Amnesia: Rebirth in my eyes is a criminally underrated horror game. Sure, the puzzles and level design can be awkward and the story can feel a bit all over the place.

However, the core of this game is rock-solid and really engrossing. I was scared shitless at many points throughout and I always had the feeling of barely making it. I don't know how much of the tension was just an illusion but it absolutely worked - and using matchsticks for light that quickly burn away and can be hard to come by is a cruel but brilliant mechanic.

It doesn't just get the scares and atmosphere right though, no: Tasi Trianon, the protagonist of this story and its beating heart, is such a wonderful and fascinating character. I love how much the game grounds you in her experience both as a pregnant woman as well as someone who's suffered a terrifying loss. The actress absolutely nails the performance too.
So much of one's enjoyment hinges on whether or not you can empathize with her and I certainly did.

And honestly, even though the puzzles can feel awkward, I never felt like they were too obscure to solve - just requiring you to patiently experiment.

This was my first Amnesia game, and especially towards the end I was pleasantly surprised, baffled at the ratings too.

7,5/10

"HIgher beings, these words are for you alone..."

I've had one hell of a journey with Hollow Knight, dropping it after a first few hours because I just didn't feel it, only to give it another try years later and finally click with it. Despite my praise and my rating, I don't think I love it as much as everyone else does but it's a special experience nonetheless.

What I love most about Hollow Knight are not the bosses, its combat, lore or its level design: it's simply the atmosphere. Many of the game's areas provoke such a striking feeling - sometimes serene, sometimes somber and other times just unsettling. It's magnificent, and the soundtrack is ironed into my brain.

Hollow Knight also feels super refreshing in its pacing. The progression is slow but every step, every item, every ability feels meaningful. It's a chunky game with plenty of content but despite the relatively slow pacing, it's not bloated at all. I also felt that my playthrough ended just when it could have started to drag.

So now here I sit, the experience still marinating inside my head, and I want to urge anyone who dropped this game on a first attempt to pick it back up - it's worth it.

Miles Morales is nothing mindblowing but it's simply good all around. The swinging feels like a big step up thanks to the animations, which are just stellar. Same thing goes for the combat, I can't get enough of those finishers. Unfortunately the story never reaches the highs of the first game: while the pacing is strong, the writing feels clunky and I never really got to care about any of the characters - plus I actually laughed during the final boss fight because of how terrible the dialogue was, so yeah...

Still, this was a good time and in many ways a perfect Christmas game.

Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time holds up astoundingly well. The platforming and accompanying level design is honestly still some of the best in the business, all these years later.

I was surprised how light the game is on storytelling; it's mostly just the beginning and end that double down on it. What's there is simple but really good - especially the ending.

Another thing I love is the music, which elevates an already enthralling atmosphere and makes even the most annoying fights feel epic.
Annoying is indeed sadly how I would describe the combat. There is some cool stuff you can do but the camera is an absolute pain to deal with and the game actually bombards you with enemies - who also delight in stun-locking you.
The camera issues extend to the platforming, though to a slightly lesser degree.

I won't lie, I got quite frustrated by these things but I could barely stop playing this game regardless. The vibe is immaculate, the platforming timeless (pun intended) and little things like drinking water from basins and streams to heal just cool.

Jedi: Survivor carries over all of the strengths and weaknesses from the first game: the fantastic characters and memorable moments but also the messy combat that is still just as janky, unbalanced and buggy.

That's not to say that Survivor doesn't bring anything new to the table, it definitely does. There are more stances, more abilities, more customization options (thank god) and generally just more things to discover. The movement, while also still quite janky at its core, feels much more diverse and open thanks to some cool new moves and gadgets - don't go thinking the level design lets you experiment though, it still doesn't.
There are better animations in general but especially in combat they always seem to bug out unless you're extremely careful. For a game that tries so hard to be cinematic, that's a big problem.

Now what I actually want to talk about are the story, pacing and setpieces. The game starts out really strong in this regard but up until the last few hours the story doesn't seem very coherent - the middle of it definitely drags a bit.
But everything I've heard about the finale of Jedi: Survivor was true: this is not just perfect Star Wars, it's simply perfect, period.
Everything finally clicked, and I wish the game had felt as tight in its direction and structure before that. The twists, the boss fights, the setpieces....your honor, they cooked!

I think this game's finale outmatches even Fallen Order's but overall because of the unpolished gameplay and pacing issues, I like it about the same. Can't wait for the conclusion to this trilogy.

It feels strange to have finally finished Witcher 3 after 7 years of trying and failing to get into it. After this final attempt, clocking in at ~65h, I will say that despite many bumps in the road, it was worth it.


