PDawN
2023
Dude this fucking game...
What an absolute pleasure of a video game to have in my life.
The story and characters are pretty simple, but very very charming. It was confident with its humor and became infectious because of it.
The gameplay is just MWAH! This rhythm game meets character action is something I think always sounds cool on paper, but could never be executed well...
Until now apparently???
This is perfectly done. The amount of reliance on the rhythm game portion feels so balanced with your actual skills in reactions and movement. You end up getting into this zen, where you really do just "feel the beat".
And the attention to detail on every element of the game is stunning. All enemy animations, walk cycles, background elements; all move to the beat of the music. It creates this super natural ability to sync your brain with the game. It all comes so naturally. And feels amazing because of it.
The use of licensed music was kinda awesome. I know some can find it a little cheesy, but idc it was really cool and elevated the games vibes so well.
Speaking of; the aesthetics and tone this game goes for is so authentically inspired. It doesn't feel too referential or trite. It all feels like an team of artists making what they wanted to make. And that always makes the best video games.
The only gripes I have are the some of the skills felt useless compared to spamming the "call your friend in" button.
And the post game content I didn't care for. Basically is just "run through the levels again and find stuff". Could see the appeal in a repeat playthrough, but not a game that I felt a need to 100% at all.
Other than that, easily my game of 2023. Crazy how it just popped up outta nowhere.
What an absolute pleasure of a video game to have in my life.
The story and characters are pretty simple, but very very charming. It was confident with its humor and became infectious because of it.
The gameplay is just MWAH! This rhythm game meets character action is something I think always sounds cool on paper, but could never be executed well...
Until now apparently???
This is perfectly done. The amount of reliance on the rhythm game portion feels so balanced with your actual skills in reactions and movement. You end up getting into this zen, where you really do just "feel the beat".
And the attention to detail on every element of the game is stunning. All enemy animations, walk cycles, background elements; all move to the beat of the music. It creates this super natural ability to sync your brain with the game. It all comes so naturally. And feels amazing because of it.
The use of licensed music was kinda awesome. I know some can find it a little cheesy, but idc it was really cool and elevated the games vibes so well.
Speaking of; the aesthetics and tone this game goes for is so authentically inspired. It doesn't feel too referential or trite. It all feels like an team of artists making what they wanted to make. And that always makes the best video games.
The only gripes I have are the some of the skills felt useless compared to spamming the "call your friend in" button.
And the post game content I didn't care for. Basically is just "run through the levels again and find stuff". Could see the appeal in a repeat playthrough, but not a game that I felt a need to 100% at all.
Other than that, easily my game of 2023. Crazy how it just popped up outta nowhere.
2022
Stray is one of most impactful expierences i've had in a long time. The feeling this game gave me was euphoric.
The way you connect with the cat you play as is genuinely powerful. Video games tend to encourage a dissconnect from humanity. You do things because the games tells you to. Achieve goals because the game rewards you for it. But Stray has this unbelievable confidence that it's world and story is what you will want to explore for.
There aren't abilities to unlock or a distracting progression system. You do what you do in this game because you as a player want to, which feels almost dehumanizing to a point.
We're built for that constant dopaline loop. But it fits so well when you're playing as a cat.
You feel as if the moments of humanity or concern for the people you meet, are genuine. Not only for the player, but in turn, for the cat as well. Creating a wonderful connection between you and your animal persona. (Took a lot of strength not to type fursona)
There are these moments where you can stop and drink water from a puddle or sleep while listening to some music. It isn't to refill an HP bar or unlock something. You do it because one, it's cute, and two; you want the cat you're playing as to listen to some music and take a second to rest. I remember thinking "huh.. he's probably thirsty huh. I'll go over to that puddle." Not many games make me instinctually do that. It's just such a potenet connection it had with me. It may come down to how real the cat looks and feels to move around with.
Regardless, it's a powerful aspect of the game that elevated it a lot for me. I tried to explain it the best I can, but it's something that I felt and could have been totally exlcusive to me.
The Kowloon inspired setting is so rich in detail. Exploring feels good and everything has this human touch. While the music and sounds just gave me the extra kick, completely transporting me into the world itself.
