Getting to the true ending left me with such a sour taste, so it's only in retrospect I can remember and understand how this game is widely considered a JRPG gem. A beautiful game with a masterful OST. Combat and job class systems that shine within the genre.

Bravely Default, does however, slowly become a chore as you progress, with difficulty spikes and repetitive gameplay/plotline. If I could completely look past how the latter half of the game made me feel, I know for sure I would have much more appreciation for this game as a whole.

wanted to wait until i cleared all of the base game and dlc before making a review, so this covers both of them.

bloodborne was the last souls game that i had left after clearing all of them over the past 6 months or so. maybe my view of this game is tainted by the very high expectations set by others who had played this game early on in their souls game life cycle, so perhaps that has some impact on my view of this game.

i didn't love this game, but i definitely didn't hate it; it's weird. the aesthetic and theme of this game is very unique and i see the appeal. the enemies in this game are absolutely fucking disgusting and it fits perfectly thematically. the combat is certainly unique and the parry aspect is really fucking sick, but doesn't feel as polished as some of the newer games which makes sense given this is nearly a decade old. then again, so are the other souls games, so i'm not sure if that's a valid excuse.

all of these games usually have that point where they click and you're like "ah, that's what everyone means." i really wanted that from bloodborne but it didn't happen until i was essentially done with the game. the base game bosses felt rather underwhelming which was my expectation based on my friends comments; the lows were very low and the "highs" were really only slightly above average.

the dlc was definitely a lot more challenging and rewarding. i now understand the pain of laurence and orphan of kos (what the fuck is that second phase btw), and beating both of them felt like a mammoth task. i really enjoy that and craved that feeling for most of the game. lady maria fight was super enjoyable and just straight up face to face combat which i love. i usually hate big bosses that go off my screen, so perhaps that's why i preferred fights like lady maria and orphan over ludwig and laurence.

it doesn't feel right to shit on this game because i don't think it deserves it at all. it's a good game, i just don't love it as much as everyone else does, and that's okay. i think that in some distant future if the world is lucky enough to get a remaster with 60+ fps and a couple tweaks i'd love to give this another chance.

Greatest of all time.
Zenith of the medium.
Hallmark of media.
Gold standard of storytelling.
Apogee of creativity.
Vertex of invention.
Crest of ingenuity.
Acme of imagination.
Pinnacle of innovation.
Epic of epics.
Legend among legends.
Peak fiction.

I started this game 4 years ago when I first started getting back into playing single player games. My friend and I were playing it simultaneously, we got about 5 hours in and then we never continued it even though we both enjoyed it at the time. Fast forward to March 1, 2024 when the legend Akira Toriyama passed away, the sole reason I got into anime which eventually led to JRPG's. After the news I felt like I had to experience this game rather sooner than later so I hopped in the stu and started it from the beginning.

Chrono Trigger is a masterpiece that still holds up to this day. I can't believe that something of this caliber came out two months before I was even born, just crazy to think about lol. There's so many awesome details whether it be related to the story, the lovely sprites or even the gameplay itself. Obviously with a story about time traveling, things will be different in the future if you change the past but I love the way it's utilized here. It is best showcased during everyone's side quests during The Fated Hour, in my opinion. Minor spoiler and this is just an example but there is a certain part where you're trying to get an item but this person won't give it to you. So you go into the past and give their ancestor something they wanted for free, they in return won't forget about our good deed and then teach their children all about kindness. We now go back into the future, now this person with the item is very kind and gives it to us instead. So freaking cool and this was a pretty minor event from a damn side quest.

My favorite part about the game was the combat and by that I mean figuring out each and every boss. These encounters were all so different, with unique mechanics and gimmicks. It felt really satisfying figuring out their weaknesses as well as timing your turns to heal yourself after devastating attacks. Gotta love the fact that the combo moves are indeed literally combined moves, like how Frog's Slurp and Ayla's kiss becomes Slurp Kiss. Also can't forget that water is so good that they made water 2, that's crazy..

I love all the characters, especially Frog and Ayla for carrying me throughout the game. Everyone else... please forgive me. They all had their moments though and I teared up when I saw them in the animated cutscene during the credits. Just peak.

The soundtrack is phenomenal, every single piece is a banger and I definitely can not pick a favorite because there's just too many mighty fine tracks.

Very glad that I gave Chrono Trigger another shot after 4 years, I've always wanted to beat it ever since I started my little JRPG journey and now I have!

Rest in peace, Akira Toriyama. Thank you for everything.

What a game, man.

There are many aspects about this game that I loved for similar reasons that I went over in my review of the first game. Feel free to check that out if you think I'm missing the point on anything.

With that being said, I have a tremendous amount of respect for the people who dedicated so much time to creating the art for this game. Not only are the sprites and backgrounds more detailed than ever, but some cutscenes are also animated in a beautiful style that is mostly stripped of heavy shadow work on character details. The movements are graceful and the tone of them reflects the themes of the game. As a fan of animation, I loved seeing this addition.

It's nice to step into the shoes of the Penitent One again; this time with more weapons and a dashing set of traversal techniques. As a parry man myself, I couldn't stop maining Ruego. The beauty of this game is that you could likely clear it by just using your favorite, singular weapon, apart from when you need a certain ability from another. The gameplay caters to almost any playstyle and doesn't feel stale in the slightest. The traversal changes are welcomed with open arms as you acquire a double jump, and the ability to chain your movements with the environment via certain weapon procs. The studio improved upon the first game in all the ways I imagined before playing it.

As always, I think so much of the magic of this game comes from the music. It drives you through each section and boss fight in a way that feels primal. The string work is unbelievably good. Carlos Viola deserves an award for his work.

My only gripes are a few instances of projectiles being thrown at me like I'm being nuked by a Cold War state. Just relax with the damn miasma balls. Jesus. Another one would be the navigation in a couple areas of the map. They weren't THAT bad in hindsight. I think they mostly pissed me off at the moment.

I can't recommend Blasphemous 2 enough, especially to someone who enjoyed the previous title or loves Metroidvanias. I'm thankful that I gave them a shot, because I never thought I'd enjoy a side-scrolling game like this in my life. I know this might sound ridiculous, but giving games like this a try has left quite the impact on me. You never know what you're missing. There are so many games or experiences out there in life that we discount based on our powerful preconceptions. Sometimes, the best thing you can do is resist those voices and push back hard. There's so much out there to enjoy if you just look a little harder and take a chance.

Blasphemous ignited a roaring fire within me that increased my love and appreciation for both gaming and life in general. The fire was always there, but it feels more visceral than ever.