Immaculate vibes, man!

I will always have New Leaf as my preferred Animal Crossing game, but after playing this for a bit I really respect the origins of the series. Sure, its more simple, more rough around the edges. But that makes it interesting! It may not have the endless content of New Leaf, but its got a unique feel, I respect that.

I will definitely be playing this more. I may write more detailed thoughts once I play a lot more.

I’m not good at writing long form reviews, but this game really spoke to me in a way where I feel like I have to write something. So, I guess let me start with a bold statement: Boku no Natsuyasumi is a masterpiece. I’m not exaggerating or sugar coating that, I think this game is perfect. I hope this review will express why I think this.

A major elephant in the room when discussing this game is the fact that it has never been localized in any capacity, whether official or a fan translation (although one is supposedly in the works). Therefore, I had to play this in a sort of archaic way. I wouldn’t really recommend that, I’d say wait for the fan translation. But regardless, I’m so glad I managed to play this.

Boku no Natsuyasumi is about the titular Boku, a boy from Tokyo who is going to stay with his Aunt, Uncle, and cousins in rural Japan while his mother is preparing to give birth during summer vacation. While in this unnamed part of rural Japan, you can explore the area around you, catch bugs, talk to locals, catch fish, fly kites, wrestle beetles. Y’know, the Summer Stuff. In the simplest terms, I’d describe this game as a “summer simulator” of sorts, but just that surface level description doesn’t go into the major depth this game has.

I think mood is a major part of this game's appeal. Of course, Boku no Natsuyasumi is a game about reliving your childhood, so you get some of that major childlike wonder at certain moments of the game. However, as this game is told from the perspective of an adult Boku, I think “bittersweet nostalgia” is the perfect way to describe this game’s mood. While this game is pure vibes and a joy to play, there is a hint of melancholy here. Post-war reconstruction, dealing with the loss of a family member, and teenage angst and depression are some of the topics that are dealt with here, and I think it handles this beautifully.

The characters are also delightful! The main family is lovely, with Moe’s heartbroken arc being the one that resonated with me the most. But I also love the other people you can run into, such as the vice principal, the delinquent boys, and the wolf girl.

By the time I finished this game, I was near tears. I didn’t want to leave, I didn’t want it to end. I truly felt like I stumbled into something magical. I wish I could put into words the depth and beauty of this game, but if you want a great (but long) explanation of why this game is so amazing, I’d highly recommend Tim Roger’s 6 hour review of the game. (although, if you’re interested in this game, I imagine you’ve already seen it)

I can’t wait until Boku no Natsuyasumi gets a fan translation. This game needs to be experienced by more people. I won’t make a sweeping statement and say it’ll appeal to everyone, but if this game sounds like it will appeal to you, I almost guarantee you it will. Absolute timeless, classic masterpiece.

I got the good ending

I... I'm broken. Omori, while not being a perfect game per say, is a masterpiece in storytelling. A story of grief, loss, depression, trauma, and regret. There's so many different moods expressed here, whether it's the humor and whimsy or the otherworld, or the depressive nature of the real world. Despite any regrets we may have, we always have people that we can rely on.

"Remember, no man is a failure who has friends."
- It's a Wonderful Life (1946)

I have an interesting point that I've been pondering lately, and it may sound insane, but hear me out. Are flaws in a game inherently a bad thing?

I mean, of course they can be. Most of the time, they are. But, can they not enhance the experience? Can they not add more personality to it? And I don't mean in a "so bad it's good way" (I'm beginning to kinda hate that phrase). I mean like, genuinely.

THUG 2 is one of the prime examples of this. If you've played this game and look at my 5/5 score you're probably like "but, this game is stupid! The jackass humor has aged horribly! The vehicles suck! It's story is super simple compared to the first one!"

Thing is, I like those aspects of this game! I think they give the game a more distinct style. It makes me feel like I'm, well, playing THUG 2! Whenever I'm playing as Steve-O in the mechanical bull (which yes, controls like shit) I'm just sorta like "ahhh, THUG 2 :)".

And yea, this port, which I've in the past kinda shit on for being a clear downgrade, actually kinda further shows why I love this game so much. It's jankier, messier, the cutscenes are broken, it plays worse. But that makes it more "THUG 2", and I love THUG 2, so it works out for me!

This still isn't my favorite THPS game, and honestly, it'll probably never beat out THUG 1. But I think this might be number 2 for me. I love this goddamn stupid piece of shit.

Castlevania is a frustrating game, at times unfair, at times made me want to rip my hair out. I had a blast.

There is a lot that's been said about this games movement and how the clunkiness and delay makes for a more interesting, tactical game that you really need to really plan out your moves for. And yeah, that's accurate! It's fun! I'm beginning to really not buy the "games from this generation have aged poorly" shit because damn games like this show that people had really good ideas back then.

