kind, but everything else here makes up for that in spades; in fact, it uses this 'flaw' to its advantage for some pretty funny visual gags. In nearly every way, DC fiercely succeeds in being a visual delight. I will always, always prefer games that prioritize unique visual presentation over triple A realism.
Overall, 4.5/5.

Sound:
The soundtrack here absolutely blew me away. I was not expecting it to be this amazing - in fact, it's probably one of my new favorites. The calmness of it perfectly accentuates every other aspect of DC (such as the visuals, gameplay, and level design.) But what's most impressive about it is that, without exaggeration, it's nearly the length of the game itself. That means there's a new wonderful piece of music being shown off about every two minutes.
Something else I think DC does remarkably is utilizing a LACK of music. There are levels where a track will only begin playing after a certain point; there are ones where it will stop after a certain point. Music will sometimes pause abruptly to add to jokes during dialogue. It's all executed really, really well.
Overall, 5/5.

Story:
While Donut County does live up to being a simple, cute puzzle game, it also has surprisingly topical themes. The plot is a thinly-veiled allegory for gentrification and consumption under capitalism - but it's told in a digestible and accessible way, through endearing cartoon-like characters and a charming world. Best of all, it never sacrifices those things (or its relaxing atmosphere) to tell its story. This does also mean that it's decidedly unsubtle at times, but I kind of like it that way. It's upfront about its distaste for the stuff it's criticizing.
Do I think it's the best political commentary to come from the industry? No. Because of the short length and simplicity, it's not a very emotionally investing story. And because of how literal it is, there's not much depth to be found. But it's told in such a unique way with the cute packaging. The tone and metaphor utilized make it completely approachable. I can't help but really enjoy it, even if it's not perfect.
On top of that, the writing is actually good! There's a lot of media out there that has tried and failed spectacularly at this internet-type humor. Donut County tries and very much succeeds. The dialogue is delightful and funny, while also remaining short so that it doesn't overwhelm. There's some great comedically-timed jokes. The descriptions of the items made me laugh quite a few times.
I know that humor is a subjective thing, so I won't say that what's here will be for everyone. Still, I have to commend DC for doing what many others have fallen short with. Whether you find it personally funny or not, I think the game is written well.
Overall, 3.5/5.

Gameplay:
The gameplay in DC is undemanding, but surprisingly fun. All you do is swallow things with a hole in the ground. I think the physics play a big part in making it good. Everything moves with the same weightlessness, meaning everything is easy to swallow. As long as the hole is big enough, things will fall in no problem. Every single time I found myself getting almost frustrated, sure that something would get stuck or glitch out, it never did.
The levels are all the ideal length. I replayed the game after I mastered it, just for fun, and whenever I felt like I would dread redoing a part, I always ended up enjoying it. It makes for a really smooth experience.
There are a few nice puzzles, too! They're perfectly balanced to me - not extremely difficult, but still JUST complex enough to be fun. And there's no precision required for the ones where you have to aim. It'll probably take you two or three tries at most.
The gameplay here adds up to something that never sacrifices pacing or calmness to mechanics. It was never supposed to be extremely challenging; it's a satisfying and 'restful' game that gives you a break from all of the challenging ones. It's nothing revolutionary by any means, but it doesn't have to be. It controls well, and is rewarding and brief. It does exactly what it intends to do.
Overall, 3.5/5.

Worldbuilding:
The world is so cute and colorful. Each level is memorable in its own way. They're all crafted with such detail - which makes sense, since the focus of the gameplay is on the items themselves. The visuals, music, and environments create really great settings.
As for "lore", since it's only a few hours long, there's not really time to expand upon that sort of thing in meaningful ways. But that's fine, because the cast and plot add plenty. It gives this limited world a sense of life and fullness. It's really impressive for something this short.
Overall, 4/5.

Extra Category - Achievements: Since you can level select after you finish the game, it's a pretty easy one to master. I enjoyed 100%ing it!
Overall, 3.5/5.