While the game's pacing can be a little slow at times, I can already imagine people writing this game off as "boring". Or describing it as a "nonvideo game". Man, what a lame way to look at this artistic medium. A game that tries to break conventions and supply an expierence outside the realm of what people demand out of a video game. Rebelling against the "standard" we hold games to. Games like this are so damn healthy for the industry. Content, little expierence, doing its own thing and doing it well. It's supposed to be a little "boring". It helps elevate the atmosphere it's going for and the connection it creates with the player.
Can't stress how much this game means to me now.
tldr; Cat game with a meow button.
The way you connect with the cat you play as is genuinely powerful. Video games tend to encourage a dissconnect from humanity. You do things because the games tells you to. Achieve goals because the game rewards you for it. But Stray has this unbelievable confidence that it's world and story is what you will want to explore for.
There aren't abilities to unlock or a distracting progression system. You do what you do in this game because you as a player want to, which feels almost dehumanizing to a point.
We're built for that constant dopaline loop. But it fits so well when you're playing as a cat.
You feel as if the moments of humanity or concern for the people you meet, are genuine. Not only for the player, but in turn, for the cat as well. Creating a wonderful connection between you and your animal persona. (Took a lot of strength not to type fursona)
There are these moments where you can stop and drink water from a puddle or sleep while listening to some music. It isn't to refill an HP bar or unlock something. You do it because one, it's cute, and two; you want the cat you're playing as to listen to some music and take a second to rest. I remember thinking "huh.. he's probably thirsty huh. I'll go over to that puddle." Not many games make me instinctually do that. It's just such a potenet connection it had with me. It may come down to how real the cat looks and feels to move around with.
Regardless, it's a powerful aspect of the game that elevated it a lot for me. I tried to explain it the best I can, but it's something that I felt and could have been totally exlcusive to me.
The Kowloon inspired setting is so rich in detail. Exploring feels good and everything has this human touch. While the music and sounds just gave me the extra kick, completely transporting me into the world itself.
While the game's pacing can be a little slow at times, I can already imagine people writing this game off as "boring". Or describing it as a "nonvideo game". Man, what a lame way to look at this artistic medium. A game that tries to break conventions and supply an expierence outside the realm of what people demand out of a video game. Rebelling against the "standard" we hold games to. Games like this are so damn healthy for the industry. Content, little expierence, doing its own thing and doing it well. It's supposed to be a little "boring". It helps elevate the atmosphere it's going for and the connection it creates with the player.
Can't stress how much this game means to me now.
tldr; Cat game with a meow button.
2016
So I am a huge huge fan of Star Fox 64. One of the pillars of my video game interest as a whole. It does so much right and almost never gets old to me. That being said;
I kinda avoided this game for years.
But I finally played through it.
Aaaannd.. It was ok. Not AS bad as I had heard, but also drops the ball in so many weird ways, that I honestly never hear critiqued.
The controls were the least of my concerns. When it works, it works well. I can see why they don't jive with everyone, myself included. But what they wanted to achieve, is achieved with the controls.
I think the game's level and senerio design is where the real slop is. The stages can feel either too short or too long. Bosses can feel aimless and boring, or super exciting.
Its all over the place.
It retreads 64 so much it basically has no identity of its own. And ultimately just feels like a lesser version of that game as a result.
It's missing so much of juice that made 64 so satisfying to play, taking literally.. Zero, steps forward.
For example; your crew in 64 is cute. They each serve a purpose beyond just being funny dialog. Falco helps you with combat, Peppy gives you tips and Slippy reads the bosses HP.
But it's all pretty miniscule, so KO'ing them never felt too detrimental, even if they were gone for a stage.
But not only does Zero remove the whole, they're out a stage if they KO, the crew serve NO purpose beyond their quirky dialog. (Most of which is lifted straight from 64 anyways)
Having a greater imprtance to your crew on a gameplay level could have been such a great addition to this game, adding a new element of focus and problem solving to each stage.
It feels like a step down, and makes the crew feel even less significant. Which is such a shame, because it's a huge part of the original's charm.
Also the music and visuals were pretty forgettable. Serviceable, but nothing that will stick with me.
I was disappointed, but not in the way I thought I'd be.
I kinda avoided this game for years.
But I finally played through it.
Aaaannd.. It was ok. Not AS bad as I had heard, but also drops the ball in so many weird ways, that I honestly never hear critiqued.