Also, I did abuse save states near the end. No, I don't feel bad.

The translation is out! Y'know, it really is a magical moment when a game like this finally gets a translation. A game that you love so dearly, one that you consider one of your favorites. Just seeing that opening cutscene with english subtitles, finally being able to understand the intricacies of what was going on. I got a little emotional!

Boku no Natsuyasumi 2, like the first one, is something of a masterpiece, and now is more accessible than ever before. Whoever you are, please play this game. It might just change your life.

Translation can be found here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/92070798

Lol, lmao, even.

Look, I'm usually not a contrarian. I rarely have spicy takes. But I do try to be honest with my opinions, and my opinion on this game is that well, it kinda rules!

This kinda ties into my THUG 2 Remix review recently where I talked about a game's flaws enhancing the experience. Well, that idea pretty much defines this game. Everything people shit on this game for I pretty much love. The obtuseness and the horrible translation are so charming I love it.

And the things people do like this game for... are so fucking good. The atmosphere is incredible, with some of the best music on the entire platform.

I think I just really respect this game for it's ambition and find it to be a supremely charming experience. I get why someone wouldn't like this! But I loved it. :)

Ok so, I was originally going to give this a 4.5 because of some minor issues I had with the game, but I just... couldn't. This game is just too monumental and important to justify giving anything but a 5. Just thinking about the fact that this released before the 2000s blows my mind. I know it was a bit of a later release on the PS1, but still this is an early example of a more atmospheric, cinematic gaming experience.

Also just the fact that I haven't played anything else like this. The tank controls take some getting used to, but they add so much to the feeling of uneasiness. The game is fuckin freaky as hell too, plenty of incredibly memorable scares are here. It's just such an effective experience that really blew my mind in a lot of ways. Apparently Silent Hill 2 is even more groundbreaking, so hell yea I'm looking forward to that.

Recommended by Vee!

I don't know why but PS4 emulation of this game is rather buggy with some obvious graphical glitches in the hud and some really awful sound bugs later on. If you're going to play this game, definitely emulate it.

Nevertheless, this is EXACTLY what I mean when I talk about how the PS1 era was the best when it comes to experimentation. This is one of the first 3D platformers, even predating Mario 64, and the way this game does it is so fun! First person perspective + tank controls somehow works so well! And I love how the camera points down whenever you double jump, super helpful.

Aesthetics wise, this game is 10/10, easily. I love the way this game looks and sounds. Absolute peak PS1 surrealism, I adore it.

I was wondering while playing this "what if there was an alternate universe where this game became the norm rather than Mario 64?" Interesting thought, and I do actually prefer this game to Mario 64 in many ways. However, I do think it's for the best that Mario 64's control scheme took off.

Overall, excellent, excellent early PS1 classic that I'm so glad that I played through. It's short, like less than 2 hours short, so you really don't have an excuse! Go play this!!!

Kaze no Notam came out in 1997. 1997. That's unbelievable to me. I don't think I've ever seen a game so ahead of the curb aesthetically than this one. It feels straight out of late 2010s vaporwave culture, it's so cool.

And the game itself... just pure, relaxing vibes. Sure there's goals, but honestly the main appeal of this game is just floating around in your hot air balloon, basking in the glorious PS1 scenery, listening to the beautiful electronic compositions. It's just so beautiful.

Normally I'd wait to play more of a game to give my thoughts, especially one where you can't really "beat" it, but I feel so confident about my love for this.

Yea I mean, when people say this game is held together by duct tape, they aren't wrong. It's pretty damn broken and unbalanced and also very simple, which is why I could see if being very hard to come back to for many.

However, this is where one of my favorite series got started! And it's still fun, even with it's problems! It's really cool to see how far this series has come, and a lot of this games flaws add to its charm. While definitely not a very rich gameplay experience, it's a very fun time that shouldn't be overlooked because future games outshined it.

I got the "In Water" ending

I don't think anything I could say about this game could do it justice. I feel, more than almost any other game I've played, like I just played some absolutely monumental achievement that I'm genuinely proud to say that I played through. At first, I wasn't even sure I would like this game more than the first one, but man after thinking about it this game blows the already fantastic Silent Hill out of the water.

There's so many layers to this game. Last night I was just thinking to myself about all the theories and analysis I could think of about this game. I still have a lot to really look into before I can say definitive stuff about a lot of what happens in the game, but I absolutely hope that in subsequent playthroughs of this my understanding of this game will become even deeper. (although, it might be a while because this game is draining haha)

So yeah, Silent Hill 2 is a masterpiece. Who would've thought? Not exactly a hot take there, but can you really blame me? It's fucking Silent Hill 2, it speaks for itself.