basedgod420
2021
This review contains spoilers
Last year, I did something I have been trying to avoid my whole life: I got into Magic: The Gathering. I have been trying to avoid this for several reasons: the community has an awful rep, the cost to play (and pay to win nature of deckbuilding) is astronomical on my tiny budget, and the game itself seems so daunting with its keywords and finicky rules. That being said, after taking the plunge due to my incessant roommate, I have fallen in love with the game for all the reasons I thought I would dislike it.
Inscryption is a bizarre loveletter to TCG's. it really nails the beauty of creating an absolutely busted deck, and the thrill of the hunt when it comes to finding just the right card to bring that synergy together. It also taps into the inherent goofiness of TCG themes (MTG is about to release a set of cowboy cards, so the jump to robots in the third act is in line with the inconsistency of the goofy expansions).
I went into this blind, and was surprised by all the twists and turns.
Inscryption is a bizarre loveletter to TCG's. it really nails the beauty of creating an absolutely busted deck, and the thrill of the hunt when it comes to finding just the right card to bring that synergy together. It also taps into the inherent goofiness of TCG themes (MTG is about to release a set of cowboy cards, so the jump to robots in the third act is in line with the inconsistency of the goofy expansions).
I went into this blind, and was surprised by all the twists and turns.
2020
A noted step down from 2. I found Nemesis to be quiet disappointing, especially after the tense chase from Mr. X. The length wouldn't bother me, but with the high standard set by 2 they shot themselves in the foot here. There is still a lot to like, and I found the sparse ammo and the enemy health added to the tension, but this thing feels more like DLC than a full game.
Grabbed this on a whim having never played a game in this series before and loved it! The action is snappy and quick, and it looks beautiful! I was initially put off by the cartoon tone, but decided to stick with it and I'm glad I did! The pacing is great, and overall this thing is just a blast to play. Very impressed.
2020
It's interesting going back to demon's souls after playing through the rest of the series. Due to accessibility, I played this entry last (I came in at Dark Souls, which is still my fav). This feels like a diorama of a souls game, a micro-version of what would eventually snowball into the sprawl of elden ring. It's a great, weird little game with a lot of character! It is quiet short, however, and any souls vet will breeze right through the majority of this thing. This remake is beautiful. I played the OG version years ago and remember it feeling quiet low budget at the time, so it's nice to see a big expensive version of DS.
Off topic kind of, but the sound design in this game is great. It's the only game that my girlfriend has asked me to put headphones in while I play, as it sounds too "squishy and goopy". Good job sound team!
Off topic kind of, but the sound design in this game is great. It's the only game that my girlfriend has asked me to put headphones in while I play, as it sounds too "squishy and goopy". Good job sound team!
RE8 is a smattering of all the best parts of the past few years of the franchise. The brisk pacing allows for this game to function as a series of miniature Resident Evil experiences, which I appreciated. I know the castle segment / Lady D are the biggest talking points regarding this entry, but I found myself the most engaged during the escape room / giant baby portion of the story. The idea of splitting this off into distinct areas to be bested is a great concept, but I found the focus on action took away from the tense encounters of the 7th entry. Overall, a great entry into the franchise! The plot is dumb as shit and campy as hell but tbh I can vibe on that, though I prefer the tense hallways and dark corners of the RE2 Remake's police station any day.
2023
My first PS5 Game! And one of my final FF games on my long, long journey catching up on the series.
This game has a lot going for it! The Eikons are truly awe inducing, and the Kaiju battles are great action sequences. Overall, the production value of this game is apparent in the main quest, and the battle system / big story points are cool! I liked a lot of the characters, with Barnabus in particular sticking out. Clive is a dud, and I don't understand why they just decided to make him Geralt. Such a boring choice.
The side quests in this game are absolutely god-awful, and really bog this thing down. They felt like they were pulled straight out of a PS2 game.
Overall, not my favourite FF by any means but it's an interesting enough turn for the series and kept me hooked in the whole time. I am hoping they take a step back from the action oriented entries, would love to see modern squares take on a purely turn based combat system again.
