282 reviews liked by Turbolink


if you don't listen to morons who formed their opinions on this game based on a redditor's description of what their friend told them happened in the game from immediately after it was first machine translated you will find that actually this game is peak

No game is perfect but this is the type of game I've wanted out of the JRPG genre since the PS4. It feels like everything FF XV was supposed to be.

A big budget, open world game that knows when to buckle down and go linear for a while to tell its story.

And there's actually fun activities to do in said open world too! I did all the intel for Chadly, did every sidequest bar the last one, played Queen's Blood, spent time with the plethora of mini games (most fun, minus the RTS ones)

Felt like I was doing something different each time I turned on the game. And thats FUN. Even putting the story aside, I was a little sad when I ran out of content. Its just all so damn fun. I didn't want this game to end.

I also love that they embraced how goofy this game could be and turned it up to 11. There's so many hilarious, spectacle moments, but it still knows when to take its story seriously.

The battle system is just Remake's but better. Not much to discuss there.

I will say the ending i'm a little mixed on. If it sticks the landing this might be one of the coolest gaming trilogies of all time. Its giving big Rebuild of Evangelion vibes and that could either go to an amazing place, or mess up big time at the end. Rebuild stuck the landing, hoping the same happens for FF7.

Either way, holy shit this game is spectacular. THIS is the direction I want FF to go in. I was disappointed in XVI for a number of reasons. The battle system in Remake and Rebirth is perfection and I want them to continue to expand and spin-off on it.

This review contains spoilers

dude fucking paraphrases the title of the fuckking frnachise and just PUNCHES the final boss and it does 999999 damage like hOW IS THIS GAME REAL BRO



For the longest time, I’ve always delayed this review for a specific reason. When I first finished FFXVI, I wrote down a 6 paged long review for FFXVI and while I am proud of the passion I poured into it, it just…lacked “something”, a main integral part of it was missing. It would only be a few months later that I’d realise the reason why, and it’s because while I did absorb the motivational and inspiring themes about accepting reality for what it is and resisting your predetermined fate to shape the reality you want, I didn’t apply that to my life like I thought I did and that faint, vague thought that slept in the deepest crevices of my mind would be the sole saviour of my mind when I was forced to confront a personal, subconscious part of who I am that I kept locked away for my own comfort when I had a painful self realisation about my darker subconscious traits. Trying to verbalise the vehement disgust and sheer sense of discomfort I felt towards myself when I made that self realisation was too much for me at the time, and so, in a way, writing this review at this state in my life about a game that was the catalyst to this realisation I made was like going through the different parts of myself that I hated and denied for the longest.


It was like picking the scattered shards of a broken glass, trying to reconnect them one by one from the past into one integral piece to feel a sense of peace. But the more shards I picked, the more they hurt, and that sensation of wanting to throw it all away and replace the broken shards with fake ones that barely fit just to indulge in self denial was what made me connect with the leading protagonist, Clive Rosfield. What I’d been ignoring my entire life, my own shadow and subconscious reactions, have been what were causing me most of my strife in life, yet I always averted my eyes from the truth when it was staring right into my face and blamed another for it to spare myself the guilt that I always feared would destroy what little was left of me. It set me on a long journey that tested my perseverance, self love, outlooks on life, my relationships, and most importantly myself, causing me to re-evaluate everything that I was, with beach walks by the full moon at night being my only temporary relief in an otherwise overwhelming time.

FFXVI isn’t just a game, it’s about taking responsibility towards others but most importantly yourself, it’s a fiery, blazing yet a gentle and a warm reminder that while choosing to be the victim is easy, becoming the hero of your own story and turning tragedy to triumph is a continuous arduous path that’s full of suffering and fear. FFXVI pushes the generic idea that embracing the truth makes you stronger, but what sets it apart is that it emphasises how accepting the truth is only a part of the equation and isn’t the be all and end all. Accepting the truth is part of it, but applying that truth, etching it onto your heart, and wearing your heart on your sleeves as you’re burning a roadless path ahead without running away is what matters. It doesn’t show that the acceptance of truth is a one time event, it’s an ongoing process that takes as long as our lives do, and it does that with how it characterises Clive’s contradictions because when he accepted the truth, trying to apply it on his journey was just as arduous as ever and that’s what truly touched me, because there is no escape nor a solution to it, it’s an endless treadmill with moments of bliss sprinkled every now and then. Whether it’s Clive’s own struggles to live up to his father’s ideals and his fears pertaining them, Jill’s inability to shake off her self deprecating views about herself from her experiences with abuse, Joshua’s need to prove his own self because of his inferiority complex, & Dion’s need to obsessively pay everyone he unintentionally hurt back when he doesn’t need to, I felt like I was seen and validated by each and everyone of them. It’s when a piece of art can speak to you so spiritually and forms such an intimate connection with you that its characters feel like real people and integral parts of who you are, that it stops being just a piece of art and something deeper than that. It becomes a safe haven and that’s the most accurate way I can describe FFXVI.







