albein
peak cinema
This review contains spoilers
and now we enter full spoiler territory. here is your last warning. i have a lot of things to say about the story. enjoy my disjointed rant.
i said it was simple and easy to summarize in my main review. it is! and yet celica and alm are amazing foils to each other. two childhood friends separated for their safety and also destiny. their country is dying and they have to save the world. alm’s story is the more by-the-book one; he becomes the nepo baby figurehead of the rebellion who grows into his own, though this means that people trust him to rule the kingdom of zofia, right? but he doesn't understand politics. he just understands doing what's right. so it's a position that he's REALLY not ready for and would rather literally anyone else do—such as the though-to-be-deceased princess anthiese, being none other than his dear childhood friend celica.
celica’s story involves her coming to terms with her status as the "sole survivor" of the zofian royal family, and slowly growing into the position rather than continuing to hide for her safety. as a priestess, when the gods do not help the people, she seeks answers, where alm would rather just beat up the bad guys instead of waiting for God to do something.
but he's still waiting for the hypothetical princess anthiese to do something. it's all the same. because life is not so simple for these children of the brand.
celica, who has been burdened with her legacy and heritage from such a young age, has a lot of scars that just don’t go away. she's lost family. her siblings burned to death. her shitty father got assassinated turning zofia into even more of a shithole. she has trouble relying on her close friends, her new friends, her guardian, even her long-lost brother, and it leads to her literally sacrificing herself to duma and his bitches all while knowing that it’s a terrible idea. because she would sooner die than ever involve and thus endanger her companions. she has trouble letting loose, and so her overworld quips are far less than the goofy sheltered farm boy alm. he wears his heart on his sleeve! his motives are simple, and unlike celica he’s completely oblivious to his own heritage—in denial, even! he’s so attached to the idea of being mycen’s grandson, a commoner’s success story, that he lets all the signs that he’s much more pass him by until he’s screaming bloody murder over his father’s corpse.
Oops! should have considered why you could even wield that sword before you drove through his chest.
alm's story has his heritage thrust unto him just like that. frankly, i wish they grappled with the implication that his whole life was a lie longer than it did. that scene where mycen explains why rudolf did what he did and alm is so hung up on how his grandpa and dad LIED to him without considering how fucked up he was about not rly having much of a family to speak of and how much it would hurt to end his father's life? it's incredibly poignant. "And what of my peace?!" is the best line in this game. in turn i wish they talked more about his issues with family because aside from him being like "i never had something like that growing up haha" when delthea and lu reunite (assuming you even save them both) it feels kind of out of nowhere when he's like crying to berkut about how he doesn't want to be alone again. i love berkut and alm's relationship by the way because berkut is a mirror of what alm could have been if he grew up in rigel. they're the same age and everything. have you played nier automata? i haven’t. but kyle mccarley's performance during that stretch of the story is like a little taste of the lightning in a bottle that was his 9S and it is GREAT. and there's a reason people meme on "UNCLEEEE!" and "lies lies lies LIES LIES!" from ian sinclair because THEY'RE GOOD LINES WITH AMAZING DELIVERY.
i say all this but celica absolutely has the stronger story. it's much easier to extrapolate her motivations and flaws and how it leads her from point A to B rather than reading into what is still a pretty vanilla epic kingdom fight thing. unfortunately i'll never forgive kusakihara for what he did to her BECAUSE THE REDDITORS ARE BADMOUTHING MY GIRL FOR BEING STUPID AND LETTING JEDAH SACRIFICE HER!!! THERE WERE SOME EASY FIXES TO THIS. MAYBE IF THEY COULD DECIDE IF SHE WAS SACRIFICING HERSELF TO SAVE DUMA OR MILA. LIKE SHE CAN'T FATHOM A WORLD WITHOUT GODS BECAUSE SHE'S A PRIESTESS AND SO SHE WOULD RATHER HAVE ONE GOD THAN NONE. OR MAYBE MAKE JEDAH A LITTLE LESS OBVIOUSLY EVIL SO IT'S NOT STUPID FOR HER TO TRUST THAT HE CAN ACTUALLY HELP HER FIX VALENTIA'S PROBLEMS. BUT HER CHARACTER IN ITSELF IS QUITE CONSISTENT SHE CAN’T FIX HER TRAUMA-BASED BAD HABITS OVERNIGHT! NEITHER CAN YOU. I'M MAD SHE GETS PUNISHED FOR HER FLAWS WHEN ALM CAN MOVE ON TOO EASILY FROM THE CONSEQUENCES OF HIS ACTIONS. also conrad is a fun character who is clearly stuck in the past too i wish that was explored more too! but he rescues celica from things that were non-issues or things she solved herself back in gaiden it’s kinda weird. the part where he slaps her for trying to sacrifice herself is kinda weird from a guy who knows exactly what she's burdened with which is a shame because it's a good scene after that. there's some VERY good contrasts with how celica was lied to her by her family and kept in the dark and caused so much unnecessary agony. yet is just so overjoyed to see him alive and safe! compared to how alm was lied to by his family and kept in the dark and caused so much undue suffering that he is now desperately scrabbling to keep his cousin with him. it doesn't work. it's such a good story until it ISN'T!!! WHY DID SHE HAVE TO DIE FOR ALM'S DEVELOPMENT IN A CUTSCENE IDGAF IF IT WAS LIKE 10 SECONDS OF HER BEING DEAD IF KYLE WASN'T SUCH A GOOD VOICE ACTOR AND HAD ME HOOKED WHILE ALM WAS PLEADING FOR CELICA TO SAY SOMETHING AND THE MUSIC WASNT SO DIVINE I WOULD HATE HATED THIS SCENE UGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