Overall game score: 4/5. Donut County is such a wonderful little indie gem. It has beautiful visuals and environments. It has a downright amazing soundtrack. It has relaxing and uncomplicated gameplay. It has all of that, while also telling a story with pretty 'big' themes. It may not be the most deep or emotionally investing one, but it's one that impressed me. It all adds up to a very calming, cute, and happy experience that I really loved. This is a perfect thing to play in between more heavy games. I highly recommend it.

MY FRIEND PEDRO REVIEW
Note: I give spoiler warnings for spoilers.

I didn't know much about My Friend Pedro before picking it up; I just saw that it was leaving Gamepass soon, and was drawn in by its undeniably interesting cover. I'd been looking for a good in-between game - a relatively short timesink - which is basically what I expected from it. Well, it definitely turned out to be a timesink! I ended up playing it for days on end last week, struggling to get 100% of the achievements before it was gone. I did it, though, and I'm glad I did. Those hours really helped to refine my opinions of it, both in what it does well, and what it doesn't.
Right off the bat, I was pleasantly surprised to stumble upon something that scratched my Hotline Miami itch (and I was unsurprised to learn that they were published by the same company.) MFP unashamedly draws a lot of inspiration from that duology - particularly with its gameplay, its music, and its narrative themes. In regards to the former two, it uses that inspiration very well, which is commendable; it's very difficult to live up to HLM, at least in my eyes. However, in the story department - both in what it borrows and in what is original - it completely flops.
I know some people might disagree with me making so many comparisons. I'm of the opinion, though, that when you use something as a blueprint for your own creation, it's completely fair for your work to be held up to it. There will be multiple points throughout this review where I talk about this further.


SHORT REVIEW

Visuals: 3.5/5
Sound: 4.5/5
Story: 1/5
Gameplay: 4.5/5
Worldbuilding: 2.5/5
Achievements (Does not count toward overall score.): 2/5
Overall score: 3/5


IN-DEPTH REVIEW

Visuals:
The graphics are pretty good, especially by indie standards. The 3D sidescroller aesthetic is really cool. I particularly like the way the game plays with camera angles. Besides that, I don't think there's many particularly memorable things about the art direction. However, I DO think the choices made fit very well with the core mechanics of the game. There's tight passages connected to larger rooms that accentuate the combos and platforming. There's a mundane color scheme that makes the enemies and bullets pop against the gray/brown backgrounds. I nearly always prefer vibrant and/or contrasting settings (I especially love colorful ones), but I do understand why it's more subdued here.
There are some very neat visuals, which are typically reserved for boss fights/final levels. Given the game's relatively short length, I think that's forgivable. You're not going TOO long without seeing something interesting. I especially love [SPOILERS] the level where you've fallen out of a skyscraper and are approaching the ground rapidly, as well as the train level. [SPOILER ENDING]
Overall, 3.5/5.

Sound:
I honestly wasn't paying close attention to the soundtrack my first playthrough. It was often drowned out by noise going on around me, so I simply wrote it off as generic dubstep. While I was collecting s-ranks, though, I realized that the music was a LOT better than I'd given it credit for. It's a tradition for me to listen to the soundtrack of whatever I'm reviewing, and I can definitely see myself coming back to this one in my free time. I wish I had been able to hear it clearly while I played. I feel like I missed out on a real strength of the game because of it. I seriously recommend playing with headphones (or at least without anything else going on around you.)
I also need to compliment the way I feel the soundtrack contributes to the gameplay, too. The inspiration from Hotline Miami shines here - the music is a big atmosphere creator, and a motivating factor in egging you through the levels, just like in HLM.
The gun sound effects are satisfying. I also really like how everything (except the music) distorts when you go into slowmo.
Overall, 4.5/5.

