Not for honour, but for you...

I knew about Snake Eater's sterling reputation going into the game, but now it's very clear just how much that reputation upholds itself. If MGS2 was Hideo Kojima's (all too prophetic) observations on the rise of AI, then this is his ode to classic spy cinema and action movies. And he's having a blast doing it.

What makes Snake Eater stand out from the other MGS games (and a lot of other games of it's ilk) is the unbridled sense of fun running throughout it. From the sublime opening credits theme (and it's reappearances throughout the game), to the hilarious codec calls about the various animals you can eat and movies Para-Medic/Kojima has seen, I had a big smile on my face throughout the game. And yet, when the game's emotional moments do hit, they hit hard. Everyone knows how iconic the final boss fight is but when the theme music kicks in again during it, it really hits home how special this game is.

Of course, I still suck at the core stealth gameplay, but I feel like this time around you get a little more leeway in how you can approach things. In MGS1, getting caught was practically a death sentence, but with Snake Eater I found myself being able to get away and reposition pretty easily, with the camo system particularly coming in useful. I didn't have to mow down everything in my path when the going got tough (which turned out to be helpful when it came to The Sorrow, I've found out since).

Speaking of the bosses, I kinda loved how over-the-top and comic book villain-y Cobra Squad are. Man who can control hornets? An old sniping master who's practically dead? An insane pyromaniac astronaut? I thought MGS2's Vamp and Fatman were pretty silly, but these guys were damn goofy. The tense game of cat and mouse I played with The End was a particular highlight for me.

The only real problems I have with the game are a couple of annoying parts; The Fury's boss fight wasn't very fun, and the section near the end where you have to escort EVA made me want to rip my hair out. Speaking of EVA, I'd be interested to know the community's general thoughts on her. I'm not really sure what to make of a woman over-sexualised to the point where it's almost comical, but on the other hand she's pretty compelling too. In any case, she's certainly memorable.

I've decided to emulate MGS4 and Peace Walker rather than wait for the next volume of the Master Collection, so expect me to try and cram those in before I fully immerse myself back into Baldur's Gate 3 and the upcoming Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth.

Well, I didn't enjoy this quite as much as the first one.

I somehow managed to suck worse at this game than the first one, even with the modernised controls. I don't really like Raiden as a protagonist, and the story didn't really hook me like the first one did. I did quite like the meta nature of it all, even though it did seem quite up-it's-own-ass at times. The long, rambling codec call before the final boss really took me out of the game, in all honesty. Ah well, seems that's Kojima for you.

Moving on to what many consider to be the peak of the series: Snake Eater.

EDIT: after a few months of reflection I've realised that I actually like this game more than I thought I did, so I'm bumping it up a mark.

This must have felt like a blockbuster movie back in 1998, huh?

Well, Metal Gear Solid is a classic for a reason. An engrossing story, overwritten to within an inch of it's life and excellently voice-acted. This is my first Hideo Kojima game and I'm starting to see why he has the divisive reputation he does. Personally, I really like the vibe, even if the crazy amount of fourth-wall breaking did overwhelm me at times. Psycho Mantis didn't tell me that I liked Castlevania but he did tell me I was shitty at combat which, well... he wasn't wrong.

It's funny, I found most of the bosses a breeze but really struggled with a lot of the standard sneaking sections. I know I suck at stealth in general but I feel that MGS's gameplay hasn't really held up as well as other games of it's ilk, such as Resident Evil 2. Man, 1998 was a good year for games, wasn't it?

This was my initiation into the Kojimaverse and I'm very curious to see where the Metal Gear Solid universe goes next. I'm sure it'll be full of surprises.

Great horror gaming doesn't have to be photorealistic gory visuals and scary faces popping out at you every five minutes, and FAITH proves that perfectly.

On the surface, the simple 8-bit visuals wouldn't seem that scary. But when you add in masterful audio design (including bitcrushed, computerised voices for dialogue), great art direction and unexpected jumpscares the atmosphere quickly pulls you in. That's even before the game pulls it's best tricks: rotoscoping is used for the cutscenes to create some truly chilling, memorable moments.