The controls were the least of my concerns. When it works, it works well. I can see why they don't jive with everyone, myself included. But what they wanted to achieve, is achieved with the controls.
I think the game's level and senerio design is where the real slop is. The stages can feel either too short or too long. Bosses can feel aimless and boring, or super exciting.
Its all over the place.
It retreads 64 so much it basically has no identity of its own. And ultimately just feels like a lesser version of that game as a result.
It's missing so much of juice that made 64 so satisfying to play, taking literally.. Zero, steps forward.
For example; your crew in 64 is cute. They each serve a purpose beyond just being funny dialog. Falco helps you with combat, Peppy gives you tips and Slippy reads the bosses HP.
But it's all pretty miniscule, so KO'ing them never felt too detrimental, even if they were gone for a stage.
But not only does Zero remove the whole, they're out a stage if they KO, the crew serve NO purpose beyond their quirky dialog. (Most of which is lifted straight from 64 anyways)
Having a greater imprtance to your crew on a gameplay level could have been such a great addition to this game, adding a new element of focus and problem solving to each stage.
It feels like a step down, and makes the crew feel even less significant. Which is such a shame, because it's a huge part of the original's charm.
Also the music and visuals were pretty forgettable. Serviceable, but nothing that will stick with me.
I was disappointed, but not in the way I thought I'd be.
2023
I am extremely in the middle about this.
It does so much I've wanted 3D Sonic to do for nearly two decades, but is so bogged down by really simple and boring level design. Which I feel is due to being an app game for mobile devices.
This engine deserves a more realized 3D platformer.
It does so much I've wanted 3D Sonic to do for nearly two decades, but is so bogged down by really simple and boring level design. Which I feel is due to being an app game for mobile devices.
This engine deserves a more realized 3D platformer.
I'm a huge fan of Rando of Blood, and had always heard horror stories about this version of it.
Overall, I don't think it's bad and I actually had more fun than I anticipated I would. But some it's level design is so rough.
A lot of vertical rooms with very uncertain enemy patterns. They love doing this thing where if you miss a jump, you have to go outside your current room and back around to get back to it, respawning all of the enemies and making the punishment much more annoying as a result.
I kept saying "wow this game is mean." Rather than feeling it was a more deliberate challenge they wanted me to figure out.
It's been a minute since I've played the original Rando, but I can't recall having that many moments like that.
I ended up using a few save states towards the end, just to save me the pain and time of retreading an entire stage to learn one obnoxious vertical section of the level design.
But the worst offender of this is the final boss. A shit show of a boss fight. Small hurtbox windows, a lot of RNG and littered with pits to, invetibility, get tossed into by some attack from offscreen you couldn't react to.
And that's just the first phase. The second phase is an onslaught of barley reactable projectiles. With such small platforms to keep yourself on, it makes almost impossible to get right your first time; meaning you're playing through that tedious first phase with each attempt to learn.
It's obnoxious and shudder to imagine that 10 year old kid in 1995 slaving over this for hours on a school night.
Even a perfect run of this fight on youtube takes 5 full minutes.
I absolutely did not have the patience for this,
Ended up amusing save states heavily, and felt extremely underwhelmed as a result.
Just a real wet fart to end the game on.
And the lack of Maria kinda stings. She is huge part of why I love that original game so much.
I guess that's why this game has this reputation, it doesn't do its own thing at all, so it just ends up being in the shadow of its older, cooler, brother.
Overall, I don't think it's bad and I actually had more fun than I anticipated I would. But some it's level design is so rough.
A lot of vertical rooms with very uncertain enemy patterns. They love doing this thing where if you miss a jump, you have to go outside your current room and back around to get back to it, respawning all of the enemies and making the punishment much more annoying as a result.
I kept saying "wow this game is mean." Rather than feeling it was a more deliberate challenge they wanted me to figure out.
It's been a minute since I've played the original Rando, but I can't recall having that many moments like that.
I ended up using a few save states towards the end, just to save me the pain and time of retreading an entire stage to learn one obnoxious vertical section of the level design.
But the worst offender of this is the final boss. A shit show of a boss fight. Small hurtbox windows, a lot of RNG and littered with pits to, invetibility, get tossed into by some attack from offscreen you couldn't react to.