Story:
Oh good lord, I don't even know where to start. Nearly every element at play within the story is executed atrociously bad.
I will say this - there is an interesting foundation. Like I mentioned before, there are definitely some cool moments with the bosses/final levels, but even these are moreso contributable to the visuals, sound, and level design than anything to do with the plot. The last few minutes of the game were done particularly well, too, especially the ones leading up to the final boss. I believe that something really fun could have been done here if put in the hands of competent storytellers.
Before I go any further, I also want to acknowledge that the plot was obviously never meant to be the main focus here. That's absolutely okay. You can still make something great while honing in on specific aspects of it. My problem isn't that the story is simple, or a backdrop, or anything like that. My problem is that what IS here is AWFUL. It makes it even more appalling when you realize that it tries for similar themes that HLM uses. MFP feels like it's trying for 'comedic commentary', but it falls so short of it - in both the 'comedy' and the 'commentary' - that it's sad.
The writing is cringe-worthy. MFP attempts to make up for its lack of serious depth by deploying humor, but that hardly works when your comedy is awful. It's less funny than dad shit. Here's an example:
"I can't believe it's Christmas again already. I didn't buy you any present this year. But I wrote you a poem! Rose are red... Violets are blue... Grass is green... Eggs are white... But yellow inside... ... Weird. It's still a work in progress."
What does this even mean? It's certainly not a joke. You can't qualify something as a joke when there's no punchline! This is just the tip of the iceberg, too. Be prepared to be bombarded with this kind of thing at least every few levels.
There are some minor spoilers in this paragraph, but I promise you that it's all so stupid it won't matter. One of the antagonists is the 'Dictator of the Internet'. Yep, that's her title, and there's no explanation for her character beyond it. In fact, there's almost no explanation for anything going on - in the story or the worldbuilding. Here's another direct quote:
"I guess being the dictator of The Internet is the ultimate power in this day and age. People's world view is built on what content they see online. If you can control what content is shown, you can control the minds of the people."
Wow. Thank you for such amazing social commentary, told to me directly, with no room for smart or nuanced writing.
I specifically want to draw attention to the way HLM and MFP both comment on "violence in video games." Hotline Miami is specifically designed to create discomfort in the player as they murder indiscriminately. Jacket, the protagonist, is actively condemned for his actions. Let's not forget that the most infamous line from the game is him being pointedly asked,"Do you like hurting other people?" HLM has a lot to say about the gore that it's built around, and it says those things exceptionally well. Its themes are one of its greatest strengths.
Now, in contrast, take the way MFP chooses to broach this topic. Again, I know it's not as narrative-driven as HLM is. I also know that since it's comedy-based, it won't handle this the same way. There are good ways to use humor to make observations about serious topics. It just has to be written well, and as I've already said, this game really isn't.
MFP satirizes the larger public's perception of video games in The Sewer levels. Pedro tells you that the 'gamers' you encounter in this area have basically gone insane from the violence they've been exposed to. He also says that they now live in the sewers, because... Well, MFP doesn't even know. Pedro makes a lame joke about how it's probably because of all the sewer levels in video games, so they must feel right at home. Are sewer levels even common?! I feel like they're literally making that up. Let's also not pretend that using "ZOMG" and "n00b", even ironically, is anything but cringy.
Now, I do think it's really cool to talk about the stereotypes associated with a certain type of media within said media. Parodying the way society has portrayed games in the past is certainly a fun idea for a game - making fun of the extreme that people pushed, that gamers would turn into violent murderers, and showing how stupid that extreme actually is. However, the way MFP does it falls completely flat. Again, because the jokes aren't at all funny, but also because the game has nothing smart to say about the topic beyond that. Your own player character is murdering hundreds upon hundreds of people - in fact, you are being influenced to do so by a talking banana. And yet, there's never much said THAT. It's just THERE. The two points could have easily been tied together, but it doesn't even try.
On top of all that, the pacing is all over the place. There's an entire chapter near the middle that just takes a break from the main story for no reason. This was a novel idea for the first two levels that changed things up a bit, but it got old after that. Especially when there's almost nothing going on in the first place.
I want to clarify that this isn't an experience-ruining fault. Thankfully, the dialogue is skippable, and I honestly wouldn't blame someone for not reading one sentence of it. You can completely ignore this trash heap and enjoy what MFP excels at - the music and the gameplay. Speaking of which...
Overall, 1/5.