Though I did the most I could to embrace the shadow and subconscious traits from within me, to forgive and accept that part of me instead of rejecting it by doing inner child work, patching up my hostile relationship with my parents, reconnecting with my siblings and friends, going out of my comfort zone to do things I always wanted to do, and internalising a new way to look at everything as I knew, even as I’m writing this, I can feel those dark habits pulling me back and my fear of the truth from within me breaking me apart, but it’s why I’m able to connect with Clive so much, who tries to be an unstoppable force while being barely held together by thin rope that could break at any moment & believing in the truth of his being. The truth is a feeble concept, one formed and changed by the narrow mind’s singular perspective in an attempt at self preservation, but that’s what helped me explore a deeper meaning to my life because the truth isn’t what’s before you, it’s what you make of it and work towards realising that. We can’t choose who we are, but we can choose who we become on the morrow and strive towards that self. It’s less about changing who we are as much as it’s about exploring who we can become and getting comfortable with that. In this piece in which I impart an integral, personal chapter of my life, I leave a mark that maybe someone can learn from or be inspired by, the same way this piece of art inspired a transformative stage in my life. Years from now, I likely won’t be able to recall the exact feelings I felt writing this piece, but I know that they will impact me forever after, as little as they are, just like how the few blissful moments I spent walking by the beach and gazing at its endless horizons with the full moon’s light illuminating the ocean did.

i dont think people should be allowed to speak on the quality of a game based off a stream in a language they don't understand

but there's also kiseki fans who skip sky the 3rd so it makes sense they wouldn't get this one

It takes a lot more than just courage to be creators of a classic that defined several things to follow in the medium, bring it back in the modern spotlight and steer it in directions anew that not everybody will like but remains as poignant as ever. While upholding what made the original special. Not just upholding, but elevating it to a level only possible today.


They really had no promises to keep in regards to the original, huh

Penny’s Big Breakaway, to me, feels like a holy conglomerate of Super Mario Odyssey, Pizza Tower, and Sonic Mania. To anyone even remotely familiar with any of these games, this is a huge note of endearment. It hits the nail on the head with how it prioritizes the momentum based flow that Sonic Mania and Pizza Tower mastered, the “maintaining your speed while weaving around to find secrets without losing your combo” of Pizza Tower, and the open-feeling level structure and more nuanced moveset of Mario Odyssey. It exceeded my already lofty expectations in spectacular fashion that, while lacking the polish and finishing touches to be placed in the unabashed masterpiece department, offers moment-to-moment gameplay of such high caliber that its all too easy to ignore its few shortcomings.

Similar to 90% of people interested in this game, my own interest stems from the development team being the same as Sonic Mania’s. Let me lay out something really quickly: Sonic Mania is one of the definitive, tangible examples of proof we have that beings of divine ordinance do, in fact, exist. Everything from the game’s presentation to how its levels are constructed to take advantage of your momentum-based toolkits feels so meticulously and lovingly sculpted. Its one of my all time favorite games, period, and as someone who grew up playing the Genesis era of Sonic games I can’t even begin to describe how satisfying it was to see a group who was not only able to capture that magic again, but surpass it.

So naturally, I was stoked for Penny’s Big Breakaway. I had absolutely no reservations about picking it up just from the names attached to the work. To my complete lack of surprise, they hit it out of the park again with another immensely satisfying gameplay experience that scratches an itch that many other games aren’t really trying to hit on.

This is a 3D platformer, yes, but I think limiting it to that is honestly deceptive towards where it’s true strengths lie. In actuality, Penny’s Big Breakway is the Momentum based experience, with all of the moves and your arsenal and the winding paths wanting to take advantage of the fact that you rarely ever need to slow down. I will note that there’s absolutely a learning curve here, a bit more harsh than most modern platformers which have begun to gravitate towards more simple control schemes, but once it ‘clicks’…it really clicks. You realize that everything in Penny’s arsenal flows into every other move in her arsenal and then, before you know it, you’re chaining together longer and longer unbreaking combos and completely demolishing stages in record time. At times, you even feel “smarter” than the game, especially on repeat visits to stages where you start discovering shortcuts and how to get through that part that gave you trouble more efficiently. But the truth is that all of these “I’m so smart” moments are baked into the game’s design philosophy of making a level that initially feels very disjointed and confusing into something with a very clear, connected flow. It’s great stuff.