Before I get into the specifics, expectations are a super important thing when it comes to consuming any media: over the years and even further during my playthrough I've felt a growing resentment and disbelief towards the galactic acclaim this game has gotten.
It's “the best game ever made” - in my humble opinion, it absolutely fucking isn't. I would be lying if I said its reputation didn't influence my opinion.


Diving into the game itself but staying negative, I have a number of gripes with the gameplay of The Witcher 3 - undoubtedly its weakest link. The game's combat is extremely basic, trying and failing to add depth with alchemy, which offers little meaningful gameplay enhancements beyond just making fights end quicker and making the healing system slightly less painful. Signs are a neat magic system but even fully upgraded, they still feel too weak. On top of that, the hit feedback and hitboxes simply don't feel right.
All of this is quite damning but somehow it's still tolerable across so many hours because on some level, it does work and can be mildly enjoyable.

Another part of the gameplay that I found severely lacking - if not more so - was the movement: I could not tell you how many times I got stuck in the environment on foot, on horseback or the goddamn boats, how many times I got frustrated by its slow- and unresponsiveness if any tiny thing is in your way. It saddens me because it really impeded my enjoyment of exploring this game's beautiful world. Though fortunately, it doesn't ruin it, as the art design, physics and ambient soundtrack lift it out of its sticky gameplay depths and into the metaphorical sun. Some of the game's locations (like the Fields of Ard Skellig) are quite stunning.

The main course of an RPG like this is its story of course and overall, I think it really scores in its characters and plots. It's hardly anything mind-blowing or flawlessly paced but for such a long story, it's consistently good. That goes for all of the quests, main and side. Though I do need to stress that certain parts did have me frustrated and bored, through gameplay annoyances combined with unengaging quests - every Elven ruin quest for example. Speaking of Elven ruins, as someone who has only read but loved the first two short story collections, I found the lore and worldbuilding here quite lackluster in comparison. Though I digress, as the game's many side quests still do a great job of fleshing out the people who inhabit the world and Geralt himself, even if some other elements fall short.

The biggest strength of The Witcher 3 alongside its fantastic characters might be its soundtrack, which captures the perfect mood in almost every location and situation - be it the miserable wildlands of Velen, the grimy streets of Novigrad or the beautiful expanses of Skellige.


Let's wrap this gigantic review up: I think it's become clear that my praise for certain aspects of the game stands in sharp contrast to my burning dislikes and that despite me still giving this a respectable score, liking the game and going on to play the expansions, I cannot shake my highly emotional resentment both towards parts of the game itself as well as its reception.

"Kara Hassan, Match Victory."

A very fun little indie game with tight movement, strong shooting mechanics and a perfect cellshaded artstyle. The blend of a trick-based skating game with a frenetic shooter is ingenious, honestly.

I was absolutely terrible at this game but I had a great time with it.
Thus, I highly recommend it, basically to anyone who likes fast-paced arena shooters.

Excellently paced and written expansion that channels the best parts of the base game and gets super creative with them. All of the characters are so well-realized, especially Gaunter O'Dimm, who is an absolutely brilliant villain. I just love the plot itself as well, though It is kinda weird how quickly the Ofieri become totally irrelevant to it.

My issues with the gameplay, i.e. the combat, still persist unfortunately - which is mostly why I don't feel comfortable rating this any higher than 8,5/10 for now, maybe a 9/10 in time.

"To grieve deeply is to have loved fully."


I loved God of War (2018), and I grieve now for Ragnarök - I'm feeling dramatic today. Put simply: the whole is not greater than the sum of its parts. In fact, it's lesser.
Don't get me wrong. There are a number of moments in this that are some of the best I've experienced in all my time with video games. On top of that, the combat remains excellent - though it is both better and worse. The same goes for the side content and exploration. I enjoyed all of my 38 hours, thoroughly.

And so I hate that I feel a nagging disappointment that tells me how messy and unfocused Ragnarök is. To me, it does not feel anywhere near as special as its prequel.
This story just did not come together as cleanly as the last one did; it drags yet rushes and does not earn all of its great moments with enough build-up. Wanting to tell a grand story is not the issue: it's losing focus while doing so.

A game that makes you wonder if video games actually are a waste of time.

It does exactly what it wants to be and does it well but like...why? I mean to some extent it's soothing but every time my friend convinces me to play it with him, I can only think of all the other things I could and would and should rather do in that time.
So...thanks PowerWash Simulator for making me think about how I spend my time more?
5/10