Gameplay:
Damn, this game is fun though. The fast-paced, combo-based level design and combat are impressively polished. It's really difficult to pull off those long combos, but when you do, it feels amazing. Plus, kicking a skateboard at someone's head or ricocheting bullets off of a frying pan to kill three guys will always be sick.
There are a lot of neat mechanics based around both your character and the environment - slowing down time, swinging from ropes, kicking, riding skateboards, backflipping off enemies, and dodging bullets, for example. That's just breaching the surface. The idea behind them is to kill in creative and flashy ways, which will earn you more points. However, as cool as this idea is, a lot of the mechanics (with the exceptions of slowing time and dodging bullets) become pretty much obsolete when you go for s-ranks. It doesn't matter if you kill everyone in the most mundane way possible, as long as you keep your combo going. The points that a giant combo provide overshadow any extra points you could be getting for all of that stuff. These smaller mechanics DO become more relevant again when you're trying to get to the top of the leaderboard. Every point counts then. Let's be honest, though, with how difficult getting an s-rank is in the first place, I think most people will just be happy to get one at all.
Since the game is a sidescroller, it also chooses to employ platforming and environmental puzzles. I think that, mostly, this is executed very well. I like the platforming, and a majority of the puzzles are fine. However, it's difficult to overlook the way that some of these sections slow down the important part of the gameplay - to put it bluntly, the killing - and mess with the pacing a bit.
On top of that, MFP overstays its welcome for a little bit too long. It's fun, but anything fun can become tiresome after too much of it. They could have definitely cut a few levels toward the end and I would not have missed them. The finished product would have been much more concise if they had.
Overall, 4.5/5.

Worldbuilding:
None of the lore here makes much sense at all. There's little scope of the world beyond the enemies you encounter and a very small bit of dialogue from Pedro. Politicians are mentioned offhandedly one time, I think, as having argued over a font for a sign.
The environmental design is good most of the time. Despite there not being anything too complicated going on visually, everything does what it needs to. I do think that some of the settings become bland when put next to each other, because of how similar they can be. Like I mentioned before though, the music contributes a lot.
Overall, 2.5/5.

Extra Category - Achievements:
If you want to 100% MFP, be prepared to invest way more time than just one playthrough would take you. I'm sure it will vary based on your skill level with games like this in general, but it took me over 38 hours to get all of the s-ranks I needed.
Overall, 2/5.

Overall game score: 3/5. My Friend Pedro is a good timesinker with really fun gameplay and very cool bossfights. The story is atrocious, but that can (mostly) be skipped over in favor of focusing on ridiculous combos and flashy murders. It runs a little too long, and has some pacing issues, but its 4 hour playtime makes that forgivable. It is absolutely worth picking up, despite the faults.

DONKEY KONG COUNTRY REVIEW

Let me start off by being completely transparent. I am most definitely one of those people who have a lot of nostalgia attached to the SNES, and Donkey Kong Country is one of those (along with a lot of the old Marios, The Legend of Zelda, Paperboy, and The Lion King.) While visiting family, I decided it was high time to pull out the old system and play some of my childhood favorites again. There was no doubt in my mind which would be first - of course it would be DKC. Out of the games I had at my disposal, it was the one I expected to hold up the best.
I went in with very high hopes. Besides my own fond memories of it, it is considered a classic by many others. I even told people I was sure it would live up to my expectations. But the question remains... Does it?
Well, kind of. My opinions here ended up being a lot more nuanced than I thought they would.
Let me start off by saying that I DID enjoy it overall, despite my issues. It's also only fair for me to point out that I ruined the experience for myself slightly by crunching for 101%. See, DKC is at its best when you're playing it after school with other kids, taking turns to beat difficult levels and look for secrets. It's not built for 2000s completionists who will cram it into a few afternoons, like I did. I just don't have the time (or monumental patience) required to search for all of the bonuses myself. A lot of them are ridiculously well-hidden - like, "impossible to find without a guide" well-hidden. 101%ing it inorganically ended up taking away a lot of the magic, unfortunately. Instead of enjoying it at a natural pace, taking my time to explore and search, I was left glancing back and forth between a guide and the screen. That's not to mention the annoyance of dying and replaying the same levels again and again, either. It's not nearly as satisfying of an experience as progressing naturally - but because of the impossibility of 101%ing it in a reasonable amount of time that way, completionists (like me) are left in the dust.
This is why I think the game is better left for occasional, casual play on your own time. If you pick it up, don't worry about finding everything like I did. Get to the end (if you're enjoying yourself enough), then continue playing it to search for things if you WANT to.