so yeah. in the words of someone on tumblr valentia needs a feminist movement. i wish rinea wasn't berkut's little plot device because the bits of info we get about her from their memory prism makes her so compelling and i'm on some mega copium when i pray that berkut was hallucinating when she forgave him beyond the grave. I WISH MATHILDA DIDN'T RETIRE FROM THE BATTLEFIELD. WHY DID SHE DO THAT! WHAT REASON DID SHE HAVE? AFTER THE WHOLE SUPPORT CHAIN WHERE CLIVE VALIDATES THAT HE LOVES HER SO SO MUCH BECAUSE SHE IS SO COOL AND CAPABLE AND DOESN'T FEEL UPSTAGED AT ALL BECAUSE THEY FIGHT TOGETHER. WHY DID WE SEE HER CLEAVAGE IN THAT ONE CG? WHY DOES ALM HAVE A HAREM? I LIKE HIS RELATIONSHIP WITH CLAIR AND EVEN FAYE BUT THEY'RE HIS ONLY TWO SUPPORTS ASIDE FROM HIS ACT 5 GRANDPA CHAIN I'M TIRED OF IT.
i never mentioned fernand though. fernand was pretty good. was cool when he died realizing he fucked up severely.
the tragedy between duma and mila was amazing as well. mila sacrificing herself to protect her brother at the cost of the people she was spoiling silly? MINDBLOWING. the gods literally could not sustain this world any longer and maybe alm is being impulsive when he decides they have to put down duma but the story is about people of any station of birth being capable of shaping their own future. noble. commoner. doesn't matter. we all gotta till the fucking land. with celica being an obvious mila parallel alm is kind of stationed as the duma parallel but he's not. berkut fits that way better. he has the zofian upbringing with the rigelian heritage so he's kind of got both at once. commoner upbringing and noble heritage. rather than this being a zero to hero success story his story is about the dualities within him imo it would not be echoes if he was actually just a normal commoner i just wish that was made clearer. and unfortunately this means act 5 is celica playing second fiddle to him because HER beliefs are flawed and have to change but HIS aren't so much because it's the right thing to do. he grows into his own so quickly it's compelling and it's frustrating seeing celica lag behind when she is absolutely the better protagonist of the two
But then i see the final cg at the end of the credits with duma and mila's resting place and i remember that this game is peak cinema.
i said it was simple and easy to summarize in my main review. it is! and yet celica and alm are amazing foils to each other. two childhood friends separated for their safety and also destiny. their country is dying and they have to save the world. alm’s story is the more by-the-book one; he becomes the nepo baby figurehead of the rebellion who grows into his own, though this means that people trust him to rule the kingdom of zofia, right? but he doesn't understand politics. he just understands doing what's right. so it's a position that he's REALLY not ready for and would rather literally anyone else do—such as the though-to-be-deceased princess anthiese, being none other than his dear childhood friend celica.
celica’s story involves her coming to terms with her status as the "sole survivor" of the zofian royal family, and slowly growing into the position rather than continuing to hide for her safety. as a priestess, when the gods do not help the people, she seeks answers, where alm would rather just beat up the bad guys instead of waiting for God to do something.
but he's still waiting for the hypothetical princess anthiese to do something. it's all the same. because life is not so simple for these children of the brand.
celica, who has been burdened with her legacy and heritage from such a young age, has a lot of scars that just don’t go away. she's lost family. her siblings burned to death. her shitty father got assassinated turning zofia into even more of a shithole. she has trouble relying on her close friends, her new friends, her guardian, even her long-lost brother, and it leads to her literally sacrificing herself to duma and his bitches all while knowing that it’s a terrible idea. because she would sooner die than ever involve and thus endanger her companions. she has trouble letting loose, and so her overworld quips are far less than the goofy sheltered farm boy alm. he wears his heart on his sleeve! his motives are simple, and unlike celica he’s completely oblivious to his own heritage—in denial, even! he’s so attached to the idea of being mycen’s grandson, a commoner’s success story, that he lets all the signs that he’s much more pass him by until he’s screaming bloody murder over his father’s corpse.
