Hexen II understands 3d exploration like no other game. you zoom through enemies relatively quickly compared to the amount of time you spend exploring the areas that then become completely empty for the rest of the pretty long chapters, especially when compared to its contemporaries. it's uncanny and reflects the state of the game's reality at that point. impressive how even though every chapter reflects that feeling, Blackmarsh is still the most unnerving. empty churches, stores, and houses, all of which you can (and often need to) enter to search for a piece of the convoluted puzzles. you rid the area of enemies, but the people who lived there won't come back until you get rid of Eidolon.

having finished it alone and in coop, i noticed that both approaches still work in the atmosphere's favor. looking through areas with friends makes exploring Hexen II feel almost archaeological. your group starts piecing together structures and their meanings to the people who used to live there, and every time someone finds an item, a discussion as to what it means follows it. you need to understand what it does/why you need it in order to know where to place it somewhere.

the different classes also contribute to that feeling. the Necromancer is there to regain his status as the most fearful ruler and the Assassin is there for glory, while the Crusader had to abandon his monastery to fight and the Paladin has nowhere else to look after the slaughter of his village. even though half of these characters are there for selfish reasons, all four still work together to restore the world. the game doesn't make an effort to connect them as allies explicitly but the emergent cooperation between players achieves the same effect.

i don't think i'll ever find another game with such strong and understated direction choices. it's harsh, cold, and forlorn - but also leaves space for the warmth of perseverance.

this thing is unhinged. you plow through tens of thousands of popcorn enemies through -12- (lord) levels which are interspersed with characters talking about prostitutes, war crimes and saying "fucking" every few lines.

the bomb makes your ship turn into a hydraulic press that destroys everything it touches and while the main english translation is filled with incomprehensible grimdark dialogue, the menus and achievements feature beautiful descriptions such as "CrapcWhat's going onc" and "These fellas will useful working". so yeah, it was pretty great

i really respect that this is a goddamn character action yuri game that's not just bait. the interactions you get for acquiring affection points with the girls are a highlight, but the combat is dull even for my very low expectations. attacks and combos are fine, but the enemies only become threatening in the very late game (and still only when in big numbers and accompanied by a boss or mini). most of the time the miniboss controlling them just despawns the little dudes right as you're attacking them. the few bosses there are here are repeated almost 5x each (in some cases more), so it gets real old real fast. the game looks beautiful and all, but the way the 3D models constantly shift around makes the story dialogue exhausting to sit through because the screen fades to black every single time they change positions. it kills the pace of any conversation. cute;unfocused

i guess it's fine. sloppier than the first one in every way, but i appreciate the ambition. the story consists of 95% exposition and 5% characters being sad they don't have friends while killing and insulting everyone around them. the gameplay and bosses are cute but going on ramps sucks. you almost always get unmagnetized from them. it's cool that they brought back the different powers from the first game, but they feel more homogenized here; their attacks are too similar in damage and speed. great effort though, insane to know this was made almost entirely by 1 person o-o

i was SO looking forward to this (which was the fault of the great CG trailers). so much so that i played the other games in preparation and fell in love with the first one. unfortunately, i had an awful time with GORE.

this is a great 3-4 hour game mauled and split into 13 grievous hours. the last hour and change of GORE are just the same 3 enemies over and over placed haphazardly throughout empty corridors. it's a shame because i like the mechanical additions like the improved charge shot and even glory kills. still, the story just plain sucks compared to the first game and even Overdose. just a bunch of expository dialogue - every big event happens offscreen, Grave is now a generic mute hero who saves the day without any personal stake on his mission, and Mika is just a damsel.

i thought it couldn't get worse than Gungrave Overdose but i was wrong. that game at least had some restraint by only being 5 hours long. it sucks to say but i don't like 2/3 of the Gungrave franchise now.

Kamiwaza is full of cryptic and uneven mechanics, and i can't help but love them. you roam around familiar areas robbing similar items while hopping around in plain sight like a maniac and sometimes doing a few main story tasks. the stealth system is incredibly fast-paced and works like a sneak-infused stylish combat system. at points, the time-dependent navigation reminded me of a simplified version of the first Pathologic, where you spend long times walking while thinking of your next two or three big actions in order to optimize time. better yet: Kamiwaza kinda works like an immersive sim. everything you do leaves consequences behind that influence both the gameplay and the route you take in the story. it was surprisingly inventive.