RumbleRose
They were certainly trying some new things here! A lot of it didn't land super well, and I'm not sure how it held up over time, as the controls were clunky when it was new. But I enjoyed a lot of the dungeons and new weapons and the characters are some of my favorites in the Zelda canon. The sky world was kind of a waste of empty space, though.
Fantastic game, incredibly stylish. I miss the weird little games and gameplay you got for the DS. The ports for this game don't capture the gameplay at all, sadly, and the ports are way worse for it. If you can, definitely play this one on a DS system.
The story is very good, and the music slaps. The combat controls start out a bit confusing but once you get into the groove it's so satisfying. Trying different pin combinations against different enemies is really engaging. I also have a weird love for Tin Pin Slammer, the minigame.
Just all around fun to play! And it holds up pretty well for a modern audience, despite the sheer 2007 energy emanating from it.
The story is very good, and the music slaps. The combat controls start out a bit confusing but once you get into the groove it's so satisfying. Trying different pin combinations against different enemies is really engaging. I also have a weird love for Tin Pin Slammer, the minigame.
Just all around fun to play! And it holds up pretty well for a modern audience, despite the sheer 2007 energy emanating from it.
Fantastic update of a classic. I'm so happy this game got an HD remaster. It's a janky collectathon adevnture but it's just so fun and colorful.
Boss battles keep getting in the way of building houses for my new friends :(
If the world hates Sonic Adventure 2 Battle I am against the world.
2004
Objectively this is too many stars but this game was just so delightfully strange. Nothing at the time was doing anything similar.
The gimmick here is that you have to create your own monsters to do minigames to save an amazing island. As you get better scores and unlock more minigames you get more accessories to add to your monsters. The accessories range from body textures to hair to sneakers.
The best part of the gimmick is that you are straight-up drawing the body parts of your monster. It offers an unheard-of amount of customization for creature design as you painstakingly doodle horrible lumpy nightmare creatures and paste tiger stripes and googly eyes onto them. Different accessories and body shapes can change your stats, so you can build monsters that are better at running, flying, etc. Theres a lot of experimentation in building monsters, and all of them will look delightfully jank. No amount of artistic experience can prepare you for drawing with a gamecube controller.
My favorite monster I made was just a head with red sneakers, anime hair, and a beak. Terrible stats (it was literally just a floating head) but I loved my horrible anime rooster friend.
There is a bit of an uneven difficulty curve as you progress, but in a game that encourages grinding for monster accessories I think it actually feeds back into the core conceit: building cooler, weirder, stronger monsters.
It's definitely not a /good/ game, but it is a really interesting one.
The gimmick here is that you have to create your own monsters to do minigames to save an amazing island. As you get better scores and unlock more minigames you get more accessories to add to your monsters. The accessories range from body textures to hair to sneakers.
The best part of the gimmick is that you are straight-up drawing the body parts of your monster. It offers an unheard-of amount of customization for creature design as you painstakingly doodle horrible lumpy nightmare creatures and paste tiger stripes and googly eyes onto them. Different accessories and body shapes can change your stats, so you can build monsters that are better at running, flying, etc. Theres a lot of experimentation in building monsters, and all of them will look delightfully jank. No amount of artistic experience can prepare you for drawing with a gamecube controller.
My favorite monster I made was just a head with red sneakers, anime hair, and a beak. Terrible stats (it was literally just a floating head) but I loved my horrible anime rooster friend.
There is a bit of an uneven difficulty curve as you progress, but in a game that encourages grinding for monster accessories I think it actually feeds back into the core conceit: building cooler, weirder, stronger monsters.
It's definitely not a /good/ game, but it is a really interesting one.
2012
Low stakes and stupidly addicting. I've leveled up everything except the combat jobs just because I have so much fun roleplaying as a tailor and a chef and a woodworker. What more could I possibly want out of my fantasy world?
Scratches a very particular itch. I wish more games like this existed.
Scratches a very particular itch. I wish more games like this existed.
This is the most fun I've had playing a pokemon game in YEARS. It screams of needing an extra 6 months to polish it, as there's tons of areas it could be improved, but I've had such a great time with it it's hard to bring myself to care.
Its just /fun/, and makes catching pokemon rewarding with the new pokemon research system, and expands on combat in an interesting way with strong and agile moves.
Probably a bit too complex for the under-8s, but for anyone older it will be a fun time.
Its just /fun/, and makes catching pokemon rewarding with the new pokemon research system, and expands on combat in an interesting way with strong and agile moves.
Probably a bit too complex for the under-8s, but for anyone older it will be a fun time.
2007
Just a perfect game. Tight in the writing and the execution. Perfect little puzzle experience.
The game that made me able to play first person games.
If you haven't played this yet, you really, really should.
The game that made me able to play first person games.
If you haven't played this yet, you really, really should.
