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.

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.

Ok so like there was a point soon after the halfway point of this game where I was convinced I was going to hate the rest of it, and the people who've played this probably know why. But after playing a little more, I sort of realized that these game design choices that seemed frustrating actually kind of enhanced the experience! Using player hostility to make you feel more helpless, make the game more scary!

Anyways yea... all four og Silent Hill games are 5/5 for me. This one in particular is really unique compared to the first 3 and delivers what's probably the freakiest and just outright horrifying of the first 4. Really awesome games, so glad I got to experience all of these!

Brilliant, just like the first one. I wouldn't say it connected with me just as much, but that doesn't take away from the fact that this game does so much to improve upon the Boku Natsu formula.

The world in this game, compared to the first's, is massive. There's so much to uncover, way more characters, way more events. It's an overall much bigger feeling game, while also having the quaintness that the first game has. That, plus new additions such as being able to swim in the ocean (which is so fucking cool btw) makes Boku Natsu 2 such a fresh experience. I also heavily fuck with the new setting, featuring a small waterside village rather than the more grassy, rural area from the first.

I think why I don't like it as much, though, is the fact that the story didn't do quite as much for me. It's great, no doubt! Many moments hit me emotionally, and I loved all the characters so much. But I feel like the simplicity of the first game was more appealing.

That being said though, Boku Natsu 2 is an absolute joy and a well worthy sequel. I'm so excited to play 3 and 4!!

Some scattered thoughts:

Three 5/5's in a row for this series... which is honestly mind blowing to me.

Heather has got to be my favorite protagonist in the series so far. She's such a perfect example of a strong female protag. Spunky with youthful energy and attitude, able to fend for herself, and nuanced. The ending really solidified this for me. Without spoiling, the simplicity of it absolutely confirmed my feelings about her. Brilliant stuff.

This game is absolutely terrifying, more so than the first 2. There were so many moments that legit got so under my skin, and I feel like the locations are so unnerving and effective.

The music?? Holy shit?? I think 2 has the better soundtrack, but I love the melodic and trip hoppy moments on the ost so much. Really brings out the beauty in so many moments.

Fuck, I really loved this game. I wasn't sure I would give this a 5/5, but it absolutely sold me by the end. Absolutely brilliant game, so excited to play 4.

I don't have really anything to say about the story and ending of this game because I'm still trying to sort out what it all implies in my head. Needless to say, though, that it was a fantastic journey.

This game marks a sort of milestone for me, as other than like Pokemon or Mother, I've never actually beaten a JRPG, let alone one that was this long. I think this was a good first option, especially Portable, because it's much more fast paced and visual novel like which made it less daunting for me.

Persona 3 is an absolutely fantastic story with fantastic characters, fantastic music, and many fantastic arcs. Sure, Tartarus is a bit tedious, but the dungeon crawling is overall really fun with a number of excellent boss fights thrown into the mix. I don't think this game is perfect, but damn I think it lived up to the hype. I'm so excited to play the other Personas.

Fucking phenomenal, which wasn't surprising. This one is more similar to 2, which is the sort of direction I really wanted the series to go in. And damn, while I think I still prefer 2, this game was pretty damn close in quality!

I love the sense of community here. Everyone in this game seems to get along so well and know each other really well. As the game develops, you really start to feel like a part of the family, more so than other entries I think! The game introduces some new minigames and mechanics, but the main thing here, the fantastic vibes and story, are maintained.

And with that... I'm done with the series. It's a bittersweet feeling... I definitely feel accomplished, but I'm sad it has to come to an end. Maybe one day we'll get a Boku Natsu 5. Probably not sadly, but hey, you never know.