Oops! should have considered why you could even wield that sword before you drove through his chest.
alm's story has his heritage thrust unto him just like that. frankly, i wish they grappled with the implication that his whole life was a lie longer than it did. that scene where mycen explains why rudolf did what he did and alm is so hung up on how his grandpa and dad LIED to him without considering how fucked up he was about not rly having much of a family to speak of and how much it would hurt to end his father's life? it's incredibly poignant. "And what of my peace?!" is the best line in this game. in turn i wish they talked more about his issues with family because aside from him being like "i never had something like that growing up haha" when delthea and lu reunite (assuming you even save them both) it feels kind of out of nowhere when he's like crying to berkut about how he doesn't want to be alone again. i love berkut and alm's relationship by the way because berkut is a mirror of what alm could have been if he grew up in rigel. they're the same age and everything. have you played nier automata? i haven’t. but kyle mccarley's performance during that stretch of the story is like a little taste of the lightning in a bottle that was his 9S and it is GREAT. and there's a reason people meme on "UNCLEEEE!" and "lies lies lies LIES LIES!" from ian sinclair because THEY'RE GOOD LINES WITH AMAZING DELIVERY.
i say all this but celica absolutely has the stronger story. it's much easier to extrapolate her motivations and flaws and how it leads her from point A to B rather than reading into what is still a pretty vanilla epic kingdom fight thing. unfortunately i'll never forgive kusakihara for what he did to her BECAUSE THE REDDITORS ARE BADMOUTHING MY GIRL FOR BEING STUPID AND LETTING JEDAH SACRIFICE HER!!! THERE WERE SOME EASY FIXES TO THIS. MAYBE IF THEY COULD DECIDE IF SHE WAS SACRIFICING HERSELF TO SAVE DUMA OR MILA. LIKE SHE CAN'T FATHOM A WORLD WITHOUT GODS BECAUSE SHE'S A PRIESTESS AND SO SHE WOULD RATHER HAVE ONE GOD THAN NONE. OR MAYBE MAKE JEDAH A LITTLE LESS OBVIOUSLY EVIL SO IT'S NOT STUPID FOR HER TO TRUST THAT HE CAN ACTUALLY HELP HER FIX VALENTIA'S PROBLEMS. BUT HER CHARACTER IN ITSELF IS QUITE CONSISTENT SHE CAN’T FIX HER TRAUMA-BASED BAD HABITS OVERNIGHT! NEITHER CAN YOU. I'M MAD SHE GETS PUNISHED FOR HER FLAWS WHEN ALM CAN MOVE ON TOO EASILY FROM THE CONSEQUENCES OF HIS ACTIONS. also conrad is a fun character who is clearly stuck in the past too i wish that was explored more too! but he rescues celica from things that were non-issues or things she solved herself back in gaiden it’s kinda weird. the part where he slaps her for trying to sacrifice herself is kinda weird from a guy who knows exactly what she's burdened with which is a shame because it's a good scene after that. there's some VERY good contrasts with how celica was lied to her by her family and kept in the dark and caused so much unnecessary agony. yet is just so overjoyed to see him alive and safe! compared to how alm was lied to by his family and kept in the dark and caused so much undue suffering that he is now desperately scrabbling to keep his cousin with him. it doesn't work. it's such a good story until it ISN'T!!! WHY DID SHE HAVE TO DIE FOR ALM'S DEVELOPMENT IN A CUTSCENE IDGAF IF IT WAS LIKE 10 SECONDS OF HER BEING DEAD IF KYLE WASN'T SUCH A GOOD VOICE ACTOR AND HAD ME HOOKED WHILE ALM WAS PLEADING FOR CELICA TO SAY SOMETHING AND THE MUSIC WASNT SO DIVINE I WOULD HATE HATED THIS SCENE UGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
so yeah. in the words of someone on tumblr valentia needs a feminist movement. i wish rinea wasn't berkut's little plot device because the bits of info we get about her from their memory prism makes her so compelling and i'm on some mega copium when i pray that berkut was hallucinating when she forgave him beyond the grave. I WISH MATHILDA DIDN'T RETIRE FROM THE BATTLEFIELD. WHY DID SHE DO THAT! WHAT REASON DID SHE HAVE? AFTER THE WHOLE SUPPORT CHAIN WHERE CLIVE VALIDATES THAT HE LOVES HER SO SO MUCH BECAUSE SHE IS SO COOL AND CAPABLE AND DOESN'T FEEL UPSTAGED AT ALL BECAUSE THEY FIGHT TOGETHER. WHY DID WE SEE HER CLEAVAGE IN THAT ONE CG? WHY DOES ALM HAVE A HAREM? I LIKE HIS RELATIONSHIP WITH CLAIR AND EVEN FAYE BUT THEY'RE HIS ONLY TWO SUPPORTS ASIDE FROM HIS ACT 5 GRANDPA CHAIN I'M TIRED OF IT.