And that's just the first phase. The second phase is an onslaught of barley reactable projectiles. With such small platforms to keep yourself on, it makes almost impossible to get right your first time; meaning you're playing through that tedious first phase with each attempt to learn.
It's obnoxious and shudder to imagine that 10 year old kid in 1995 slaving over this for hours on a school night.
Even a perfect run of this fight on youtube takes 5 full minutes.
I absolutely did not have the patience for this,
Ended up amusing save states heavily, and felt extremely underwhelmed as a result.
Just a real wet fart to end the game on.
And the lack of Maria kinda stings. She is huge part of why I love that original game so much.
I guess that's why this game has this reputation, it doesn't do its own thing at all, so it just ends up being in the shadow of its older, cooler, brother.
2023
Ugh. This game was such a mess. Full disclosure. I played this singleplayer. And while I know this game was built around multiplayer, I still want to judge this as a singleplayer expierence. A good co-op game can handle both.
I think it was slightly better than I expected. But my expectations were pretty low going in.
First off; looks decent enough, sounds pretty good. And feels good to play. Physics and controls feel good.
And every once and while the level design is kinda clever.
There were ideas where I was like "oh nice! I like that"
But those moments were far too rare. Most of the time the level design was fiiine. Not as bad as Sonic 4. But not even close to the heights of games like Sonic 3, or even the Advance series. And FOR SURE not as good as Mania.
It all seems pretty forgettable.
Same goes for the new mechanics. The powerups you get from the emeralds are so pointless in my experience. I just forgot I had them most of the game, until the game forced me to use them. Pretty lame.
The game really fell apart during the boss fights for me. They're obnoxious. Lots of waiting around for openings. Lots of instant kill traps that give you the pleasure of redoing those patience tests over and over. Especially the final boss. This is such a shame because the boss fights were Mania's x-factor in my opinion. That game's boss' were excellent and such a golden standard for 2D sonic design.
To see the game take such a massive nose-dive is, once again, so disappointing.
Lots of stuff was just sorta happening as well? Like sometimes it'd give me an option to play as another character for a stage. Those specific stages felt made for those specific characters, but the main stages I was playing did not feel specifically designed for Amy. So are there just randomly specific stages in specific zones made for specific characters? And there was one stage were you just collect fruit? There's a pointless world-map similar to Generation that I saw only a few times because the game forceably placed me in after some special zones.
Things just sometimes felt they were happening for no rhyme or reason and didn't give me any incentive to figure out what the game is making me do. I played the game like a 2D Sonic game, and felt I was missing what the game wanted from me at times.
Special stages were very NOT fun and I never felt I was in control at all. Just swung around hoping the emerald decided to line itself up with me.
The collectable coins felt pretty pointless when I realized it was only used on a custom robot character that I will probably never use.
Last thing to complain about was the themes they chose for the stages. They all felt SO safe. This may be one of my least favorite things about this game. The identity crisis this series has is almost a staple element of this IP at this point. After all of the talk and critque on returning stages in Mania, to the constant reliance on Greenhill, to see the same ol' song and dance with the level themes was so insanely disappointing. I wanted something that felt was refreshing as Press Garden or Studiopolis. But this felt closer to New Super Mario Bros. Which is NOT a compliment in the slightest, obviously.
Nothing felt satisfying or remarkable. Just all very whatever.
I do feel this had some serious potential with how it feels. But it falls so insanely flat.
I hope this isn't blindly praised by the Sonic fan zeitgeist.
Sonic deserves better. But I feel I say that about almost every Sonic game.
I think it was slightly better than I expected. But my expectations were pretty low going in.
First off; looks decent enough, sounds pretty good. And feels good to play. Physics and controls feel good.
And every once and while the level design is kinda clever.
There were ideas where I was like "oh nice! I like that"
But those moments were far too rare. Most of the time the level design was fiiine. Not as bad as Sonic 4. But not even close to the heights of games like Sonic 3, or even the Advance series. And FOR SURE not as good as Mania.
It all seems pretty forgettable.
Same goes for the new mechanics. The powerups you get from the emeralds are so pointless in my experience. I just forgot I had them most of the game, until the game forced me to use them. Pretty lame.