This game has a lot going for it! The Eikons are truly awe inducing, and the Kaiju battles are great action sequences. Overall, the production value of this game is apparent in the main quest, and the battle system / big story points are cool! I liked a lot of the characters, with Barnabus in particular sticking out. Clive is a dud, and I don't understand why they just decided to make him Geralt. Such a boring choice.
The side quests in this game are absolutely god-awful, and really bog this thing down. They felt like they were pulled straight out of a PS2 game.
Overall, not my favourite FF by any means but it's an interesting enough turn for the series and kept me hooked in the whole time. I am hoping they take a step back from the action oriented entries, would love to see modern squares take on a purely turn based combat system again.
2023
A perfect little pikmin game, love the new features, love the dog and the level design. Really a greatest hits of all the best parts of the series, happy to see this series getting love.
1991
Final Fantasy IV is a huge leap forward for the series, narratively. Does the story land? Maybe not. But the attempt at telling a more nuanced story with an ensemble cast is a step towards the PS golden era of FF that is interesting to see form here.
The ATB system is something I found to be rather pointless in later entries, but here it works very well. Battles are fast paced, and you really need to use every second efficiently as the timers apply pressure in the later battles.
Narratively, I was surprised at the attempt at a more adult tone here. Cecil is a great lead, and the revolving door cast is generally pretty compelling, though I much prefer being able to stick with a party and develop them across the course of a game. Not knowing whether or not your teammate is about to face a scripted death discourages investing in your party, and I'm glad they did away with this in later entries.
Overall, FF IV is a noted leap forward for the franchise, and one that places in the upper tiers of Final Fantasy games.
The ATB system is something I found to be rather pointless in later entries, but here it works very well. Battles are fast paced, and you really need to use every second efficiently as the timers apply pressure in the later battles.
Narratively, I was surprised at the attempt at a more adult tone here. Cecil is a great lead, and the revolving door cast is generally pretty compelling, though I much prefer being able to stick with a party and develop them across the course of a game. Not knowing whether or not your teammate is about to face a scripted death discourages investing in your party, and I'm glad they did away with this in later entries.
Overall, FF IV is a noted leap forward for the franchise, and one that places in the upper tiers of Final Fantasy games.
1990
Final Fantasy 3 is the first game in the series that feels like a final fantasy game. All of the ideas swirling around in 1 and 2 solidify into something whole, and while the plot is non-existent for the most part I appreciated the vignette style storytelling and the goofier tone. I found it much more compelling to engage with NPC's and explore the world. The dungeon design is miles ahead of 2's chaos, and the enemy design is great.
The class system is a nice improvement over 1, and works far better than the "Specializing" in ff2. I liked the design of the new classes, and the progression of finding the new jobs helped make it feel like your character was actually growing in their roll. The endgame classes are a little cheesy, and make specialization in certain job lanes a bit trivial, but are a nice reward for the optional dungeon. This game is the first in the series to have actual boss fights throughout, and it felt like I was actually strategizing as I played out the turn based battles.
FF3 is the first truly great game in the series. It has far more flavour than 1, and none of the bad weirdness of 2. A great cap on the NES trilogy of FF games.
The class system is a nice improvement over 1, and works far better than the "Specializing" in ff2. I liked the design of the new classes, and the progression of finding the new jobs helped make it feel like your character was actually growing in their roll. The endgame classes are a little cheesy, and make specialization in certain job lanes a bit trivial, but are a nice reward for the optional dungeon. This game is the first in the series to have actual boss fights throughout, and it felt like I was actually strategizing as I played out the turn based battles.
FF3 is the first truly great game in the series. It has far more flavour than 1, and none of the bad weirdness of 2. A great cap on the NES trilogy of FF games.
1988
I appreciate Final Fantasy II's commitment to burning down everything from the first game in pursuit of something new, but the execution unfortunately fumbles the interesting ideas swirling around under the hood.
The conversation system and "growth through use" system are both great ideas on paper, but they never really take off. The conversation system is very basic, and the growth system is too obscure to actually grasp, and the actual system is so obscure that it makes the pacing feel glacial.