2019
We love a gimmick controller but dear god I wish I could turn off the calorie counter. Tons of fun till I get hit in the face with stuff that triggers disordered eating.
2019
All I want is more games like this. I love games about solving mysteries and though the mechanics here aren't difficult, they serve their purpose in highlighting the real star of the show: the beautifully drawn and entertainingly acted cast of weird characters. The writing is the real star of the show here and it was relentlessly charming.
I was satisfied with the story and how the mystery wrapped up. As with most good mysteries, the solving of it was wrapped up in better understanding the characters and the setting.
This was just an unabashedly fun point and click mystery, and I immediately turned around to check out other games in the series. I can only hope this series gets more attention, I want to see more of these!!
I was satisfied with the story and how the mystery wrapped up. As with most good mysteries, the solving of it was wrapped up in better understanding the characters and the setting.
This was just an unabashedly fun point and click mystery, and I immediately turned around to check out other games in the series. I can only hope this series gets more attention, I want to see more of these!!
Weird little game about talking to ghosts. Maybe you'll smooch???????
The writing is suprisingly emotional in some places and I teared up and was filled with dread in turns. A well-realized cast of characters makes this game worthy of multiple playthroughs to see the full conversations and dialogue choices you can have with each date.
The visuals are stark but striking and incredibly effective for setting the tone, which is a huge bonus.
It's such a short game you can finish it in an evening, but it's just as long as it needs to be.
I recommend picking this one up for folks who like weird little games with good writing.
The writing is suprisingly emotional in some places and I teared up and was filled with dread in turns. A well-realized cast of characters makes this game worthy of multiple playthroughs to see the full conversations and dialogue choices you can have with each date.
The visuals are stark but striking and incredibly effective for setting the tone, which is a huge bonus.
It's such a short game you can finish it in an evening, but it's just as long as it needs to be.
I recommend picking this one up for folks who like weird little games with good writing.
Why did we never get this gimmick again? My favorite mario kart
Does what it sets out to do with apblom. A definite must-play for DS. I wish they'd release it again for Switch.
Charming, funny, colorful, with fantastic puzzles and characters and a suprisingly moving (and hilarious) story. Hard to find another game quite like this.
Charming, funny, colorful, with fantastic puzzles and characters and a suprisingly moving (and hilarious) story. Hard to find another game quite like this.
My personal favorite Kirby game, and one of the most charming Kirby games for sure. I love experimenting with different power combinations, and I'd love to see this mechanic revisited some day.
The blocky, bright, and colorful visuals of the N64 really enhance the duplo vibe of this world, and though they feel outdated today there's a charm to them that I find complements Kirby nicely.
The stages themselves are fun to play and are enhanced with charming elements like riding a gondola with a waddle dee or escaping a worn down castle filling with sand. These quiet introspective moments and exciting action sequences make each stage memorable.
The game is filled with little secrets, like hidden tomatos, which can make replaying the stages like little scavenger hunts.
There are some boss battles that ramp up the difficulty curve as you near the end which could prove frustrating, especially for younger players. The game as a whole is very accessible for younger children, so this last minute difficulty curve can be rocky.
The multiplayer minigames are fun diversions, but can be clunky to play. The art based minigame is my standout for sure.
I think this title is also interesting from a Kirby design direction, as a 3d Kirby was obviously a big departure from the formula, and the devs stuck to 2.5D side scrolling adventure as much as possible.
Playing this game and 2022's Kirby and the Forgotten Land back-to-back, it's really cool to see where 3D Kirby games started and where they are now.
I'm surprised by how well this game holds up even today, so I would definitely recommend this game to any Kirby fans or anyone interested in N64 titles.
The blocky, bright, and colorful visuals of the N64 really enhance the duplo vibe of this world, and though they feel outdated today there's a charm to them that I find complements Kirby nicely.
The stages themselves are fun to play and are enhanced with charming elements like riding a gondola with a waddle dee or escaping a worn down castle filling with sand. These quiet introspective moments and exciting action sequences make each stage memorable.
The game is filled with little secrets, like hidden tomatos, which can make replaying the stages like little scavenger hunts.
There are some boss battles that ramp up the difficulty curve as you near the end which could prove frustrating, especially for younger players. The game as a whole is very accessible for younger children, so this last minute difficulty curve can be rocky.
The multiplayer minigames are fun diversions, but can be clunky to play. The art based minigame is my standout for sure.
I think this title is also interesting from a Kirby design direction, as a 3d Kirby was obviously a big departure from the formula, and the devs stuck to 2.5D side scrolling adventure as much as possible.
Playing this game and 2022's Kirby and the Forgotten Land back-to-back, it's really cool to see where 3D Kirby games started and where they are now.
I'm surprised by how well this game holds up even today, so I would definitely recommend this game to any Kirby fans or anyone interested in N64 titles.