The game really fell apart during the boss fights for me. They're obnoxious. Lots of waiting around for openings. Lots of instant kill traps that give you the pleasure of redoing those patience tests over and over. Especially the final boss. This is such a shame because the boss fights were Mania's x-factor in my opinion. That game's boss' were excellent and such a golden standard for 2D sonic design.
To see the game take such a massive nose-dive is, once again, so disappointing.
Lots of stuff was just sorta happening as well? Like sometimes it'd give me an option to play as another character for a stage. Those specific stages felt made for those specific characters, but the main stages I was playing did not feel specifically designed for Amy. So are there just randomly specific stages in specific zones made for specific characters? And there was one stage were you just collect fruit? There's a pointless world-map similar to Generation that I saw only a few times because the game forceably placed me in after some special zones.
Things just sometimes felt they were happening for no rhyme or reason and didn't give me any incentive to figure out what the game is making me do. I played the game like a 2D Sonic game, and felt I was missing what the game wanted from me at times.
Special stages were very NOT fun and I never felt I was in control at all. Just swung around hoping the emerald decided to line itself up with me.
The collectable coins felt pretty pointless when I realized it was only used on a custom robot character that I will probably never use.
Last thing to complain about was the themes they chose for the stages. They all felt SO safe. This may be one of my least favorite things about this game. The identity crisis this series has is almost a staple element of this IP at this point. After all of the talk and critque on returning stages in Mania, to the constant reliance on Greenhill, to see the same ol' song and dance with the level themes was so insanely disappointing. I wanted something that felt was refreshing as Press Garden or Studiopolis. But this felt closer to New Super Mario Bros. Which is NOT a compliment in the slightest, obviously.
Nothing felt satisfying or remarkable. Just all very whatever.
I do feel this had some serious potential with how it feels. But it falls so insanely flat.
I hope this isn't blindly praised by the Sonic fan zeitgeist.
Sonic deserves better. But I feel I say that about almost every Sonic game.
2008
I went into this game with insane expectations.
It's easily one of the most renowned games of all time. And being on the internet during an era in which the generation that grew up with this game dominated most video game discussions; it always came back to Chrono Trigger. It was the crown jewel of the genre by a longshot.
And I finally played and beat it earlier this year and... yeah. It's nearly a masterpiece.
It just does so much right and little to nothing wrong.
The combat is engaging, the story is fun and interesting, the characters are lovable, as well as being all equally useful, they have multiple endings, optional bosses, a perfectly sized world that is easy to traverse, challenging bosses that never feel like damage sponges but closer to a clever puzzle to figure out, there are plenty of ways to build your team and utilize their unique teamup abilites, the soundtrack is easily one of the best of the era, the pixel are is beyond gorgeous, and the list honestly could keep going. There were a few aimless moments in the game. But thats basically a none issue, because they have a pretty good "hint giving character" to keep you on track.
I think the most surprising element that I took away from the expierence was the pacing.
It's just so immaculate. It's fastpaced, especially for a JRPG. But despite that all of the moments felt personal and savored. I think this was just square at its height. A team of developers who had spent the last decade perfecting the craft of the 2D RPG. And this is the fruits of all of the labor.
I'm very glad I finally played it. A lot of surprises in a game so legendary and old.
Who'da'thunk?
It's easily one of the most renowned games of all time. And being on the internet during an era in which the generation that grew up with this game dominated most video game discussions; it always came back to Chrono Trigger. It was the crown jewel of the genre by a longshot.
And I finally played and beat it earlier this year and... yeah. It's nearly a masterpiece.
It just does so much right and little to nothing wrong.
The combat is engaging, the story is fun and interesting, the characters are lovable, as well as being all equally useful, they have multiple endings, optional bosses, a perfectly sized world that is easy to traverse, challenging bosses that never feel like damage sponges but closer to a clever puzzle to figure out, there are plenty of ways to build your team and utilize their unique teamup abilites, the soundtrack is easily one of the best of the era, the pixel are is beyond gorgeous, and the list honestly could keep going. There were a few aimless moments in the game. But thats basically a none issue, because they have a pretty good "hint giving character" to keep you on track.
I think the most surprising element that I took away from the expierence was the pacing.
It's just so immaculate. It's fastpaced, especially for a JRPG. But despite that all of the moments felt personal and savored. I think this was just square at its height. A team of developers who had spent the last decade perfecting the craft of the 2D RPG. And this is the fruits of all of the labor.