Each of the game's three chapters is more expansive than the last - what starts as a seemingly simple story expands into a fully fleshed out narrative, complete with it's own lore. When you add in some intuitive puzzles and some fiendishly difficult boss fights, this is a more complete experience than a lot of horror games with six-figure budgets.

If I had one complaint, without spoiling too much, it would be this; the game's "true" final boss has the same problem as Elden Ring's - you're essentially fighting two bosses in a row without a checkpoint in between. Given how difficult the final final boss is, it's pretty damn annoying.

A truly unique gem of the genre. Everyone who proclaims themselves as a horror game fan owes it to themselves to play FAITH.

First Summer Uika, I love you. I am in love with you.

Kazuma Kiryu is a very important character to me. I only started with Yakuza 0 back in 2021 but I quickly became obsessed with the series. And with Gaiden, I now have to grapple with the fact that Kiryu may be leaving us soon (again).

After playing through Like A Dragon, Judgment and Lost Judgment I was happy to be reunited with the Dragon of Dojima in this intensely personal chapter of his story. I loved how the narrative interweaved with Like A Dragon's, and the final chapter hits some incredibly emotional beats.

The new characters are all excellent, including the wonderful Akame (who has officially usurped Yuki as my number 1 Like A Dragon Waifu). The shorter, side-story runtime allows a much pacier story, similar to Lost Judgment's The Kaito Files. The final few scenes left a lump in my throat, and Takaya Kuroda absolutely killed it in his voice performance. In a perfect world, Kuroda would be mentioned in the same breath as Roger Clark and Stephen Ogg in the all-time greatest video game character performances. The substories are great as always, with such shenanigans as Kiryu grappling with "ChotDDT" and teaming up with a certain Kamurocho detective leaving me with a huge grin on my face.

My only complaints are pretty minor; Agent Style isn't as fun to use as it appeared at first and I stuck with Yakuza Style for the majority of the game, and every enemy seemed to have so much health. Every fight - including simple street fights - took way too long and I would end up actively avoiding street thugs because they were so annoying to get through.

Though it may be a Gaiden, this is an essential chapter of the Like A Dragon story that everyone should play in the run-up to Infinite Wealth.

I am not emotionally prepared for what's to come.

Well, this took me a while. Full disclosure - I technically didn’t finish this. I finished the main story and DLC but had to stop School Stories (more on that later). Overall I really enjoyed this, some elements are better than the first Judgment game, and some are noticeably worse. I’ll split this review into a few sections.

Main Story: I was worried going into this - the idea of Yagami (with his penchant for younger women) being around a school might be inadvertently creepy and uncomfortable. Luckily it’s all fine, with the issues of teenage bullying and suicide - as well as Yagami’s interactions with teenagers - being treated with respect. Yagami comes off as more of a guardian for the kids than anything else. The story is full of the usual RGG twists and turns and it’s highly satisfying watching all the pieces come together. This game has possibly the best final boss (and boss theme) in the entire RGG series - it’s that good. The combat is even better than the first Judgment game, and I’ll fully admit that I used Snake style 99% of the time.

There are no Friend Events this time round, and there are less side cases in order to make room for School Stories, so the game feels a lot more streamlined, content-wise. The “detective elements” are scaled back a bit for this one, which is good since the changes made to the Tailing missions make them somehow even worse than in the first game? It’s bizarre. The new sneaking mechanic is way too simple for it to be a challenge, and every stealth sequence feels like a chore. While it's nice to see Saori get the spotlight again, the fact that she's involved in yet another "using her to lure a bad guy like a piece of meat" sequence is... concerning.

Another minor complaint; I wasn’t sure what was with the weird flanderization of Kaito, especially in the first few chapters. He seemed a little dumber at the beginning of the game, and his weird horniness for Sawa-sensei (boy am I sick of hearing that name) never really went anywhere. Luckily, he comes good by the end, and his title of “best boy” still remains. Speaking of Kaito…

The Kaito Files: What. A. Ride. This almost feels like an apology for the relative lack of Kaito in the main story and man, did they knock it out of the park with this one. Despite the relatively short runtime, The Kaito Files packs in more great characters, awesome boss fights and emotional moments than a lot of the other full-length Like A Dragon games. The story gives some incredibly interesting personal insight into Kaito as a character, and the shorter length allows for a compact, well-paced narrative with no padding to get in the way. With any potential future Judgment games up in the air, if Takuya Kimura isn’t able to return as Yagami I’d be more than happy for Kaito to step up and take the lead. The Kaito Files puts Kaito up there with Kiryu and Majima as one the best protagonists in the entire series.