SHORT REVIEW

Visuals: 4.5/5
Sound: 5/5
Gameplay: 3/5
Worldbuilding: 4/5
Replayability: 1.5/5
Overall score: 3.5/5


IN-DEPTH REVIEW

Visuals:
DKC is, undeniably, a technical marvel for its time. The visual style and pre-rendered graphics were a big reason why it became such a huge success in the 90s. Even in 2021 it looks impressive.
I particularly love the color usage. There's beautiful sky backgrounds, lush green jungles, snowy white peaks, and much more. A good handful of levels feature rain or the aforementioned snow to add to the ambience, too.
The colors, of course, are given their chance to shine because of the diversity in environments present. On top of those jungles and glaciers, there's factories, temples, caves, and more (including a unique setting for the final battle!) It's amazing to see so many radically different places in a platformer this old.
The character design is pretty decent. There's cool little character animations to add to their personality. That's nice.
I don't know why, but I particularly really like Diddy Kong. His design is cute to me, which is funny, because I hate monkeys (and gorillas.) Other than that, they range from average to bad for me personally. Funky Kong and Cranky Kong are okay. Not a big fan of Donkey Kong. I hate Candy Kong with a burning passion, awful female character design, but what do you expect from the 90s?
If you really want to be picky, the graphics ARE a little dated by today's standards. Still, it doesn't take away from how revolutionary DKC was in this regard when it was first released; nor does it denote that it manages to hold up to this day.
(Unfortunately, my copy for the SNES is a little glitchy, leaving it very static-y. Still, I fully enjoyed looking at the game.)
Overall, 4.5/5.

Sound:
On top of the beautiful visuals, DKC boasts a gorgeous soundtrack that is touted by many as one of the best to this day. It really is amazing. Before this playthrough, I could still recall some of those tunes - which I think says something, given I last played it when I was around 11. The amount of atmosphere the music provides in-game is undeniable. This is definitely another reason DKC is still so iconic.
Ice Cave Chant is the most underrated track.
I also absolutely love the sound effects. I don't know why, but they're all incredibly satisfying. It's one of my favorite things about the game as a whole. I love the sound of Rambi hitting enemies head-on, and the clacking of Klaptrap's teeth.
Overall, 5/5.

Gameplay:
A lot of people will probably disagree with me on some of my points in this section, and that's okay. It's important to be thorough, though. Buckle up.
There's good stuff here, but I also think there are flaws that make playing DKC really frustrating.
Let's talk about the good first. I actually believe the idea of the 'life' system is great on paper; you basically have two lives, one with each Kong, which can be replenished by the DK barrels seen throughout levels. I like that, and I'm fine with the added difficulty in this regard.
I also love how, on top of the diverse environments, each and every level is unique in its mechanics. Many of them have things that only appear in the entire game once, or at most a handful of times. It keeps it fresh. There's a good variety with the bonus level minigames, so none of them get old, either.
Another big plus is that each level eases you into whatever you'll be dealing with next - it'll usually have one easy obstacle before getting into the more taxing stuff, as a sort of small tutorial. I'm a big fan of that.
As for the actual controls, despite their burden in execution, a lot of them are actually really simple. You just have to learn the timing. Now, I don't think simple OR complicated controls are automatically good or bad; it depends on the execution in both regards. In the case of DKC, it definitely benefited from simplicity. With how tough everything else is, convoluted controls would make DKC unplayable.
All of this SHOULD add up to exceptional gameplay, but it doesn't. The life system, the unique mechanics, and the deceptively easy controls get exasperating when the game insists on being way too harsh in every other regard. The hitboxes are janky, and it requires way too precise platforming at points for that to be excusable. The levels can begin to drag on, because you have to replay the same parts over and over again. The devs seemed like they WANTED to make children's lives miserable, with how often they put a single obstacle right before exits that you probably won't avoid first time through.
Again, there's a lot of good here. Yet, I cannot excuse the ridiculous difficulty present in this game, and how frustrating it is. It becomes a slog when you have to repeat things that are often very slow and unreliable. It's possible to learn how to flow through levels - and I'll admit, it is satisfying when you occasionally do - but it takes a lot of time and practice. I just didn't enjoy DKC enough to get that good at it.
Like I said before, this might not be such an issue if you play at a slow pace. Don't binge it to 101% in three days like I did.
Overall, 3/5.