I'm very glad I finally played it. A lot of surprises in a game so legendary and old.
Who'da'thunk?
I don't think I ever actually beat this before, somehow. But I finally did. And it holds up, it really does!
Really solid, really charming, etc.
I feel I probably don't have a ton of unique takes on this game; it's Mario RPG.
Still doesn't hit the highs some of the other Mario RPGs hit, but I cant complains considering how original the concept is alone.
There is this energy and personality this game has, that's unmatched. It's something truly special that is completely absent in the Mario franchise these days. That alone is worth expierencing it.
It helps it's also a decent, beginner friendly RPG as well!
Really solid, really charming, etc.
I feel I probably don't have a ton of unique takes on this game; it's Mario RPG.
Still doesn't hit the highs some of the other Mario RPGs hit, but I cant complains considering how original the concept is alone.
There is this energy and personality this game has, that's unmatched. It's something truly special that is completely absent in the Mario franchise these days. That alone is worth expierencing it.
It helps it's also a decent, beginner friendly RPG as well!
Stupidly cute like wtf.
Nothing groundbreaking, but I just love stuff like this. Passionate fans making an official sonic vn. So neat.
The art is insanely good and the characterization is basically perfect.
Felt like an IDW comic arc, which is a huge compliment.
Nothing groundbreaking, but I just love stuff like this. Passionate fans making an official sonic vn. So neat.
The art is insanely good and the characterization is basically perfect.
Felt like an IDW comic arc, which is a huge compliment.
2023
I can't get over how cool this game was...
So first and foremost; movement in this game is unbelievable. May be some of my favorite movement in any game.. ever. Once you get most of your abilities, you smoove around so effortlessly and it feels like bliss.
The wall kick is a genius move that other games need to take a note from. I felt very in-control, nothing felt janky or too loose. It was just refined to perfection. I had so many instances where I was able to sequence break because of how freeing the movement felt. But it wasn't loose enough to make it feel cheap. It felt super super natural. Something a good metroidvania needs to get right.
I really enjoyed the pace and level design too. I think could be decisive for some, because it could be a bit aimless. But the confidence of not giving you map, teleporters, or really much direction at all is something I admire. The areas look a little samey because of the artstyle, but I kinda think it did the "mental map making" game some favors. I had to use really clever observation skills to keep track of my surroundings. When i'd have a moment where I was like "ok.. so this should lead here.." and it does; it felt amazing. Unlocking shortcuts and loops-around to older areas, always felt really satisfying. It feels kinda raw in some regard. It wants you to get lost and figure it out by your big-boy self. I respect it. It made me feel smart. By the end of the game, I really did know my way around most of the areas.
And the design of those areas was so surreal and cool. Very moody and atmospheric. Again, something I think works so well in metroidvania type games like this. Exploring feels kinda zen in a game like this. And a lot of that comes down to how you visually design your world.
The N64/PS1 (it's kinda a hybrid) style works pretty well establishing it's moody, dreary vibes. The world complements the art style, which complements the pacing. It all feels very deliberate, which I love to see. Especially from smaller indie titles like this. It's something big-name games can't get right sometimes.
I think the only thing that really bothered me was the combat felt a bit "mashy" like just kinda circle around enemies and hit em and hopefully don't die before you spam your heal. It didn't help there weren't too many enemies in the game. You see basically all of them by the end of the first area. Even the final boss was a little disappointing. I thought it would have two phases because the first one was so easy to just mash and win. In some other games, this kinda half-assed combat would bother me more, but it was not a main focus at all. There were times I went an hour without seeing an enemy. It almost felt as if it was there by necessity. And above all, it wasn't annoying. Just not really exciting. I would have more of an issue if the combat was frustrating to deal with.
Also the UI is butt-ugly. I'm a stickler for good UI. But this basically checks all of my "i hate this" boxes. It gets the job done, but it feels like an after-thought.
Other than that, I really REALLY enjoyed my time with this one. For less than $10 this is an absolute steal too. I think I clocked in about 7-8 hours. One of, if not my favorite game I've played all year. And up there with one of my favorite indies now.
