eearthchildd
Damn dude video games are sad like for real though
Just beat the first FF via this version. Very enjoyable. As spartan as it gets, but I mean that in the best possible way. There's no mucking around in this game: you ask around locales for information, you find the sources of their troubles, you slay it, you progress. All killer, no filler. There's a few frustrating moments of backtracking and wandering all over the world map for an obscure MacGuffin to help you progress, but it didn't hinder my overall enjoyment. It's easy to see how this blew so many minds back in the day and set the course for an entire series and genre.
2023
Rules
2021
This was a really sweet little gem! Super flowy and addictive platforming, with movement that knew how to build you up with tension and let go at the right moment to send you flying at great speed. Honestly almost felt like how a 3D sonic should feel, not that I've played a lot of those. The art style here was gorgeous, with a clean Adventure Time/early '10s Cartoon Network aesthetic. Felt very cozy and friendly, but with great architecture and simple yet awe-inspiring creature design. The story was a hoot too, I'm always a sucker for these secret-eco warrior stories, and the characters all felt great, especially having the little moments of dialogue between Sig and her grandma while traversing water. Fell a bit short because of occasional bugs/clipping perhaps? Nonetheless, this was a lovely and very tightly made game, and easy to recommend!
Man, this game is so good. like, for real. Fun gameplay, funny and tight-as-hell dialogue (Fawful was always a standout but the recurring bit about Luigi always being forgotten always got me), and just a super charming sprite aesthetic with really rendering animations in and outside of battle! GBA for real got some bomb games.
This review contains spoilers
This was a fun surprise! For the most part, this matches the quality of the base game but presents it in a much tighter package. There are a few points I want to touch on.
The combat here is refreshed by removing all the extraneous blades and giving you a much cleaner roster of two blades per character. It makes the individual character bonds feel stronger as everyone you are building is tied to the main narrative. I love the addition of the swap-out system too, it makes an already great combat system feel so much more kinetic, especially in how you can regain health.
Moving onto the story and characters. Even as someone who was an apologist for the cast of the base game, the personalities, and relationships in Torna are much more genuine and believable. Lora is a much more compelling protagonist than Rex (sorry Rex stans, it's just true) and her journey from humble beginnings to knighthood feels more believable. Her relationship with Jin is great too and fleshes his own character out so much more than the base game did. Addam and Hugo are both delightful additions to the roster, though Hugo feels a little on the periphery compared to the rest of the cast. Perhaps my main gripe is that Malos feels like a more hollow character in this expansion. I understand why, and it makes sense for where his arc has to end by the end of the base game. Nonetheless, he comes off as a bit of a second-rate chaos demon/Joker-style character here.
Overall, if you've played the base game, you owe it to yourself to give this a shot. It only enhances the way I view the story of the base game and adds a fantastic amount of context to the story, whilst being a bang-up RPG in its own right.
The combat here is refreshed by removing all the extraneous blades and giving you a much cleaner roster of two blades per character. It makes the individual character bonds feel stronger as everyone you are building is tied to the main narrative. I love the addition of the swap-out system too, it makes an already great combat system feel so much more kinetic, especially in how you can regain health.
Moving onto the story and characters. Even as someone who was an apologist for the cast of the base game, the personalities, and relationships in Torna are much more genuine and believable. Lora is a much more compelling protagonist than Rex (sorry Rex stans, it's just true) and her journey from humble beginnings to knighthood feels more believable. Her relationship with Jin is great too and fleshes his own character out so much more than the base game did. Addam and Hugo are both delightful additions to the roster, though Hugo feels a little on the periphery compared to the rest of the cast. Perhaps my main gripe is that Malos feels like a more hollow character in this expansion. I understand why, and it makes sense for where his arc has to end by the end of the base game. Nonetheless, he comes off as a bit of a second-rate chaos demon/Joker-style character here.
Overall, if you've played the base game, you owe it to yourself to give this a shot. It only enhances the way I view the story of the base game and adds a fantastic amount of context to the story, whilst being a bang-up RPG in its own right.
Light on story but tight combat, loved the union strike stuff, love the contained map! Also gave Melia, one of my faves from the original, a nice little spotlight that only improves her personality and character.
fun little 2D zelda-like! I love the attention to detail like NPC dialogue and little hidden secrets in nooks and crannies all over the map. Plus the palette and sprite work is charming. nothing groundbreaking, bare-bones story, but a fun way to spend 5ish hours
2022
Game was dope! Particularly impressed with the dialogue weirdly enough. Every single trainer, rival, gym leader, elite four member, etc. etc. were all delightful and memorable. The game was great too: felt like a great refresh for the series. Not even mad about the alleged glitches or the pop-in/framerate stuff, I barely encountered any issues. Great selection of Pokemon but really just a great eye for detail that made the world breath and feel that much more charming.
I was ready to enjoy this one less than I did the first, but honestly, I came out at the end of this game sobbing and just loving the time I spent with my buds and their blade buds.
The combat system is a little complicated and unnecessarily bloated but super rewarding once you're fully dialed into it. Some of the character designs are ridiculous and dated poorly almost instantly on release. Yet it feels like a labor of love, executed with the best of intentions, just like Rex's quest to Elysium, and once you're in the thick of this game, you're in.
I will admit that I fall for plots that spend more time developing friendships and foregoing the chosen one/fate plots more than anything, which is what this game delivers in spades. It's full of rote, soppy Shonen Jump-derived beats that just hit me like a truck, and while that might sound like a headache to some, I lapped it up by the time credits rolled. This is a PS2 game in the best possible way. I won't explain anymore what I mean about that for free LOL play this game though
The combat system is a little complicated and unnecessarily bloated but super rewarding once you're fully dialed into it. Some of the character designs are ridiculous and dated poorly almost instantly on release. Yet it feels like a labor of love, executed with the best of intentions, just like Rex's quest to Elysium, and once you're in the thick of this game, you're in.
I will admit that I fall for plots that spend more time developing friendships and foregoing the chosen one/fate plots more than anything, which is what this game delivers in spades. It's full of rote, soppy Shonen Jump-derived beats that just hit me like a truck, and while that might sound like a headache to some, I lapped it up by the time credits rolled. This is a PS2 game in the best possible way. I won't explain anymore what I mean about that for free LOL play this game though
2022
A good cozy time with mechanics and levels that are super fun to blast through at high speed. Some of the dialogue came off a little stilted but it’s a tiny part of the game, really
trashy but fun! the escalation of scale in storytelling from start to end was wild. almost stereotypical JRPG narrative but it does what it does really well! love the art style also.