Worldbuilding:
DKC has absolutely fantastic environmental design. The settings are all super memorable, with unique music, enemies, and color palettes to make each one stand out. Even when you go back to familiar places you've already been, it doesn't feel repetitive!
There are some charming characters, too. I particularly find Cranky Kong to be delightful. He's very funny, and I love his role - nagging on his grandkid who has taken his place, complaining that he was a better hero (he talks about the game being a game! It's very meta, I love it.) And like I said, I really like Diddy Kong!
Overall, 4.5/5.

Replayability:
There's definitely an addictiveness to DKC that pushed me to 101% it - and the presentation alone makes it a game worth coming back to every now and then. Still, my problems with the gameplay leave me doubtful that I'll pick it up again any time soon. I think it's best left for casual afternoons every few months or so. Otherwise, it'll become frustrating rather than fun.
Overall, 1.5/5.

Overall game score: 3.5/5. I was hoping to come out of this giving DKC a better score - at least a 4 - but I'm still pretty satisfied with what I got out of it. It's solid enough, with particularly beautiful visuals, sound design, and environmental design. However, it is also extremely frustrating and overly difficult in the gameplay department - though there are pros there, too (like the game's simplicity in controls and ability to keep things fresh.) I still wouldn't really recommend DKC to people outside of those nostalgic for it, or people interested in older games. It's an undeniable piece of gaming history, though, and remains a classic. A good way to kick off 2021.

"I gave it a 4/5 because of the hardness, and the experience and gameplay." - My 9-year-old brother's much more concise review.

FIVE NIGHTS AT FREDDY'S 3 REVIEW
Note: I give spoiler warnings for spoilers.

I think there's something to be said about my own willpower - or perhaps my mental state - that I continue playing (AND reviewing) this franchise. There is absolutely no reason for me to. Yet I trek on, as this is my solemn duty, apparently.
Every time I pick up any FNaF game, I find myself thinking about all the better things I could be playing instead. I think that perfectly summarizes my feelings on the series. It's an absolute time-waster that no one should bother with.
Now, that's not to say that it doesn't have cool lore... But how much does that lore count for, when most of it is completely absent from the games themselves? Why do they insist on barely using their strongest talking point? It baffles me.
FNaF 3 is definitely my least favorite so far. Like the first two, I think that there's some decent groundwork that could have led to something good... But it doesn't. It never does with FNaF. Nothing ever goes anywhere; anything of substance is buried under lackluster worldbuilding and mediocre - or outright bad - mechanics. It's frustrating how something of such low quality became so popular in the mainstream. It's not even like there was one good game, and then terrible sequels to cash in on the success - even the first one wasn't good!
Ugh, thinking about it makes my head hurt.


