BABY
IM GONNA SEE THE NEW WORLD
WITH NOTHING BUT THE LOVE YOU GAVE ME
ONLY THING I CAN DO
IS TO TRUST THE TIME WE SHARED


amplifies the incoherence of the original game tenfold through the introduction of norse afterlife myth/time travel paradoxes and forces us to embody Serah, maybe the blandest jrpg protagonist of all time--but TOTALLY develops the OG's experimental but flawed combat system and makes it SING as something dynamic, deep, and stylish that no longer holds your hand for 35 hours before loosening up. The eclectic new age technopop soundtrack is an all time great and Hamauzu is a fucking genius. The ending of this game is an iconic troll that forces the entire cast of detestable cardboard anime hotties to endure immense tragedy and regret as all their misguided efforts are foiled and it's honestly wonderful to see these blandies suffer!!!

the cosmology and timeline of this series is so outrageous and inane that it's truly unfathomable to even conceive of the human experience/emotional interiority of any of these characters because what they go through is impossible to empathize with or relate to even in a realm of metaphor

and yet they decided to make the final boss literally your jilted and repressed inner child

its fucked up that lightning doesnt have more butch outfits, it would be more fitting AND hotter for her to have less lingerie and more lumberjack influence in her dresspheres. a missed opportunity. SAD!

Relentless and exhilarating rhythm horror game that feels like playing a heavy metal fantasy van decal come to life. The Lightning Bolt soundtrack is excellent and filled with hostile beauty, and the bug avatar feels like a perfect fit for the twitchy, primordial rhythm survival that essentially forces you to enter a subconscious non-verbal state to successfully progress. I adore this style of game and it's basically tailor made for me, but Thumper kind of fails to surprise or develop much after establishing its striking mission statement. I would have loved if the game had more memorable tonal shifts, but for what it is this is a very effective and conceptually tight sinister little thing.

70% quaint and heartfelt little magical girl story about female friendship and forgiveness with low stakes but endearing gameplay and some gorgeous serene visuals, 30% inexcusably perverse collection of creepshots of underage girls that literally made me feel sad and sick! I typically have a highish threshold for leery anime bs and sometimes even find it enjoyably goofy but this was on a really grotesque level that undermined all the thoughtful and empathetic character work the rest of the game attempted. With a few tweaks this so easily could have been a wonderful game for young girls to relate to but it can't stop itself from revealing who it's actually for with wet t-shirt panty shot bullshit every few minutes. Some of it is thankfully avoidable but a lot it is necessary to even progress. and yet.... i still think about this game and its unique aura (when at its best) all the goddamn time. So many component elements here still feel crisp and tender and striking, burgeoning with potential but too slipshod or lecherously self-sabotaging to actualize them beyond mere glimmers here and there. Not a problematic fave bc that implies more adoration than I truly feel, but certainly a problematic fascination??? legitimately excited for the sequel, despite myself. Seems like the yuri undertones might be more embodied and explored?? LOL setting myself up 4 heartbreak here arent i

petition to let Hayato Asano compose one of his breathtaking and emotional auroral EDM osts for something that doesn't relentlessly sexualize extremely young girls pls... 4 real one of my personal ost goats