TheGooseIsLoose
Replayed again recently given I had only played in winter previously. In my previous play session, I got quite fed up with the slow pacing of the game towards the late game, hindering me from designing my island the way I wanted to at a pace I was happy with. I set out this time to play in spring, and time travel forward one day at a time to speed up progress. Yet even doing so. The start of this game is extremely addicting and very fun, hunting for bugs and fish, obtaining new furniture/DIY recipes, and interacting with NPCs that come to town. However, I found the mid-late game once again frustrating in terms of pacing. It is extremely tedious to move around trees, lay down paths, and make DIY items. By the time I had accumulated around 500k bells and filled out my village with villagers, the desire to continue had dwindled. There is something wrong with the late-game pacing. It is a shame as it is an otherwise charming game and one of the best-looking ones on the Switch.
2021
Pretty fun and quite challenging. I liked the blocking mechanic a lot, it gave the game a nice rhythmic element. The EMMI stealth parts were fun also. Some button combos are a bit cumbersome in handheld mode (i.e. missile locking on). The story was a little bit silly also in my view.
Another disappointing DLC. Very boring region. Link between the academy and area zero makes ZERO sense. Terapagos being the pinnacle of the terastal phenomenon is very underwhelming. The new paradox forms are cool, although very little effort was made in to make an event out of the encounters (unlike Blood Moon Ursaluna for instance). The elite four was surprisingly challenging and fun. Snacksworth's riddles were also rewarding.
Pretty disappointing. Uninspiring story, quite bland and empty. Pales in comparison to the Sword and Shield DLCs. There was a glimpse of what could have been in the side quest with the photographer, which was really well done.
Really charming game with gorgeous graphics and music. Shrinking mechanic very well executed. Great dungeons and bosses that utilise mechanics introduced. The Kinstone mechanic was not clear to me initially. Some puzzles are difficult, i.e. you have to talk to some random person to progress that is not obvious at all. Other examples include having to use a random item for no clear reason. Being limited to 2 hotkeys is not ideal given the relatively large range of items one needs to use. No auto-dash. Figurine collecting mechanic is not even remotely fun and is required to 100%.
Very similar mechanics to Fusion. Not many bosses. Ending was fun. Too short!
2022
I loved this, even with all its glaring flaws. Excellent open world Pokemon adventure. Really fun to explore and find new Pokemon. Non-linear design was a breath of fresh air. Compelling main story and really interesting areas. Graphical quality and glitches are rampant, although you get used to them. Towns are quite empty/boring, most have no interiors. Academy is a bit annoying to navigate. Performance issues are annoying.
2002
Fun puzzles, great vibe and difficult bosses. Some mechanics not very clear. Map of entire place at once would be nice.
2001
I have very fond memories of playing Wario Land 3 on the Gameboy Color. It really perfected the game loop of progression through the reward of power-ups from defeating wacky bosses nestles inside charming levels. Wario Land 4 however drops all of these fantastic traits bar some catchy music. In its place are bland empty levels that feel disconnected. While the timer mechanic is interested, it ultimately serves to ensure this game is extremely short, and there is little motivation to 100% it.
Always a risk playing older games with modern eyes. I enjoyed my first step in to the world of Castlevania with Circle of the Moon. The DSS card system is just great, really fun and unique. Fantastic atmosphere and music. Hunting for new equipment and cards is very fun and addicting. The game is not without its faults though. No auto run and limited shortcuts make map traversal become tedious. Summoning button combos are cumbersome, and also make later bosses quite trivial. Many items are rare drops from specific enemies, requiring a guide if you want to try out everything.
2017
Incredibly well designed levels bursting with charm everywhere you look. Excellent puzzles and introduction of new mechanics, which are further built upon in memorable boss battles etc. Great level replayability. Occasional difficulty spikes. Map markers would be nice. Awkward controls in handheld mode. Underwhelming reward for 100% completion.