Wahfuu
2018
I may try to pickl this game up again (and redo this) but for now I have to say the map design is really, really tedious with how confusing the verticality is. Also, while I know the setting of the game is an mmo, there's a limit to how many boring fetch quests there can be. Wasn't a fan of how every puzzle was looking to be just 'bounce balls in different directions, times a hundred.'
But honestly, the writing was pretty charming and the combat wasn't too bad. I might try it again and update this.
But honestly, the writing was pretty charming and the combat wasn't too bad. I might try it again and update this.
2015
There's some pretty strong writing parts of this, but a lot of the characters feel pretty throw away, the dialogue can sometimes be incredibly unnatural, and the ending is unsatisfying. In the end, not all that memorable.
Perfectly playable but average action game.
Played co-op so I probably liked it more than I would have alone. The ending sequence is honestly dumb as bricks and an incredibly annoying forceful push you to go do side missions, and theres a bit of an anticlimax because of it, but it's fairly fun otherwise. Has some classic MGS charm to it.
2009
I find the gameplay only ever really gets to 'decent', and as the game gets harder it gets a lot more frustrating piloting braindead npc party members. Still, it has a pretty solid world all things considered and it was before the dreaded dialogue wheel would emerge to ruin wrpgs. It's pretty good.
2017
Starts off really fun, but as you get deeper into it the bland level design and non existent enemy variety gets old fast. The loot system is confused and annoying to really understand, and when you do, proper gearing bends the game over and destroys it, since it's not all that well balanced. Still has a pretty fun base combat engine though.
2020
Pretty fun, all things considered, but is mostly an RPG that tricks the player into thinking they're improving while cranking up their power with meta progression. Not that it's a bad thing! Think it uses roguelike elements with its narrative in a clever way, but I think the plot is mostly fluff and empty (disguised with good voice acting/direction) and the gameplay peaks early.
Deus & Leina 2
Very fun, better than 7 in my opinion. Has one of the most terrifying set pieces in recent videogame memory. The last area feels a little dragged on, and not every boss is a winner, but it's a shockingly well put together chimera of lot's of past resident evil ideas that, while not exactly breaking new ground, come together to make a satisfying game.
It has tears, it has laughs, and a little of everything more. I think the middle of the game is kind of weak and tries to establish a complicated conspiracy plot that the game didn't really need, and too many characters get shoved onto the sidelines (and yet still show up to remind us they've been shoved off) but the story has a lot of heart, with some great sidequests and a ridiculously strong climax.
The gameplay is pretty... boring, once you get past the ludicrous presentation of it all, which didn't happen for me until the end, so I was amused just seeing the different enemy types that show up. Didn't play the postgame tower because it is grriiiiindy. Can be played without playing the other games, but theres one part of the game that might be a bit confusing.
The gameplay is pretty... boring, once you get past the ludicrous presentation of it all, which didn't happen for me until the end, so I was amused just seeing the different enemy types that show up. Didn't play the postgame tower because it is grriiiiindy. Can be played without playing the other games, but theres one part of the game that might be a bit confusing.
Truly unfortunate. The game has the makings of being one of the best SRPG's of all time, until about when you unlock assassin for multiple characters, and the entire balance goes completely out the door. Every skill, all class identity, it all goes out the window in favor of equipping 2 weapons and left clicking something into ashes. It's a shame, because the first 60% of the game is incredible, but it doesn't last.
2021
Fun game with a bit of an uneven balance spread and some rooms of... nothing, but the last stage in particular was very good. Last save goes on for a little too long.
A great case if not doing a ton original, but doing everything well. Superb atmosphere, fun combat that never gets too hard but has some bite to it, satisfying progression. Maybe my only complaint is a couple of the late game bleed into eachother a little too hard in aesthetics, and I would have liked the final boss to be harder.
A huge improvement from the original, but still lacking in a lot of areas like weapon variety. The bosses are fun, but the refights are... not great. The combat isn't super responsive and theres not a lot of options you have, and the refights are just insanely ramped in every direction. It felt more like I was expected to exploit the rpg mechanics as opposed to treating it like an action game.
The story is better than I expected, but it also feels super top heavy; basically everything after you unlock the gate is what you'll remember, and everything before that feels like empty wandering plot-wise.
Anyways, it's decent. Worth checking out, at least.
The story is better than I expected, but it also feels super top heavy; basically everything after you unlock the gate is what you'll remember, and everything before that feels like empty wandering plot-wise.
Anyways, it's decent. Worth checking out, at least.
Fantastic stuff.
The game is definitely getting better with every patch, and is already much better than kingmaker was initially. There are still some rough patches, though, and I don't think anything can fix the crusade mode, which is a good idea that lacks both consequence to the story and interesting gameplay outside of being a money dump.
The plot seems like your typical fantasy affair, and it is at it's core, but Mid Act 3 and on the game starts to bare its true scale, and it becomes engrossing to follow. The setting is a little overwritten still considering it's tabletop parentage, but mostly all what you need to know is kept within the confines of the worldwound and you, so it doesn't feel overindulgent.
The gameplay, if you're a fan of slower paced stuff, is rewarding to get the hang of, especially if you're someone who loves to pour over rpg mechanics and make builds for something. There is a rather large problem in that it can take a ton of time, every single encounter, to prepare every single buff you're going to want to do. It's a sad bit of busywork that plagues the game, again, because of its tabletop origins. I hope theres a solution to it, maybe in a patch in the future or (if there is going to be one) their next installment.
Either way, good stuff, one of my favorite CRPG's as of now.
The game is definitely getting better with every patch, and is already much better than kingmaker was initially. There are still some rough patches, though, and I don't think anything can fix the crusade mode, which is a good idea that lacks both consequence to the story and interesting gameplay outside of being a money dump.
The plot seems like your typical fantasy affair, and it is at it's core, but Mid Act 3 and on the game starts to bare its true scale, and it becomes engrossing to follow. The setting is a little overwritten still considering it's tabletop parentage, but mostly all what you need to know is kept within the confines of the worldwound and you, so it doesn't feel overindulgent.
The gameplay, if you're a fan of slower paced stuff, is rewarding to get the hang of, especially if you're someone who loves to pour over rpg mechanics and make builds for something. There is a rather large problem in that it can take a ton of time, every single encounter, to prepare every single buff you're going to want to do. It's a sad bit of busywork that plagues the game, again, because of its tabletop origins. I hope theres a solution to it, maybe in a patch in the future or (if there is going to be one) their next installment.
Either way, good stuff, one of my favorite CRPG's as of now.