So first and foremost; movement in this game is unbelievable. May be some of my favorite movement in any game.. ever. Once you get most of your abilities, you smoove around so effortlessly and it feels like bliss.
The wall kick is a genius move that other games need to take a note from. I felt very in-control, nothing felt janky or too loose. It was just refined to perfection. I had so many instances where I was able to sequence break because of how freeing the movement felt. But it wasn't loose enough to make it feel cheap. It felt super super natural. Something a good metroidvania needs to get right.
I really enjoyed the pace and level design too. I think could be decisive for some, because it could be a bit aimless. But the confidence of not giving you map, teleporters, or really much direction at all is something I admire. The areas look a little samey because of the artstyle, but I kinda think it did the "mental map making" game some favors. I had to use really clever observation skills to keep track of my surroundings. When i'd have a moment where I was like "ok.. so this should lead here.." and it does; it felt amazing. Unlocking shortcuts and loops-around to older areas, always felt really satisfying. It feels kinda raw in some regard. It wants you to get lost and figure it out by your big-boy self. I respect it. It made me feel smart. By the end of the game, I really did know my way around most of the areas.
And the design of those areas was so surreal and cool. Very moody and atmospheric. Again, something I think works so well in metroidvania type games like this. Exploring feels kinda zen in a game like this. And a lot of that comes down to how you visually design your world.
The N64/PS1 (it's kinda a hybrid) style works pretty well establishing it's moody, dreary vibes. The world complements the art style, which complements the pacing. It all feels very deliberate, which I love to see. Especially from smaller indie titles like this. It's something big-name games can't get right sometimes.
I think the only thing that really bothered me was the combat felt a bit "mashy" like just kinda circle around enemies and hit em and hopefully don't die before you spam your heal. It didn't help there weren't too many enemies in the game. You see basically all of them by the end of the first area. Even the final boss was a little disappointing. I thought it would have two phases because the first one was so easy to just mash and win. In some other games, this kinda half-assed combat would bother me more, but it was not a main focus at all. There were times I went an hour without seeing an enemy. It almost felt as if it was there by necessity. And above all, it wasn't annoying. Just not really exciting. I would have more of an issue if the combat was frustrating to deal with.
Also the UI is butt-ugly. I'm a stickler for good UI. But this basically checks all of my "i hate this" boxes. It gets the job done, but it feels like an after-thought.
Other than that, I really REALLY enjoyed my time with this one. For less than $10 this is an absolute steal too. I think I clocked in about 7-8 hours. One of, if not my favorite game I've played all year. And up there with one of my favorite indies now.
2005
A real ass video game man.
Combat is insanely satisfying. So tactical/"arcadey" but still had the stress of the item management, which is just such insanely effective combination. The story was very corny, but very on the nose and fun. The pacing was a bit weird towards the end and I really wish Ashley was utilized more. The layer of management involving her was so engaging and fun.
But otherwise, super good. Legendary for a reason. Glad I finally got a chance to play it!
Combat is insanely satisfying. So tactical/"arcadey" but still had the stress of the item management, which is just such insanely effective combination. The story was very corny, but very on the nose and fun. The pacing was a bit weird towards the end and I really wish Ashley was utilized more. The layer of management involving her was so engaging and fun.
But otherwise, super good. Legendary for a reason. Glad I finally got a chance to play it!
1992
I'm kinda blown away I hadn't played this before.
I loved Demon's Crest when I played it a few years ago, but this game may actually be a tighter expierence.
The platforming is so deliberate and satisfying. Whenever you have to make a precise jump with your flying ability, it feels amazing. The way they utilize the vertical space in their levels is genius.
The abilities you get all feel really useful actually. Even the last blob orb thing you get, despite it only being used on the final stage, is one of the most memorable abilities you get.
The boss fights are a little easy, but pretty satisfying to calculate that vertical angle, and just wail on.
I think the dicest part of the expierence was the overworld RPG stuff. I kinda winced when I started the game and saw this, but I wasn't too annoyed with it. It really doesn't add much to expierence besides some padding and really uneeded world-building, if I'm being honest. But pretty inoffensive. I ended up using a Youtube playthrough a few times just to alleviate some wondering around, since it's "hints" on how to proceed aren't exactly spelling it out for you somtimes.
But I didn't feel too bad about it, since the platforming was what I was mainly here for.