i never mentioned fernand though. fernand was pretty good. was cool when he died realizing he fucked up severely.
the tragedy between duma and mila was amazing as well. mila sacrificing herself to protect her brother at the cost of the people she was spoiling silly? MINDBLOWING. the gods literally could not sustain this world any longer and maybe alm is being impulsive when he decides they have to put down duma but the story is about people of any station of birth being capable of shaping their own future. noble. commoner. doesn't matter. we all gotta till the fucking land. with celica being an obvious mila parallel alm is kind of stationed as the duma parallel but he's not. berkut fits that way better. he has the zofian upbringing with the rigelian heritage so he's kind of got both at once. commoner upbringing and noble heritage. rather than this being a zero to hero success story his story is about the dualities within him imo it would not be echoes if he was actually just a normal commoner i just wish that was made clearer. and unfortunately this means act 5 is celica playing second fiddle to him because HER beliefs are flawed and have to change but HIS aren't so much because it's the right thing to do. he grows into his own so quickly it's compelling and it's frustrating seeing celica lag behind when she is absolutely the better protagonist of the two
But then i see the final cg at the end of the credits with duma and mila's resting place and i remember that this game is peak cinema.
i have so much to say about this game and half of it is spoilers. so i'm going to leave the meat of my review here and then make a second one to talk about the spoilers that i really want to bring up. i only played it earlier this year but i swear it changed my life i think you can tell by my username and icon IF YOU KNOW YOU KNOW.
- so fire emblem echoes has a pretty simple story. three houses was my first FE game with this being my second and the political landscape of fodlan was too brain hurty for me so i quite enjoyed this for a change. i could give a synopsis of both paths from start to finish easily.
- is it a GOOD story? i think it is. there are some glaring flaws that keep me up at night but it's because this game has such high highs that i wish the whole story would be like that.
- particularly wish this game cared about women outside of them being the guys' setpieces. it happens even to the most capable girls and i got sick of it after the third damsel in distress on alm's route. this happens in celica's route too and unlike alm's it is not a port from gaiden so it's about every bit as frustrating as you can imagine
- also alm's story for the first half or so tries to present itself as something it's kinda.. not? this makes sense if you've played it. that's something that bugs quite a few people but it makes sense in my head.
- the combat is also pretty simple imo - maybe too simple for some people's tastes? you can only hold 1 item at a time. there are no second seals once you're in a class line you are stuck there if you don't have dlc or are not a dread fighter. double attacks are done if one person has one more point of speed than another. i don't really mind that but some people do? also magic and combat arts are cast from hp which is interesting i like it
- the maps are nothing to really write home about because on alm's route you get Vast stretches of land with a bunch of soldiers and in celica's you get... Boats. Deserts. Swamps. And so many cantors. They're not that fun. between the bad maps and the random encounters (WHY ARE THEY THERE?) i did have to put this game down for a few weeks after like act 3 but coming back to finish it was a very good decision
- this is the first game to introduce a rewind system. they were obviously cooking with it which is why they have divine pulse in 3H and the time crystal in engage. but mila's turnwheel is also how you can view supports you have obtained and "memory prisms" which are scenes that take place outside of the main story. some of these are plot-relevant some just give some extra love to underutilized playables or side characters. i like the memory prisms. especially when you basically collect them off people's dead bodies in act 5
- this is also the first mainline FE game that has near-full voice acting. the overworld conversations where people speak at you are the exception but the main story? the supports? even every time you select a character in battle and they say their funny little line? all voiced. i can't speak to the quality of the original japanese voices but the english dub cast is phenomenal. i've seen some performances get dissed (personally the only one i'm iffy on is deen because he sounds like squidward but i always picked sonya so i don't really know what to say) but this cast really carries their weight.