Also of note is that it’s a great example of a platformer that retains its consistency in quality from start to finish. There’s no fall-off with some of the later stages which a few of my favorite platformers have fallen victim to in the past and, in fact, I would go as far as to say that the later levels of PBB are where the game really shines.

The game’s shortcomings are relegated pretty strictly to things that all fit under the umbrella of “it maybe needed a couple more months in the oven”. The fixed camera (a bold choice for a modern 3D platformer btw, but it works) can cause some issues sometimes and leads to a few risky jumps that really shouldn’t be that risky. Collision with certain objects and platforms is just super janky and lead to more than my fair share of completely unjust deaths, including a few instances where I just straight up fell through the bottom of the map for no reason. Presentation wise I think the game flip-flops from being charmingly inviting and whimsical to…sort of ugly (but it’s clear that this is more of a budget issue and it doesn’t impact gameplay so I don’t care much). Honestly my biggest little nitpick that’s not technical is that there’s so many little dudes all over the map who are constantly saying things to you, and I want to stop and hear what they have to say but I also really don’t want to stop my zen mode constantly to let a textbox finish. It’s a really minor detail but it was a genuinely conflicting issue for me.

Thankfully, a patch can resolve most of these technical issues and they don’t really detract from how great the game is overall. Platformers have been killing it recently and I really want to continue communicating the message that “yes, we want more games like this. please.” Super excited to see what this talented team has in store for their next project!


This was the most unexpected I have ever felt after a game.

I first played The Last of Us back when in launched in 2013, when I was 13 years old. I saw the marketing for it, a bunch of YouTubers hyping it up, great review scores and I became interested. I was trying to expand my gaming pallet at the time and ended up getting it. To say I was disappointed at the time would be an understatement. I don't really remember exactly why I didn't like it initially, it has been 10+ years after all, it just didn't click. I didn't even finish the game.

Of course this game would go on to not only be one of the most acclaimed games of not only the generation, but of all time, and I didn't get why. For years I refered to this game as "mid" and was uninterested when it came back up in discussions, and laughed at the drama regarding its sequel as I assumed I'd never play it so why would I care? Well I'll worry about Part 2 when I get to it later.

So now all these years later, coming into a copy of the remaster on PS4 when I got a bulk game lot, and deciding to try it again on a whim as I wait for Final Fantasy VII Rebirth - I had one of the best gaming experiences in recent memory. Memories I forgot I had came back into my mind when playing the early bits, and then even knowing some of the end game story beats as of course with a game this popular you end up getting spoiled one way or another... I loved every second of it. The pacing is perfect as I never once felt bored and my play sessions went for hours longer than I intended as I was that sucked in. The gameplay gave me the tense and harsh moments to match the scenes, the story I was engrossed in, and the characters I fell in love with. And before I knew it, it was over, and I was crying. Confused tears, sad tears, happy tears - I just played a masterpiece.

I think at the end of the day I was just too young to get into this game, when I thought of shooting games I thought Call of Duty, Halo, guns blazing high action. So maybe the slower, methodical, and survival horror like gameplay put me off. Maybe the story I couldn't connect with because I wasn't paying enough attention, was zombied out coming off being obessed with the walking dead around that time. These are all just my reflections as to the possibilities of why I didn't like this game back in the day, as I previously said I don't remember exactly why. A representation of how much I've matured and grown as a person, I'm no longer that little kid me, and that's okay. But what's important is now, because now I love this game.

Wasn't expecting to write an essay but felt inspired, if you read all this you a real one, and thank you.

A true perfect sequel. The gameplay improvements were perfect and the turn based now feels "Yakuza like" imo. I had a smile on my face throughout my 100 hour journey as this game is just pure fun. I'm so excited for the future of this series as it seems to repaying the fans more than ever who have played its previous entries.

Why they give me Joongi han so late tho :(

I love Kiryu

It's been an insane journey going from Yakuza 0 to now and I've enjoyed every moment of it, I've enjoyed all the time I spent with Kiryu and this game is a love letter to all those memories, and a love letter that pays respect to the legend himself without being cheap or sloppy. The entire game is beautiful in its execution and I'm so so happy I got to spend time the series again and more now than in a long time look forward to the future

We'll see each other again you Dragon of legends

21 lists liked by Turbolink