SHORT REVIEW

Visuals: 1/5
Sound: 1/5
Story: 1/5
Gameplay: 1/5
Worldbuilding: 1.5/5
Achievements (Does not count toward overall score.): 1/5
Overall score: 1/5


IN-DEPTH REVIEW

Visuals:
I'll admit, grittier visuals in a FNaF setting is a neat idea. It is almost immediately ruined, though, by how badly that idea was executed. That's what this series does best, after all.
To start with, FNaF 3 looks so bad. The graphics continue to be barely passable at best, and downright ugly at worst.
That's not even the most atrocious fault here, though - that lays within the cameras. The rooms are ridiculously dark and shadowy. This, along with the staggering amount of static overlay, makes it extremely tough to actually see anything. It was so bad that I had to look up pictures to figure out where Springtrap was in some rooms. On that note, I don't think I need to explain that knowing where the animatronic is is an INTEGRAL part of the gameplay! It makes an already frustrating experience even more difficult to enjoy.
Springtrap's jumpscare is 10x weaker than the ones from the previous games, and those already weren't good. For all the tension FNaF 3 attempts to build up, when he finally jumps out at you, it's so underwhelming that it's laughable. I didn't react at all the first time I died to him. The phantom jumpscares are okay, but get stale quickly, too.
Springtrap has a nifty design, but the phantoms are completely uninteresting and uninspired.
The one other positive thing I will say is that the visual style of the minigames is better.
Overall, 1/5.

Sound:
[SPOILERS] Phone Dude is super annoying. I'm so glad he disappeared after night 2. He says 'like' even more than me, which is an accomplishment. [SPOILER END] Phone Guy continues to be the only actually entertaining and fun part of these games. Even he's nearly ruined in this one, though. His role goes from talking to the player naturally, to reading off pre-written instructions. It takes away a lot of his personality and what makes him enjoyable.
Everything else here is totally unnoteworthy.
Overall, 1/5.

Story:
I will not be swayed to give FNaF games higher scores based on lore that's not actually in the games themselves.
The story as a whole IS interesting. It'S the strong suit in this series, and yet it's barely present at all. It's totally ridiculous. That's is why I think they'd work better as movies. Someone even suggested to me that they're basically an ARG at this point, which I can see. The stupidly hidden lore is much more akin to an ARG than an actual game.
The minigame you play after each completed night is cool at first, but gets stale very quickly. There's never anything new in it.
The 'true ending' is actually pretty good, but I hate the way it's executed. The best part of the franchise's plot so far is buried behind an impossible sequence of inputs that you'd never figure out on your own. That is absolutely counter-productive.
Besides that one hidden ending, FNaF 3 is totally forgettable and unneeded. A single cool thing is not enough to make it good.
Overall, 1/5.

Gameplay:
FNaF continues to get more needlessly complicated and less fun with its gameplay. I really didn't think it could get worse after FNaF 2, but at least there, you could actually understand the patterns of the animatronics. Springtrap seems to be totally random for a majority of the nights. You can learn how to counter him, sure, but I didn't really figure out his AI until I was going for aggressive nightmare. All of my wins before that were literally just dumb luck. Nothing is properly explained, there's way too much to figure out, and it makes for an extremely messy experience.
I will say, that once I had really gotten into the groove of things right at the end, I ALMOST found the gameplay at least average. Still, I cannot give a good rating for how I felt during the last 5 minutes.
Overall, 1/5.

Worldbuilding:
I do really like the idea behind this setting. A horror attraction built around FNaF 1, 30 years later, is just meta enough to be fun. But, of course, it is ruined by doing absolutely nothing of note (aside from the true ending, which again, you'll never discover on your own.)
The night minigames are way more lackluster than 2's. 2's were more annoying to slog through once they got old, but at least there was variety within them.
On their own, the secret minigames do add a little flavor. I actually enjoy them and the way you have to glitch them out. It's cool. Too bad most players will never see them.
Overall, 1.5/5.

Extra Category - Achievements:
Absolutely not worth it. Still easier than FNaF 2 though, to my surprise. I suppose that's because there's only one animatronic to keep track of. Once you watch playthroughs on YouTube, and learn how to counter Springtrap, it's not nearly as difficult as it seems like it will be. Still, absolutely not worth it.
Overall, 1/5.

Overall game score: 1/5. This series continues to go downhill in terms of gameplay, and also takes a dive here with the visuals, too. Anything that could have been good is underdeveloped or way too secret.
I highly recommend you skip this one, and just watch a YouTube video of the true ending if you care about the lore. That's literally the only thing that slightly matters here.