Finished in 2024

A turning point in the series in both gameplay and cast, but i’m pleasantly surprised by how easy it was for me to get on board with the changes. Ichiban Kasuga is an amazingly fun, kindhearted and spirited loser protagonist who instantly won me over. I’ve got 73 hours into this game and i’ve grown really really attached to Ichiban and his band of misfits.

I was worried I wouldn’t enjoy the turn based combat as much, but I did enjoy the strategy aspect and the cooky skills and jobs. It keeps things fresh and the game is not as “grind-y” as other Yakuza installments (looking at you Ishin….)

Great game for veteran and new players!!

octopath traveler ii feels like a copy of its predecessor but in all the right ways. the battle system is just as good, perhaps even better with the addition of latent powers. the score is a massive bonus to the gameplay (although i was an IDIOT for not saving the epilogue on a different save file while they warned me and now i'm stuck in the shadowlands with a boss I've given up on beating). the bonus chapters you get where two characters interact give off a very 'found family' vibe which i love.

the only downside i see to this game is that the character stories feel a bit lacking. they don't have as interesting goals as in octopath traveler i.

in the end, it's just as good as the first one.

Frustration, this game gave me a lot of frustration. Yet I kept playing it, because the controls felt so nice.

My thoughts:
(+ = (mostly) positive; - = (mostly) negative)
+- Gameplay;
I'm very mixed about how I experienced this game. The controls are super tight and when you get good at it you can fly though the levels. But at the same time there are parts that are so hard it feels unfair. The dark souls games never made me this salty...
The metroidvania part of this game is pretty bad. The hints are too vague to solve without using hints or a guide. Also the fast travel options are too much spread out, meaning when you're going the wrong way you've lost a lot of time while at the same time gaining a headache.

+ Music;
Nice catchy tracks that switch between 8bit and 16bit.

+ Graphics;
Same as the music, nice unique areas that switch between 8bit and 16bit.

+ Story/Characters;
Simple and funny, perfect for a game like this.

Recommend?
Idk, I'd say no but I've played worse games I'd recommend which deserve it less.

This game is something special. I got into ff7 not too long ago, but it already feels like this series has been part of my life for years. OG FF7 and FF7 Remake are truely super fun games, but this one has been cooking so hard it became one of the best meals I've had in my life. I've not been bored after playing for more than 90 hours, which is truely unique for me.

My thoughts:
(+ = (mostly) positive; - = (mostly) negative)
++ Gameplay;
Everything has been improved from the previous game. More fun combat options, smoother gameplay and a wider variety of minigames. I enjoyed exploring all area's, doing all battles and even the tasks that are supposed to be boring/annoying were fun to me. There is sooo much to do, and it never feels forced imo. If the 3rd game is only half as good as this one, it'll still be a super enjoyable game.

++ Music;
Crazy new remixes and new original songs. Never got bored of it and everything fits the mood perfectly. Also for certain scenes it adds so much and gives hints about the story. By that I mean, the visuals might not be what it seems to be thanks to the music that's playing in the background. (which is a good thing)

+ Graphics;
All cutscenes are gorgeous, but during gameplay the light is sometimes overexposed.
All areas are unique, memorable and fun to explore. I like how heavy crowded some places are.

++ Story/Characters;
Let them cook. it's crazy how everything is familiar and new at the same time. This is how you do a remake. You still have the story from the OG game, but at the same time it'll give you so many new things and hints to keep you engaged. The ending was a bit confusing at first, but after looking at it again and again it only gets better and better. I've been watching hours of theories from Maximillian_Dood and it's crazy how much hidden stuff is in the game.


Recommend?
Yes, but play the Remake first. If you haven't play Crisis Core as well.
I'd recommend playing the OG as well to see all thats different, but it's not a must. Should be fine to play that after the remakes as well.

Fully played in co-op, which was also the reason why I even finished it. The game just didn't feel nice to play and that's mostly because of how the controls felt.

My thoughts:
(+ = (mostly) positive; - = (mostly) negative)
- Gameplay;
The controls were slow in all ways possible. Hitting an enemy never felt like it landed and the depth perception was off. All levels were unique enough, but mostly not really fun to play because of the reasons mentioned earlier. It's so important to have controls that feel nice to use. It can decide the whole experience for me.

+- Music;
It's alright I guess.

+- Graphics;
Charming but not as creative as it could have been. Paper Mario or yoshi woolly world for example use the environment in an unique way.

-- Story/Characters;
Zzzzzz....

Recommend?
No, plenty of other games that do the job way better. Super Mario 3D World for example.

Games does what it's supposed to do.
The battlepass seems fair, but collecting the cards you need can be annoying.
There are also several bugs which never seem to get fixed...

Hope I'll participate in a irl tcg tourney one day...

After many years I gave this game another try. With the experience from the other from software games, I finally managed to beat the game. Got stuck at Ornstein and Smough last time and yet again I got stuck here again. This time I decided to use the game feature to summon another player, it as a 1 v 2 battle after all...
Overal a great experience and had a lot of fun exploring the area's and discovering which boss was awaiting my arrival.

My thoughts:
(+ = (mostly) positive; - = (mostly) negative)
+ Gameplay;
I went for a strength build and it worked out pretty good. Not all fights feel fair, but I guess that's part of the experience. Most bosses were a fun challenge and the regular enemies were spread out nicely.
Choosing your own path felt natural, which added to the experience of how you progress in the game.

++ Music;
It completely matches the vibe the game tries to convey. It's not music to listen casually to, but it adds to the whole experience while playing the game.

+- Graphics;
For a remaster it could have gotten a bit more polish. Overal the visuals are still nice and every area is unique in it's own way.

+ Story/Characters;
The worldbuilding is perfect. Every area is connected and close to eachother but yet it feels like they're all their own thing with own stories. I have to admit that I didn't follow the story, but the story was mostly told by it's visuals.

Recommend?
Yes, but maybe not as your first dark souls game. I'd recommend starting first with Dark souls 3 (or 2), because I feel like those are easier to pick up.