degenerate fighting game hiding behind illusory veil of 'honor' and 'fundamentals'; in other words, it's essentially perfect. love literally everything about this. haohmaru's heavy slash is the greatest fighting game button of all time. if samurai shodown 2019 had rollback netcode it'd probably be more of a 'forever' fighting game for me but it cant possibly match the lunacy of v special. go ahead, tell me what the D button does. you cant because its a fickle mistress that exists beyond the realm of logic

I hate how overused the term is these days, but I’d argue this is a true deconstruction, not because “lol what if good guy is actually bad guy” but because it’s about the way that stock JRPG characters become so much more than the sum of their parts through perception, perhaps even in a way that wasn’t intended by the devs or varies from player to player. The opening segment that depicts the actual game the boy is playing is overly literal and simplistic in its dialogue, seemingly a generic experience, and yet when he’s sucked into the game world, we see it through the lens of his imagination: a world not of cardboard cutouts but of fully realized people with interiority who exist outside the scope of the protagonist: enhanced in higher definition, both literally and figuratively. And, well, haven’t you ever done that as a kid? Walk around a RPG village and wonder about the minute details of the citizens’ lives? It’s such a compelling argument for why we feel so nostalgic for some childhood games, and yet when we revisit them as adults, we may find them far more barren then we remembered them. As adults in an increasingly hectic landscape, we have become so task-oriented that it’s hard to muster that same childlike wonder because we’re just in a rush to get to the next game in our ever-expansive backlogs.

“Love” is what makes the world go ‘round here, and while it could be taken from a very literal perspective on sharing kindness with others, I think it does mean a bit more as to how we interact with games. After all, we often get back as much as we are willing to give to a game. The more invested I feel, the more I’m willing to read between the lines, to ponder the significance of dialogue and find meaning in places possibly not even intended. That could be aptly described as “giving love” to a work. Umineko flashed through my head as the word “love” was repeated so many times - there are many, many differences, but one common thematic thread between the two of them is the usage of “love” as a tool for interpreting a text.

So this could just be a game about how awesome video games are, earnest yet self-indulgent as well, but that’s not what moon has settled for. moon subtly establishes boundaries for itself as a work of fiction through its metatextual presentation, not truly “another world” to be lost in. It anticipates the potential for a toxic quasi-parasocial relationship to be formed between the player and its characters, aiming directly for it in the ending sequence, because no matter how much life you infuse in these characters, they are still but lines of code created by people who know nothing about you. It’s an interesting message that the game balances very well, both affirming the positivity of deeper meaning in games while cautioning not to dwell on them, and it all comes from a place of affection for the medium.

I’m definitely more in love with the concept and message than the actual execution in some places; sadly, I didn’t collect all the Love in the world because there’s no way in hell I’m going to keep grinding at the fishing contest until I’m lucky enough to win, but maybe that’s what the developers wanted? When it comes to those last few darn Love points, the game stopped sparking joy, and I probably got the most out of my time by avoiding the task-oriented mindset of completionism, dipping my feet as deep as I felt comfortable doing before retreating. You’re not supposed to sink countless hours into moon - you understand the love the game is trying to convey and then carry it with you elsewhere, and I am assuredly going to think about this for a long time both in the context of media as well as my own life.

P.S. really glad I finished this minutes after midnight so I didn’t have to edit my top games of 2021 list, lol

Love everything about this game. The gameplay does take a minute to get used to, but once you do you'll be rewarded with a quick, but incredibly charming, sweet, bubbly and unforgettable experience.

Even though the graphical fidelity of the game is dated, the art style and environments are just gorgeous in my opinion, pair this with an awesome soundtrack, charm oozing out of it and great replayability and you've got a perfect game in my eyes. It's a shame more people haven't checked this out, I'm not a massive rhythm game fan (love me some Guitar Hero) but wow, this game is awesome.

This game is the best remedy if you're feeling down especially, every character is so friendly and enthusiastic but in a wholesome and humorous way, not an annoying one.

Play this game!

At one point while playing this brilliant shit, I almost burst into tears because I got suddenly hit with a powerful memory of being 10 years old, on holiday in Gran Canaria. Playing a Game Boy Color I got from a dodgy shop for what must have been £30. A truly good and happy time in my life.

It wasn't even this I was playing back then. It was some 32-in-1 nonsense. But this smelly garlic man reached through time and brought joy from 22 years ago roaring back into me for just a moment. Thank you, you fat fuck.

It's really hard rating this game. I loved it a lot. I really enjoyed my time with it. I loved the characters. I loved Ijincho. I loved that Yakuza was willing to move on and create a whole new cast. It is their first try at an RPG, and it shows. It's not a great RPG system. But also, Yakuza wasn't a great beat em up. It's almost series tradition to have just passable gameplay, as that's not the point. The story was that of a soap opera in the best possible way. I loved all the twists and turns. I think it's gripping, and while it might be kinda cheesy, it's always fun and enjoyable. Ichiban also stands as one of the best RPG protags ever. Please play this game, even if you don't know much about Yakuza.

> me 6yo at a party with my parents
> there's this annoying kid 6yo around me
> yes I was 6yo and found other kids annoying already
> he asked me to play on my gameboy
> i was like "OK but only when I lose"
> you never lose on Warioland 2.
> fuck off kid.