Roganjoshua
1999
Really remarkable how many screenshot-worthy moments this disgusting little game has.
Shocked at just how many seeds for great games to come were sown here - and yet, the marriage of all these excellent elements was botched real bad in this one. There’s no two ways about it: this world sucks to run around in. Doesn’t matter how elegant the presentation is when there is no incentive to tread off the beaten path at all.
Near the end of my time I was exploring almost out of pity. "Such a classic game shouldn't be steamrolled through so quickly", I thought to myself, deciding to plunge into the optional depths of the bottom of the castle. Cue long cut and paste hallways full of boring to fight enemies, cue forgettable boss fights that barely challenge me at this stage, and cue underwhelming secrets that provide no satisfying payoff.
I knew I was only halfway done in reality, but by the time I had everything I needed I was checked out. I had had my fun a few hours ago, now I was just plodding to the exit. What an odd place for a game of this stature to end up in.
Near the end of my time I was exploring almost out of pity. "Such a classic game shouldn't be steamrolled through so quickly", I thought to myself, deciding to plunge into the optional depths of the bottom of the castle. Cue long cut and paste hallways full of boring to fight enemies, cue forgettable boss fights that barely challenge me at this stage, and cue underwhelming secrets that provide no satisfying payoff.
I knew I was only halfway done in reality, but by the time I had everything I needed I was checked out. I had had my fun a few hours ago, now I was just plodding to the exit. What an odd place for a game of this stature to end up in.
As much as I love this game (and all the Mario RPGs), this is exactly why most people wrongly assume most other JRPGs are boring. This is a game that makes everything interesting except its battle mechanics, which are bone dry and ankle deep. Unsure whether this is an excellent or terrible introduction to the genre.
Pinball machine with action setpieces. Tactile perfection.
Testimony to the fact that without spice even the most airtight game design will eventually get stale. Link to the Past will forever be known as the game to figure out action RPG gameplay (huge! genuinely!), but the legendary run of games following it will at least to me be known as the ones that did something artistically meaningful with it. Enjoyed playing through this from a historical/academic lens, but not one I would particularly want to return to.