- everyone shouts out ian sinclair (berkut) and kyle mccarley (alm) FOR GOOD REASON but the list of good casting is endless. i was going to start shouting out some other performances i liked but it would have turned into me actually naming the whole cast so i'll just leave it at bonnie gordon (silque) who also sings the english ending theme. her voice is actually like honey.
- so the good casting really brings the characters to life. i LOVEEEE the characters. some characters have rough backstories others are more everyday and it's explained to you through supports or overworld conversations that is very down to earth and very up my alley
- SUPPORTS!!!!! while there are a couple of supports that kinda have no reason to be there my big problem is that i wish there were more!! lots of dynamics that aren't explored enough. just as an example alm only has one support outside his mini-harem even though he has a plethora of buddies. like luthier. alm is luthier's first human friend. BUT THEY DON'T HAVE A SUPPORT CHAIN. WHY?
- oh i haven't talked about the art yet. hidari's art is amazing. we all know this. even the little nicks on armor are so lovingly rendered i need to be able to draw like that. the UI also looks very cool and sleek which combines nicely. i think even people who didn't like this game can agree that it has the best window dressing
- the music is also phenomenal. i mentioned the ending theme but this is just one track out of a plethora. alm and celica have battle themes in acts 1 & 2 that evolve for their act 3, and their act 4 gives them each a new track. these are some of the best in the game and are a wonderful expansion of gaiden's already pretty awesome soundtrack. berkut has like 5 different tracks associated with him (even if 1 is kind of a repeat of another) and those WEREN'T in gaiden so they just came up with that from scratch? mindblowing. orchestral music always slays. also the final boss theme is iconic for a reason. Don't listen to it before you play this game. unless you won't play this game then go listen to it. it goes hard in gaiden and it goes harder in echoes. Just to name a few examples. the use of leitmotifs are stellar by the way.
so yeah. if you play fire emblem for the gameplay echoes is probably not going to be your cup of tea. if you play it for the story it's a coinflip on if you like it but honestly the soundtrack and voice acting help sell it. Also the pretty. to me sometimes simple is better than complicated and i think the simplicity is to echoes' advantage. i love this game. it's a part of my personality now.
also can i shill the sacred echoes romhack? i'm gonna shill the sacred echoes romhack. it's a demake of echoes on the GBA system (using sacred stones as a base) and while it doesn't solve EVERY problem i have with echoes it is a fun experience in its own right. just don't make the same mistake i did and play on hard because "oh i played echoes already the maps are gonna be the same right?" NO THEY'RE NOT. that is all for now
- so fire emblem echoes has a pretty simple story. three houses was my first FE game with this being my second and the political landscape of fodlan was too brain hurty for me so i quite enjoyed this for a change. i could give a synopsis of both paths from start to finish easily.
- is it a GOOD story? i think it is. there are some glaring flaws that keep me up at night but it's because this game has such high highs that i wish the whole story would be like that.
- particularly wish this game cared about women outside of them being the guys' setpieces. it happens even to the most capable girls and i got sick of it after the third damsel in distress on alm's route. this happens in celica's route too and unlike alm's it is not a port from gaiden so it's about every bit as frustrating as you can imagine
- also alm's story for the first half or so tries to present itself as something it's kinda.. not? this makes sense if you've played it. that's something that bugs quite a few people but it makes sense in my head.
- the combat is also pretty simple imo - maybe too simple for some people's tastes? you can only hold 1 item at a time. there are no second seals once you're in a class line you are stuck there if you don't have dlc or are not a dread fighter. double attacks are done if one person has one more point of speed than another. i don't really mind that but some people do? also magic and combat arts are cast from hp which is interesting i like it
- the maps are nothing to really write home about because on alm's route you get Vast stretches of land with a bunch of soldiers and in celica's you get... Boats. Deserts. Swamps. And so many cantors. They're not that fun. between the bad maps and the random encounters (WHY ARE THEY THERE?) i did have to put this game down for a few weeks after like act 3 but coming back to finish it was a very good decision
- this is the first game to introduce a rewind system. they were obviously cooking with it which is why they have divine pulse in 3H and the time crystal in engage. but mila's turnwheel is also how you can view supports you have obtained and "memory prisms" which are scenes that take place outside of the main story. some of these are plot-relevant some just give some extra love to underutilized playables or side characters. i like the memory prisms. especially when you basically collect them off people's dead bodies in act 5
- this is also the first mainline FE game that has near-full voice acting. the overworld conversations where people speak at you are the exception but the main story? the supports? even every time you select a character in battle and they say their funny little line? all voiced. i can't speak to the quality of the original japanese voices but the english dub cast is phenomenal. i've seen some performances get dissed (personally the only one i'm iffy on is deen because he sounds like squidward but i always picked sonya so i don't really know what to say) but this cast really carries their weight.