The dungeon design in this game is awful. The encounter rate is through the roof, and I need to know who decided to put 10+ doors to empty rooms in every single dungeon. Absolutely bonkers design choices. All of the new enemy designs are great, and it's nice to see the developers creating their own monsters instead of taking them directly from the DnD manual.
Overall, this game was a nice oddity, and the Pixel Remaster is beautiful. The score is great, the tone is beginning to feel more like final fantasy, and while the combat system is a mess, the introduction of "target all" and the idea of tailoring classes in your own way are all great adds to the series (even if they didn't end up working as intended).
The conversation system and "growth through use" system are both great ideas on paper, but they never really take off. The conversation system is very basic, and the growth system is too obscure to actually grasp, and the actual system is so obscure that it makes the pacing feel glacial.
The dungeon design in this game is awful. The encounter rate is through the roof, and I need to know who decided to put 10+ doors to empty rooms in every single dungeon. Absolutely bonkers design choices. All of the new enemy designs are great, and it's nice to see the developers creating their own monsters instead of taking them directly from the DnD manual.
Overall, this game was a nice oddity, and the Pixel Remaster is beautiful. The score is great, the tone is beginning to feel more like final fantasy, and while the combat system is a mess, the introduction of "target all" and the idea of tailoring classes in your own way are all great adds to the series (even if they didn't end up working as intended).
1987
I was surprised at how little this feels like a final fantasy game. The battle system is pulled from Dungeons and Dragons, as are most of the monsters, and the tone feels very indebted to D&D as well. Interesting to see the foundation of this series. The battle system is simple but still fun, yet I waltzed right through the story, only dying once to the last boss.
Played as much as I could without a guide, but the idea of completing this without one is baffling to me.
Played as much as I could without a guide, but the idea of completing this without one is baffling to me.
2012
Honestly, we need to talk about the insane pacing issues in the persona series. Outside of the issues with the plot (the homophobia and transphobia directly contradict the main theme of "embracing ones true identity"), the pacing of this game is absolutely glacial, and Inaba feels empty. I found on most days off I had maxed out the relevant social link, maxed my stats, and would have nothing to do but sleep. The battle system is so bare bones, a gutted, hollow version of the untouchable press turn system, and the enemy design is very forgettable (outside of bosses, which I thought had great designs for the most part). Underwhelmed by this game, which many trusted sources have told me is one of the greatest JRPG's of all time. SMT V and Persona 5 both blow this out of the water.
An absolutely staggering game, massive in its scope. Immersive and mysterious, the verticality of its design allows for this game to blow its predecessor out of the water. The writing of this game is far stronger than others in the series, and it truly feels like a fairytale. Another benchmark accomplishment from Nintendo, further solidifying the Switch's greatest of all time console status in my books. I can't wait to see how they can continue to build on this in the future.
2023
Fire Emblem Engage is maybe the tightest tactical gameplay in the series, it's too bad the plot is essentially non-existent. The character design and map design is great, and each mission is engaging (no pun intended). Hoping they keep these refined systems with a tighter story going forward, as it could lead to my fav FE game. The stands are goofy as hell
2023
Octopath Traveler 2 was a nice surprise, as richly detailed diorama of a game that seeped soul. Each of the micro-stories worked in building out the tone of the world. The BP system is super fun, and breaking the battle systems was a great way to defeat some of the tougher bosses. The flow of combat is great, and the way the game forces you into making risky calls by letting you see an impending barrage from a tough enemy that will wipe your team makes those risky moves feel great when they pay off.
The character writing varies from story to story, but overall I loved the characters. In particular, Partitio, Throne, and Osvald were highlights. The day / night cycle and it's corresponding character skills is a really unique system, and I absolutely loved the soundtrack and sprite art.
Octopath Traveler 2 nails what it is going for, and feels like a perfect pastiche of SNES jrpgs. I really hope they keep the momentum going with a third entry.
The character writing varies from story to story, but overall I loved the characters. In particular, Partitio, Throne, and Osvald were highlights. The day / night cycle and it's corresponding character skills is a really unique system, and I absolutely loved the soundtrack and sprite art.
Octopath Traveler 2 nails what it is going for, and feels like a perfect pastiche of SNES jrpgs. I really hope they keep the momentum going with a third entry.