Omori is a terrible game. Not only is the gameplay sleep inducing for a horror game that's supposed to keep you on your toes, the cast of characters is also abhorrent; each one of them showing no purpose to the narrative and the worst one being the main character Sunny. He starts out as someone who wants to find his sister, but when the main twist actually happens, it's like he's never even changed. He's the same person before and after his "development." Overall a horrible game if you want a game like this, but actually checks all the boxes on what makes a story about coping with death amazing.

Play SILENT HILL 2.

Beauty in fantasy

I'm just gonna say it, I have a hard time trusting japanese role playing fans when it comes to genuine conversations about the genre in general. Despite the decade and the overall flak this game gets and the actual vitriol that comes from discussing this game, I finally got around to actually playing the game myself and seeing for myself what many people labeled "the worst Final Fantasy game". Now I get there are genuine criticisms about the game and this game isn't perfect by any means but it's a beautiful game. The linearity which I feel is the number one criticism doesn't really matter considering the whole package here and especially it wasn't even the first game that has done the linear approach in Final Fantasy and it fits thematically with the game itself here too.

While I feel the story is under cooked due to having to read a little in the codex, it was still decent and not too hard to understand. I admit that I got a little lost nearing the end but the ending itself was great but I think the best part is the whole journey of the game itself here. I really liked the cast here in the fact they feel like actual people barring one or two of them. I feel like each character has had their chance to shine and develop throughout the journey and it made for some great moments I didn't expect at all as they all become victims of circumstance and made for interesting dynamics between certain characters. I never really minded the linearity here due to the fact that the characters realistically didn't have time to partake in side stuff, time is running out and you're always running.

The paradigm system is honestly one of my favorite renditions of ATB so far in the series. My main problem is that it doesn't open up soon enough with the game not giving you the full customization until you're three quarters done with the game. Creating strategies for specific roles is something I really enjoyed doing here and it also rewards perfectly timed switching with a full ATB gauge after a certain amount of time too which makes it even easier to activate burst damage windows. I had fun with this system but the way the game creates these fights are a bit uneven. The game is mostly really easy until the game unlocks the ability to customize your characters and party and the difficulty ramps up pretty hard nearing the end. Fights that used to take 1-2 minutes had average fights taking 4-8 minutes in the final dungeon with mobs. You never really had to grind too much in this game fortunately from my own experience as the game rewards game knowledge over raw stats most of the time.

If there's one word I can use to describe Final Fantasy XIII: Beauty. The level design for almost each area is teeming with visual spectacle and variety. From the machine infused nature of the forest to a land forgotten by time itself, each chapter really managed to provide a unique atmosphere to each area that it's honestly impressive despite the approach to progression. The entire game is yet put into another plane with a serene and energizing soundtrack that focus on the elegance and beauty of the piano and the violin along with the occasional vocal track that really makes this easily one of my favorite soundtracks in a japanese role playing game and knowing the genre, it's really tough to be at that spot considering how good these soundtracks usually are. Two of my favorite tracks manage to build up and then unleashes a beautiful set of strings as the pay off and makes me remember why I enjoyed gaming sometimes. The game is still amazing to look at even today and even the FMVs are always a treat to see after a gameplay sequence that brings back the old days when technology wasn't there yet for the gameplay to match the viewing experience.

I feel like Final Fantasy XIII was meant to be a PlayStation 2 title because it has all the bearings of what would essentially be that. Experimentation of ATB, an incredible soundtrack, gorgeous visuals, linear design that wasn't even the first rendition of it albeit a bit worse. It's also kinda funny how much stuff from this game seeps into the real of modern Final Fantasy too which is surprising. I think even Square realized they had a lot of great ideas in this title and took them and improved them further in future and current titles. The game starts pretty slow and ends a bit too slow too but the overall package is pretty good for what feels like essentially another fun adventure in the series and honestly too overhated for what it actually is and what I feel Final Fantasy is: a fun and beautiful experience.

Beauty and self reflection in darkness

Shadowbringers is a very unique and an emotionally tugging expansion for Final Fantasy XIV for which I put an ungodly amount of hours on during its run and now that Endwalker is on the horizon that I wanted to put my thoughts into words during the last 2 years playing this game. An overall great expansion with good content, amazing soundtrack by Soken, job changes that feel great and last but not least an amazing story that really rivals other Final Fantasy games that sadly comes with a huge price on your time.

The biggest reason this expansion is as beloved as it is the story, the characters and the soundtrack that comes as an culmination of everything that FFXIV was before. A new realm that brings along brand new and distinct areas make each trip to them feel unique compared to the contrast of Stormblood areas being half the areas looking the same with the same rock formations down to the color scheme of it all. The gorgeous pink flora of one area down to the whimsical and magical aura another area brings in this expansion. The story itself doesn't pull any punches compared to its predecessors and unfortunate pacing issues that the format of an MMO brings but the payoffs and some of them years in the making all the worthwhile here. A noticeable change is Soken having more free rein here as he mixes multiple genres in the soundtrack including rock, jazz, waltz and even electronic to an extent and manages to mesh well and really enhance some of the best moments this game has to offer. Jobs feel their most complete in this expansion and each of them manages to still something unique to the table as I leveled each one to 80. The post patch content is more varied this time around with the only noticeable sacrifice being no Palace of the Dead alternative but more it's combined with the relic/eureka system so you can work on your relics while leveling your 70+ classes as well.

Not much to say in terms of flaws other than the unfortunate circumstances that might not register as flaws to some people that enjoy the genre in general. To even get to this point in the game is a huge time investment if you really want what the story wants to offer and that's a big ask for some people. The game does also suffer from some pacing issues but they're rarely present and still important to the overall plot.

A lot of the flaws itself are pretty subjective in what you're into. The story is definitely worth it but it's a mountain to climb and that's only if you want to climb it. There is a reason this expansion is beloved as it is across the community and rightly so. The climb might be perilous but the peak is worth every second. There's a reason almost every friend you might have recommended this MMO to you if you're a fan of FF or japanese role playing games in general.

Become what you must.