- everyone shouts out ian sinclair (berkut) and kyle mccarley (alm) FOR GOOD REASON but the list of good casting is endless. i was going to start shouting out some other performances i liked but it would have turned into me actually naming the whole cast so i'll just leave it at bonnie gordon (silque) who also sings the english ending theme. her voice is actually like honey.
- so the good casting really brings the characters to life. i LOVEEEE the characters. some characters have rough backstories others are more everyday and it's explained to you through supports or overworld conversations that is very down to earth and very up my alley
- SUPPORTS!!!!! while there are a couple of supports that kinda have no reason to be there my big problem is that i wish there were more!! lots of dynamics that aren't explored enough. just as an example alm only has one support outside his mini-harem even though he has a plethora of buddies. like luthier. alm is luthier's first human friend. BUT THEY DON'T HAVE A SUPPORT CHAIN. WHY?
- oh i haven't talked about the art yet. hidari's art is amazing. we all know this. even the little nicks on armor are so lovingly rendered i need to be able to draw like that. the UI also looks very cool and sleek which combines nicely. i think even people who didn't like this game can agree that it has the best window dressing
- the music is also phenomenal. i mentioned the ending theme but this is just one track out of a plethora. alm and celica have battle themes in acts 1 & 2 that evolve for their act 3, and their act 4 gives them each a new track. these are some of the best in the game and are a wonderful expansion of gaiden's already pretty awesome soundtrack. berkut has like 5 different tracks associated with him (even if 1 is kind of a repeat of another) and those WEREN'T in gaiden so they just came up with that from scratch? mindblowing. orchestral music always slays. also the final boss theme is iconic for a reason. Don't listen to it before you play this game. unless you won't play this game then go listen to it. it goes hard in gaiden and it goes harder in echoes. Just to name a few examples. the use of leitmotifs are stellar by the way.
so yeah. if you play fire emblem for the gameplay echoes is probably not going to be your cup of tea. if you play it for the story it's a coinflip on if you like it but honestly the soundtrack and voice acting help sell it. Also the pretty. to me sometimes simple is better than complicated and i think the simplicity is to echoes' advantage. i love this game. it's a part of my personality now.
also can i shill the sacred echoes romhack? i'm gonna shill the sacred echoes romhack. it's a demake of echoes on the GBA system (using sacred stones as a base) and while it doesn't solve EVERY problem i have with echoes it is a fun experience in its own right. just don't make the same mistake i did and play on hard because "oh i played echoes already the maps are gonna be the same right?" NO THEY'RE NOT. that is all for now
i finished the first trial, dropped it, and then when i tried to play it again months later the dialogue got so grating that i just couldn't do it. why did i like this game
2020
SO CALLED "FREE THINKERS" WHEN LOVE DIES: ALL THAT REMAINS ARE THE FACTS
okay so the aesthetic of this game is out of this world. first of all. loved going through the world and collecting all the collectibles (there are a TON which is amazing for ME in specific i love collecting things) and doing funny parkour without taking fall damage. related to this the soundtrack is also a jam and a half especially the title theme
the word "diverse" has been tainted but there's something very nice about the varied backgrounds of the characters (especially witness who is iranian probably kurdish? i am not kurdish but i am iranian and he HAS AN IRANIAN ACCENT it makes me sooo happy) and the queerness of it wrt love dies and her optional flings. i love the whole cast and how messy they are even if they suck shit the world they're in sucks shit so it's influenced them. except for yuri because he's a dick but that's the point i guess?
as a mystery... it's great. i love it. i like how starlight groups all your evidence together so that i don't have to do the heavy lifting and thinking. the final act with the trial was also a delight and i like how different characters can be convicted based on the evidence you have at the time (whether you start the trial prematurely or not) and how co-conspirators can drag each other down with them it's like watching dominoes topple. though unfortunately for all the free will love dies gets as detective and executioner (especially once the trial is over) it feels kind of empty. like the only consequences come if u mess with the based married couple and even then it's not much
but don't let this stop you from playing!! Please play this game im so normal about it
okay so the aesthetic of this game is out of this world. first of all. loved going through the world and collecting all the collectibles (there are a TON which is amazing for ME in specific i love collecting things) and doing funny parkour without taking fall damage. related to this the soundtrack is also a jam and a half especially the title theme
the word "diverse" has been tainted but there's something very nice about the varied backgrounds of the characters (especially witness who is iranian probably kurdish? i am not kurdish but i am iranian and he HAS AN IRANIAN ACCENT it makes me sooo happy) and the queerness of it wrt love dies and her optional flings. i love the whole cast and how messy they are even if they suck shit the world they're in sucks shit so it's influenced them. except for yuri because he's a dick but that's the point i guess?