The music and ESPECIALLY its visuals are so good.
Seriously this is probably the slickest looking NES game I've ever seen. Firebrands sprite looks incredible. Would have throught this was a Genesis game if you showed me a screenshot.
Overall; i love this game. Easily up there with some of my favorite NES games like Blaster Master and Mega Man 6.
I guess I'm playing this backwards, so I'll be sure to try the original when I get a chance.
I loved Demon's Crest when I played it a few years ago, but this game may actually be a tighter expierence.
The platforming is so deliberate and satisfying. Whenever you have to make a precise jump with your flying ability, it feels amazing. The way they utilize the vertical space in their levels is genius.
The abilities you get all feel really useful actually. Even the last blob orb thing you get, despite it only being used on the final stage, is one of the most memorable abilities you get.
The boss fights are a little easy, but pretty satisfying to calculate that vertical angle, and just wail on.
I think the dicest part of the expierence was the overworld RPG stuff. I kinda winced when I started the game and saw this, but I wasn't too annoyed with it. It really doesn't add much to expierence besides some padding and really uneeded world-building, if I'm being honest. But pretty inoffensive. I ended up using a Youtube playthrough a few times just to alleviate some wondering around, since it's "hints" on how to proceed aren't exactly spelling it out for you somtimes.
But I didn't feel too bad about it, since the platforming was what I was mainly here for.
The music and ESPECIALLY its visuals are so good.
Seriously this is probably the slickest looking NES game I've ever seen. Firebrands sprite looks incredible. Would have throught this was a Genesis game if you showed me a screenshot.
Overall; i love this game. Easily up there with some of my favorite NES games like Blaster Master and Mega Man 6.
I guess I'm playing this backwards, so I'll be sure to try the original when I get a chance.
2020
Felt really good to play and has some seriously damn good pixel art. There's a lot I like about the game, even just like the idea of a more melee focused MMX/Zero style game is super neat...
Buuut the difficulty felt all of the place. And really soured the expierence for me a lot. I think 99% of my deaths were from one or two bosses.
It's a fun time, but never really impressed me with its level design. Ultimately making it a little forgettable.
Buuut the difficulty felt all of the place. And really soured the expierence for me a lot. I think 99% of my deaths were from one or two bosses.
It's a fun time, but never really impressed me with its level design. Ultimately making it a little forgettable.
Super disappointing. I haven't play the first two games in a while, but I don't remember them being this.. nonsensical.
The mechanics are super fun. It feels amazing to move around in a level. It feels good to fight things, it feels good to weave around bosses attack patterns, so its infinitely more frusterating when the game NEVER challenges you at all. Ive heard the challenge needs to be self imposed or it comes from the ranking system. But I don't like that. The game should be satisfying without having to work to make it satisfying. It was engaging on a gameplay level. And it felt like it was begging to be the whole time. I think their approach was trying to be like some action platformer visual novel? Which maybe could work... Too bad the story felt pretty milktoast. Some of the bigger subtext referencing the other games in the series was lost on me, but on a surface level, this story is lame as hell.
I loved the original game. But I'm second guessing my memories if it was anything like this.
A very "nothing game" with the veneer of being a "something game".
The mechanics are super fun. It feels amazing to move around in a level. It feels good to fight things, it feels good to weave around bosses attack patterns, so its infinitely more frusterating when the game NEVER challenges you at all. Ive heard the challenge needs to be self imposed or it comes from the ranking system. But I don't like that. The game should be satisfying without having to work to make it satisfying. It was engaging on a gameplay level. And it felt like it was begging to be the whole time. I think their approach was trying to be like some action platformer visual novel? Which maybe could work... Too bad the story felt pretty milktoast. Some of the bigger subtext referencing the other games in the series was lost on me, but on a surface level, this story is lame as hell.
I loved the original game. But I'm second guessing my memories if it was anything like this.
A very "nothing game" with the veneer of being a "something game".
Uh, a game. That's for sure. Kinda think its funny to have a Hello Kitty action game. But I don't think I could muster more than 2 words about it. It was a game with enemies that you hit and you jump sometimes...
Strange game because it's super unremarkable and kinda weirdly memorable at the same time.
Strange game because it's super unremarkable and kinda weirdly memorable at the same time.