School Stories: I’m sorry, Kyoko Amasawa. As much as I love Amasawa (genuinely one of my top 10 favourite LAD characters) and the MRC, I couldn’t finish School Stories. It’s all down to… you guessed it, fucking Robotics Club. It’s by far the worst minigame RGG Studio have ever devised. I would rather play a Like A Dragon game based entirely around mahjong and shogi than have to do any more fucking Robotics Club. It’s such a shame that you have to finish it to unlock the rest of the stories, as I like the MRC and Dance Club activities and side cases a lot. I’ll have to come back to Lost Judgment and finish these side activities eventually, but honestly? Right now I just want to move on to Gaiden.

In the words of YMS: "It's closer to a 9 than a 7"

Another banger from the Yakuzaverse. While it's slow to start (even for RGG standards), once the story really kicks into gear it's a hell of a ride. No wonder many people say that this is the best of all the Like A Dragon stories.

The combat is a blast, with combos being much more fluid and varied than previous games. I saw a lot of complaints about the more "detective" gameplay elements (tailing, evidence collecting) before I started the game but I didn't mind them at all. They set Judgment apart from the other LAD games very nicely. The side cases add the usual RGG tonal rollercoasters, from the sad and serious to the downright bizarre and hilarious. Those, as well as the new "friend event" system and the usual minigames (darts, batting, drone racing), make this game incredibly dense.

I was worried going into this that I wouldn't enjoy the new characters but all of the main cast are varied and interesting (especially Saori, who goes straight into my top 5 LAD waifus). While Yagami isn't quite on the level of Kiryu or Ichiban for me, he's still a well-rounded protagonist and a much more intriguing character than I originally anticipated. My only (minor) complaint is his penchant for dating women 10-15 years younger than him but hey, that's what the game gives you.

I'm trying to catch up on the LAD games I've missed before Infinite Wealth drops so I still have Lost Judgment, Gaiden and Ishin! yet to go. Onwards we go!

Pep's Season of Spooks - Game 19
I was hoping that this remake/mash-up of the first two Layers of Fear games would fix some of the issues that I have with the originals. Sadly, they still seem to be there, with the new content simply adding new issues.

The framing device that holds the stories together has you play a writer tasked with writing a biography for the tragic Painter of the first LOF game, that is then adapted to a film in which the Actor of the second game plays the painter. Each of the three character’s stories are connected by a mysterious “rat queen” who seems to have granted them success at the cost of their sanity. There are also a couple of side stories included, including the Inheritance DLC (that focuses on the daughter of the Painter) and two new stories. One of these sections is good (the story of the Musician rivals that of the original LOF) and the other is not so good; the Final Prologue DLC, added for Halloween, has you play the director of an increasingly chaotic film set.

While the new Unreal 5 engine gives the games a glossy new coat of paint, this is still the same old Layers, for better or for worse. While I’ve always rather liked Layers of Fear’s haunted-house style of storytelling (I’ve said before that I don’t consider “walking simulator” to be an insult), it works much better in shorter bursts. I did find myself getting rather fatigued towards the end of the game. This new remake was an opportunity to trim the fat and remove some of the original game’s more tedious sections but I don’t feel like they did enough and some of the pacing, especially in the Actor’s story, feels a bit too slow. Sadly they did remove that section from LOF’s baby chapter (I blame Jerma).

Some more thoughts on each section of the game:

The Painter/Daughter/Musician’s stories: Still by far the strongest of Bloober Team’s games, with the Musician’s story being added to complete the trio of the family’s tragic tales. As well as being the most narratively coherent of Bloober Team’s games, the original Layers is also still the scariest, with an unmatched atmosphere and some jumpscares that still get me even after several playthroughs. Games where you wander around spooky old mansions/castles are among my favourites so it suits my tastes perfectly. These sections are also the best-paced parts despite the Painter’s chapters being the longest in the game.