as a mystery... it's great. i love it. i like how starlight groups all your evidence together so that i don't have to do the heavy lifting and thinking. the final act with the trial was also a delight and i like how different characters can be convicted based on the evidence you have at the time (whether you start the trial prematurely or not) and how co-conspirators can drag each other down with them it's like watching dominoes topple. though unfortunately for all the free will love dies gets as detective and executioner (especially once the trial is over) it feels kind of empty. like the only consequences come if u mess with the based married couple and even then it's not much
but don't let this stop you from playing!! Please play this game im so normal about it
2023
i love this game deeply. the least cruel gacha game i've played. i love how a lot of the main characters just fucking suck shit as people. but i need kjh to resign before i can pick it up again
in a lot of ways this game is better than the first. the gameplay is much more streamlined - somniums make more sense now! in a lot of ways, this game is also on par with the first. the music is still amazing. for a game that had its dub recorded during covid it's pretty solid aside from the few scenes at the start where boss sounds like she's in a microwave. its new cast is the highlight of the experience - special shoutouts to ryuki and tama, as well as mister minecraft steve - and most of them are integrated into the AITSF relationship ecosystem in a way that is believable enough.
...most of them! This is where my problems start. to name a few:
- the story is a lot weaker than its predecessor. the stakes are absurdly high and i guess this makes sense within the context of them exploring simulation theory a lot but it loses me.
- and what plot points from the first they do reuse are just done so stupidly. like when they spoil one of the first game's biggest twists for ... some reason? after going through the pain not to explain what the cyclops killings were about and who date is? Alright.
- for a game where she's actually playable this game does mizuki so dirty it physically hurts. i don't want to go into spoilers but it sucks shit and i don't know what they were thinking when they messed with her backstory
- what is up with the grown men crushing on / lusting over high school girls i'm SICK OF IT!!!!!!
- a lot of time is spent with the newer characters, which means that older characters like the sagans and pewter are sidelined. that's fine, i guess, even if they're the reason i would WANT to play a sequel, but moma and mama in particular experience something worse than being shafted: character assassination.
- that said, there's a handful of characters whose characters are improved from the first, like the sunfish pocket mermaid shrouded in mystery or one of moma's lackeys, but both of those examples were so minor in the first that they basically weren't characters until aini.
also, much like the previous game, this has multiple endings. the endings are pretty lackluster, though; one of the things i liked about ai1's non-canon endings is that all of them give you different pieces of information that you eventually connect when you get the big reveals in the game's last act.
here they try to go for this as well? kind of? but they end a lot less satisfyingly because they don't change the story meaningfully (unfotunately the most ambitious one with this is the hardest to take seriously) and thus don't give you enough time to let the route-specific info sink in before they reveal it on the main path.
maybe it's because of how they were telling the story across two points in space-time but it means we don't get the slippery slope of annihilation, the "WE FUCKED UP BAD" realization of iris, or the conclusion of mizuki. the one branch in ryuki's side of the story kind of has the heartwarming to retroactive horror ota's route does though i can give it that
amame was really good, though. she's one of the best characters and is my overall fave. the bits of postgame content were also a highlight. i liked the tamagotchis. it's an alright experience overall but it takes a big shit on the reasons why i liked the first game And For What. to make this an entry point to the series? at this rate i don't want uchikoshi to make an AI3.
...most of them! This is where my problems start. to name a few:
- the story is a lot weaker than its predecessor. the stakes are absurdly high and i guess this makes sense within the context of them exploring simulation theory a lot but it loses me.
- and what plot points from the first they do reuse are just done so stupidly. like when they spoil one of the first game's biggest twists for ... some reason? after going through the pain not to explain what the cyclops killings were about and who date is? Alright.
- for a game where she's actually playable this game does mizuki so dirty it physically hurts. i don't want to go into spoilers but it sucks shit and i don't know what they were thinking when they messed with her backstory
- what is up with the grown men crushing on / lusting over high school girls i'm SICK OF IT!!!!!!
- a lot of time is spent with the newer characters, which means that older characters like the sagans and pewter are sidelined. that's fine, i guess, even if they're the reason i would WANT to play a sequel, but moma and mama in particular experience something worse than being shafted: character assassination.
