booker
2 reviews liked by booker
Octopath Traveler
2018
if you ever wanted to play through the slow, badly paced early parts of a long JRPG eight times in a row and also deal with random encounters all the way through, here's your chance
amazing how they managed to create such a colorful and memorable cast of characters and then just not have them meaningfully interact with one another, at all
amazing how they managed to create such a colorful and memorable cast of characters and then just not have them meaningfully interact with one another, at all
Lords of the Fallen
2023
Shoulda stayed fallen tbh.
The real problem is that souls games thrive on streamlined combat and memorable, impressive bosses that are well presented. As a game, this isn't awful. As a souls-like, this is pretty weak. The combat and game in general has extraneous features like the stupid UV lamp you use to find demonic jizz stains around the world and go into the spooky dimension. I GENUINELY don't get the point of this. There's no need to make this and the ranged system so weird to input.
The game has sprawling, confusing levels that have a bunch of mobs which don't feel good to advance through. The bosses by comparison are weak. The levels themselves aren't what I would say are the strong point of souls-likes. The presentation of the enemies, set pieces, combat, and ultimately the bosses are. This is what makes something like nioh salvageable, since its levels are honestly confusing and frustrating but there are so many and such crazy bosses. The bosses in Lords of the Fallen are forgettable and the setting is generic. Going through so many dilapidated medieval villages made me feel like a dilapidated medieval peasant myself.
The real problem is that souls games thrive on streamlined combat and memorable, impressive bosses that are well presented. As a game, this isn't awful. As a souls-like, this is pretty weak. The combat and game in general has extraneous features like the stupid UV lamp you use to find demonic jizz stains around the world and go into the spooky dimension. I GENUINELY don't get the point of this. There's no need to make this and the ranged system so weird to input.
The game has sprawling, confusing levels that have a bunch of mobs which don't feel good to advance through. The bosses by comparison are weak. The levels themselves aren't what I would say are the strong point of souls-likes. The presentation of the enemies, set pieces, combat, and ultimately the bosses are. This is what makes something like nioh salvageable, since its levels are honestly confusing and frustrating but there are so many and such crazy bosses. The bosses in Lords of the Fallen are forgettable and the setting is generic. Going through so many dilapidated medieval villages made me feel like a dilapidated medieval peasant myself.