The Actor’s story: Layers of Fear 2 was around the time that Bloober Team really started to sniff their own farts with regards to storytelling, which is why the narrative this time around is more “artsy” and “ambiguous”. The entire final chapter of the story is the Rat Queen and the mysterious Director (voiced by the legendary Tony Todd) waxing poetic and it feels utterly meaningless, since by that time the story has gotten so up-its-own-arse that you just want the mystery wrapped up. It’s also nowhere near as scary as it needs to be, with atmosphere and well-crafted scares replaced with long drawn-out walking sections and tedious chase sequences. On the plus side, there are a few neat little movie references dotted throughout, and the fact that you can now defend yourself against the “formless man” that stalks you throughout the game makes the chase sequences a little more bearable.

The Final Prologue DLC is pretty nothing. It feels like it’s comprised of ideas that were cut from LOF2 and doesn’t really add anything to the game’s overall story, without being scary either. It’s also pretty funny how the film set is supposed to be in America but all of the voice actors are quite clearly Polish. One of my criticisms of the whole game is that a lot of the voice acting is quite poor overall. Many of the letters and documents that weren’t voiced in the original Layers of Fear are voiced now, but they really needn’t have bothered.

My other big problem with the game is that the “rat queen” really isn’t a compelling enough villain to care about her. It feels like she’s being set up as this terrifying, powerful supernatural force when all you really see of her is a few flashes in jumpscares, the incredibly confusing neutral ending of LOF2 and the pretty silly painting that is omnipresent throughout the game. She hasn’t been set up enough for us for it to be a big shock that she’s behind the madness of the characters. The Writer's story didn't really interest me in general. You spend very little time playing as her and don't get enough time to know her at all. Even the gloomy lighthouse setting didn't interest me, and a place like that should absolutely be up my alley. The framing device feels tacked on in general and maybe could have even done without it.

To be honest, this didn’t need a remake. It would have been less work and more enjoyable to remaster the two original Layers of Fear games and include The Final Note as a bonus DLC. The changes that Bloober Team made are mostly negative and the new content simply isn’t worth the price.

Scary Rating 6/10 - Overall Rating 6/10

Pep's Season of Spooks - Game 18
The culmination of everything Remedy Entertainment have worked for in the last 22 years.

I'm not going to post a lengthy review for this one, you absolutely need to play this if you can. This sets a new standard for storytelling in games. It looks incredible and plays great, with excellent writing and acting throughout the twisty plot. I'm genuinely going to be thinking about this game for weeks, possibly even months.

Sorry RE4 Remake, Alan Wake II just beat you out for my horror game of the year.

Scary Rating 7/10 - Overall Rating 9/10

Pep's Season of Spooks - Game 17
I've played many PT-like games over the years and most of them were bad. This is not one of them.

Funnily enough, Devotion has some parallels with the last game I played for this season, Martha Is Dead. Both are psychological horror tales in period settings that reflect their protagonist's mental deterioration. But personally I think that this is a much better experience overall. There's even one particular scene in this game that manages to be more disturbing than anything in Martha with zero gore.

Set in 1980's Taiwan, the game has you exploring an ever-changing apartment figuring out what happened to the protagonist's wife and child (spoiler alert: it ain't good). The atmosphere in the first hour or so is unbearably tense, and there are a few well-placed jumpscares peppered in. The story is told through voiceover and documents that you pick up, and with some simple puzzles the game's progression isn't too challenging. There are no doubt some people that will dismiss this as a "walking sim" (a term I don't really consider to be an insult) but the story, writing and voice acting are all strong enough to keep you interested.

There are a couple of small issues I have with Devotion. There is a sequence towards the end that felt way way too drawn out and desperately needed cutting down. There is also one "chase" sequence that felt out-of-place for this kind of game. I guess Red Candle Games felt they needed at least one scene with some sort of stakes? Otherwise you're never in any danger.