- that said, there's a handful of characters whose characters are improved from the first, like the sunfish pocket mermaid shrouded in mystery or one of moma's lackeys, but both of those examples were so minor in the first that they basically weren't characters until aini.
also, much like the previous game, this has multiple endings. the endings are pretty lackluster, though; one of the things i liked about ai1's non-canon endings is that all of them give you different pieces of information that you eventually connect when you get the big reveals in the game's last act.
here they try to go for this as well? kind of? but they end a lot less satisfyingly because they don't change the story meaningfully (unfotunately the most ambitious one with this is the hardest to take seriously) and thus don't give you enough time to let the route-specific info sink in before they reveal it on the main path.
maybe it's because of how they were telling the story across two points in space-time but it means we don't get the slippery slope of annihilation, the "WE FUCKED UP BAD" realization of iris, or the conclusion of mizuki. the one branch in ryuki's side of the story kind of has the heartwarming to retroactive horror ota's route does though i can give it that
amame was really good, though. she's one of the best characters and is my overall fave. the bits of postgame content were also a highlight. i liked the tamagotchis. it's an alright experience overall but it takes a big shit on the reasons why i liked the first game And For What. to make this an entry point to the series? at this rate i don't want uchikoshi to make an AI3.
i've played this game twice and wanna do it a third time. if you can get past all the adult men being horny over the barely legal minecraft streamer chick you're gonna have your balls blasted straight off.
there's a beautiful story about family and how it isn't defined just by blood. while it does a couple of stuff i don't like with it on the main right branch (oh, mizuki...), and the way they explain the multiple ends this game has is kind of stupid, ultimately it's a hilarious heartwarming and agonizing package all at once. the cast is also awesome and while i can't speak for the original japanese voices the english dub knocks it out of the park :)
as for gameplay, the somnium logic is kind of confusing in those gameplay sections (aside from brAIn pAIn and sustAIn i was either using guides or save scumming a lot) but once again i am a guy who likes story and they tell good stories (sustAIn and captAIn still make me cry on command.) even the most mid ones have something to look back on and be like "yeah that was some cool foreshadowing". also the music is awesome i still go back to it a lot.
go play salami files. and when you play salami files you will understand that mizuki has the best route.
there's a beautiful story about family and how it isn't defined just by blood. while it does a couple of stuff i don't like with it on the main right branch (oh, mizuki...), and the way they explain the multiple ends this game has is kind of stupid, ultimately it's a hilarious heartwarming and agonizing package all at once. the cast is also awesome and while i can't speak for the original japanese voices the english dub knocks it out of the park :)
as for gameplay, the somnium logic is kind of confusing in those gameplay sections (aside from brAIn pAIn and sustAIn i was either using guides or save scumming a lot) but once again i am a guy who likes story and they tell good stories (sustAIn and captAIn still make me cry on command.) even the most mid ones have something to look back on and be like "yeah that was some cool foreshadowing". also the music is awesome i still go back to it a lot.
go play salami files. and when you play salami files you will understand that mizuki has the best route.
2021
you may think you know what this game is about once you get your first ending or two but ohhhhh baby you have a big storm coming. crack open an ending guide when you're ready because you're gonna be here for a while.
-0.5 for machine translation and whatever was going on with [REDACTED] having a crush on [REDACTED] but i need people to play this. I think i hauve zeno
-0.5 for machine translation and whatever was going on with [REDACTED] having a crush on [REDACTED] but i need people to play this. I think i hauve zeno
2021
i had so much fun with this installment of deltarune!! was a delight seeing the new characters and fleshing out what were once background characters like berdly and noelle. i'm excited to see what this story has in store
(especially with the alternate route; i never played through it myself but i'm obsessed with it just because of how convoluted it is to get and stay on the route and how much it really strains the relationship between kris and us as the player.)
(especially with the alternate route; i never played through it myself but i'm obsessed with it just because of how convoluted it is to get and stay on the route and how much it really strains the relationship between kris and us as the player.)
2018
it's been a while since i played chapter 1 but for a guy who has also never played undertale i had a lot of fun with it. the story is fun the character development even within such a short time blew my mind and the music as always is amazing!! i never beat jevil but i'm content with that tbh
it's a fun little murder mystery that has compelling original characters and has some great characterization for most of its returning cast. the gameplay is kind of eh but the accessibility and difficulty options are pretty accommodating for that :) it's free. go play it.
i don't care if the gameplay doesn't hold up subspace emissary is one of the best pieces of modern storytelling. Ever
funnie smash game
2020
BOOO BOOOOO TOMATO TOMATO TOMATO