After starting this up around when it came out and putting it down for however long, I'm so glad I came back to this game. Visually the game is breathtaking. The cast travels across a wide array of both gorgeous and brooding environments with music that sets a tone perfectly and kept me excited throughout my entire playthrough. From the bustling and hyper-energetic battle and field themes to the more somber and calm town and event themes, there's something in there for everyone.

When I first started I was admittedly underwhelmed by the plot. The main characters are mostly blank slates, but they do have their character moments. Garl is really what the game is about and he steals the show from start to finish. A game that seems to begin as a simple "this guy is evil and must be stopped!" turns into a story with tons of twists and moments that tug at every emotion in the book sometimes all at once.

Sea of Stars is exactly what it feels like: A heartfelt homage to JRPGs from a past generation by a team of people who share a love and passion for the genre. I see and feel it in every bit of the game's world. This was an experience that takes me back to my first times through EarthBound or Chrono Trigger. I will remember and constantly relive this experience through the soundtrack on my own time until eventually coming back for more.

I don't have much to say about this one if I'm being honest. The music was great but the Open Zone was boring. The Cyberspace levels were fine but Sonic feels weird and most stages are ripped from earlier games. Just doesn't feel like there's a ton here to care about outside of presentation. Most of the game is style over substance. Combat is boring, bosses are basically auto scrollers with QTEs, and the true final boss takes way too long, so it's just kind of a bore. Better than Forces but that's not saying much.

This is a surprisingly competent and well thought out shooter with interesting level design and hectic combat. There's a nice sense of growth throughout the game and it always feels like you're moving forwards. The biggest elephant is obviously the humor, which while not always for me there were moments that genuinely had me laughing.

The biggest weaknesses in this game imo are the enemy variety and some of the writing. Moments where the cast is clearly trying to improvise generally come off as pretty funny, but the dry Rick and Morty humor of "wow look at this thing it sure is a thing that is here in this place at the same time as you right now here..." gets draining and old so fast. At the very least the variety of the guns' personalities can make up for it in most cases. Overall, I'm glad I played through Game Pass and didn't buy this game. It was fun, but not something I'd wanna own or see myself coming back to.

This might be the best 2D platformer of all time as well as one of the most timeless video games ever crafted. The attention to detail in every aspect of this game from the level design, progression, abilities, music it all just clicks. To this day the game still looks phenomenal and the soundtrack is some of the best you'll ever hear. Every level is full of little secrets and every part of the game feels like it has purpose. It's a simple game with an amazing vibe, incredible level design, solid theming, gorgeous visuals, and an experience that I think consistently tops most any other 2D platformer I've ever played.

I had tons of fun with this one! Having played some Jet Set as a kid I was thoroughly excited to try this when it came out and it didn't disappoint. My biggest complaint would be that, in my opinion, the game is SUPER heavy on style over substance, but the style is so strong that it didn't bother me too much. The plot often serves little purpose other than getting you to the next area or introducing a new character. The premise was interesting, but I feel like having more time to cook as well as more moments for characters to really grow with each other would've made this a truly memorable experience. Also think maybe like a 5-10% general speed increase too would make it more exciting. Overall beautiful game with beautiful music and tons of style.

I Wanna Kno and Operator were my favorite tracks <3