Bio
I have to use this website to prove to my friends that I play games other than Among Us!!
(In case it needs to be said, reviews and rankings are entirely subjective)
Personal Ratings
1★
5★

Badges


1 Years of Service

Being part of the Backloggd community for 1 year

Full-Time

Journaled games once a day for a month straight

Gone Gold

Received 5+ likes on a review while featured on the front page

Liked

Gained 10+ total review likes

On Schedule

Journaled games once a day for a week straight

Best Friends

Become mutual friends with at least 3 others

Noticed

Gained 3+ followers

Gamer

Played 250+ games

N00b

Played 100+ games

Roadtrip

Voted for at least 3 features on the roadmap

Favorite Games

Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
Dragon Quest XI S: Echoes of an Elusive Age - Definitive Edition
Dragon Quest XI S: Echoes of an Elusive Age - Definitive Edition
Kirby Triple Deluxe
Kirby Triple Deluxe
Pokémon Sun
Pokémon Sun
Super Mario Galaxy 2
Super Mario Galaxy 2

317

Total Games Played

000

Played in 2024

016

Games Backloggd


Recently Played See More

Kirby's Dream Buffet
Kirby's Dream Buffet

Oct 20

Ring Fit Adventure
Ring Fit Adventure

Oct 19

New Super Mario Bros. Versus
New Super Mario Bros. Versus

Oct 18

Pokémon Blaze Black 2 Redux
Pokémon Blaze Black 2 Redux

Oct 15

Mario's Super Picross
Mario's Super Picross

Oct 06

Recently Reviewed See More

I ended up enjoying this game was more than I was expecting to! Excellent pacing and sense of progression, a plot with a surprising amount of heavy-hitting moments (admittedly I watched the Netflix adaptation first a couple years prior but had forgotten pretty much everything by the time I actually played the game, probably for the best!), and really fun gameplay aided by the amount of customization you had over your party.

Not every idea introduced nails the landing perfectly. Monster recruitment being up to luck can be frustrating and add a lot of grind to a game that otherwise has none. It's also pretty unfortunate that integral characters like the marriage candidates and children don't get too much individual time to shine, making certain moments lack the impact it felt they should have. Still, what this game accomplishes is really impressive and the way it organizes its structure around the central ideas of family and progression through life is done on a level I've rarely seen in other games.

As the first two games in the series that essentially created the JRPG genre, these are interesting to check out as a novelty, but unfortunately not much more than that. It's understandably very archaic compared to modern entries, and if you're a fan of that style of game then you'll definitely get a lot more out of these. More often than not, though, the constant necessity to grind and the lack of clear guidance on many objectives proved to be more frustrating than fun, especially in II. I did enjoy the presentational aspects like spritework and music (partially the reason I wanted to play this version over mobile/Switch) and there are rare highlights, but otherwise I wouldn't recommend these entries unless you're seriously adamant about seeing everything the series' history has to offer.

Starts off with an admittedly pretty weak and poorly-paced story mode for Kirby standards (I've tried to replay it once or twice and always drop out at the final world), but I think the side content is where the game really shines. Guest Star and Heroes in Another Dimension both improve on the level design where the story mode falters and the extra attention the Dream Friends get in them is a nice touch. Likewise, The Ultimate Choice is a fun take on the traditional boss rush, and the fact that it tracks which abilities you've completed it with means I got a lot of replay value out of it.

Perhaps the most enjoyable thing about the game, though, especially as a big Kirby fan, is the amount of love and fanservice from across the entire series packed into the game. In that sense, I think Star Allies accomplishes its goal of being an anniversary title that celebrates everything that came before it before moving on to new heights. It might not be as beloved as earlier titles nor is it packed with as much original ideas, but it's a fun romp and great love letter to the series nonetheless.