Given the game's tumultuous release history (it's only available from the developer's own website after Chinese harassment led to it's removal from Steam) it's a miracle I got to play this at all. But in the end I'm very glad I did. A dark tale of religious fanaticism, family breakdown and one very unfortunate little girl.

Scary Rating 6/10 - Overall Rating 8/10

Pep's Season of Spooks - Game 16
A sad and disturbing psychological horror that starts strongly with a "whodunit" regarding the fate of the titular Martha. Sadly, the game really starts to fall apart as the psychological themes become more and more prevalent, and by the end the game goes into some incredibly misguided places regarding mental health and lost me completely.

It's a real shame as the rest of the game had me highly invested, with the use of photography and a darkroom being a particular highlight. The unusual location of wartime Italy also adds some interesting historical context to the story. It's just a shame that all the good elements of the game will be overshadowed by it's reputation of being "the game that got censored by Sony".

Don't get me wrong, there are indeed a few gruesome, highly disturbing moments within the game, but I don't feel like they are there simply for shock value. They serve to highlight the mental deterioration of the player in a way remniscient of old psychological horror movies such as Repulsion and Possession. As a side note, I thought it was funny that the only scene that the game asked if I wanted to be censored was actually one of the tamer scenes.

I want to be able to recommend this, but the sheer misguided misery of the game's final act sadly outweighs the positives. When you add in some unnecessary padding it makes the game even harder to advocate. Martha Is Dead's intentions are good, but it falls flat on it's face at the final hurdle.

Scary Rating 3/10 - Overall Rating 5/10

Pep's Season of Spooks - Game 15
As a fan of Jesse Makkonen's DISTRAINT games I felt compelled to play this follow-up. In the same vein as those games, Afterdream is a gorgeous, dreamlike (heh) puzzle-horror that is definitely recommended for those who like their spooks a little more low-key.

The gameplay of Afterdream consists mostly of exploration, solving puzzles and talking to the game's colourful cast of characters. You are rarely in danger, and even the moments where you can die barely carry any consequence. There are a few small jumpscares - mainly audio-based stings and flashes of monsters - but nothing nightmarish and nothing I couldn't handle. For this I would consider this a great "gateway" game for anyone who wants to take their first steps into the horror genre.

The puzzles are fairly balanced and varied, from simple "find the right item for the right object" tasks to more complex tasks akin to Resident Evil and other survival horror games. The camera function is a fun gimmick and whenever I got stumped, more than likely the camera was the solution.

The themes of grief and loss are prevalent throughout, and the story took some intriguing twists and turns - however, I must admit being a little bit let down by the ending. In fact, the very last moments of the game left me feeling quite deflated. However this didn't ruin the experience since the storytelling leading up to it had been so strong. Jennifer is a great, sympathetic protagonist - along with Decarnation, 2023 has been a very good year for female-led pixel-art horror games.

With beautiful visuals, unnerving sound design and a strong story, I'm sure Afterdream will be popping up in "underrated horror game" lists for years to come.

Scary Rating 4/10 - Overall Rating 7/10

Pep's Season of Spooks - Game 14
A shorter, punchier Alan Wake story. A sorta-sequel which features Alan trying to defeat his evil doppelganger while trapped in a time-loop.

Remedy seemingly took the complaints about Alan Wake's gameplay and attempted to rectify them here. The gunplay feels a lot better this time around - the use of a 9mm handgun rather than a revolver for quick enemy dispatch is already an improvement. There is a wider selection of weapons to use and a couple of new enemy variations too. With the shorter length of the game the combat didn't outstay it's welcome.

While the story has nowhere near the depth of the original Alan Wake this was still an enjoyable ride. Even though I groaned out loud when the time-loop became apparent it was quickly made more bearable by the realisation that each loop would be shorter than the last, and that I wouldn't be doing the same thing over and over again. Mr Scratch also made for a surprisingly sadistic and interesting villain, and his mentions and appearances in Control are now all the more intriguing. How exactly he'll fit into Alan Wake 2 I'm not sure but I can't wait to found out.

With a poorer story but better gameplay, it just about balances out for a short and fun experience. Give it a go if you're waiting for AW2.

Scary Rating 3/10 - Overall Rating 6/10