evaltus
2023
A genuine accomplishment of multi-media storytelling baked into a compelling narrative; a game resulting from love for all sorts of mediums of art. Have lots of thoughts on the game (including Saga herself being the weakest part of the game), but that'll have to wait until I finish the Final Draft. In the meantime, I'm gonna have Herald of Darkness on loop while I wait for whatever Remedy makes next.
Combat, though better than AW1's, is still not very good. Having more weapons to mess around with was nice, but once I found the crossbow, it seemed like a no-brainer since it lets you ignore the flashlight mechanic, and the game showers you with ammo. Unfortunately, there's even less to engage with here in terms of a narrative than AW1, and some of the voice acting is pretty damn bad, though at least, there's a nice moment you can hear over a radio of Barry still being troubled by Al's disappearance.
2021
Good ideas, but the execution leaves a lot to be desired. I can look past the cumbersome gameplay since the game showers you with enough flashbangs/flares that trivialize every encounter, but I really wish the writing was better. For the most part, I actually like the plot of AW1, but most of the cast (especially Alice) just doesn't get expanded upon, and while the manuscripts do a decent job of fleshing out a few characters and giving the player a better understanding of certain scenes, they're just not enough. The only standout for me was Barry and that's mostly due to an amazing outfit (though he does have a surprisingly caring dynamic with Al) Also for a game centered around nightmarish creations coming to life, the environments were pretty disappointing; the taken screaming about omega-3s can only alleviate the monotony of bland dark forests for so long.
The best Danganronpa has been and a perfect send-off to the series. While nothing quite managed to reach the heights of 2-5 for me (3-5 comes damn close though), cases 1, 4, and 5 are all exquisite. and it's in large part due to solid character writing from the main trio and Kokichi. While not everything about the ending works (the post-credits scene), it offers a pretty thoughtful critique of how we engage with art.
2020
a game crushed by its own ambition. all the best creative elements of 5e are stripped away leaving one of the weakest narratives I've seen in an RPG and companions so shallow that even minor side characters were more interesting. maybe one day I'll bother to pick up bg3 again and start act 3, but I'm at the end of act 2 and the only thing that's left me impressed has been the production values and a single moment involving DU + shadowheart
2023
very much competently made, but ultimately just way too derivative for me to really appreciate. the game ends up being this blend of fromsoft's modern catalogue that doesn't really have much of an identity of its own. there are some pretty well-executed and unique ideas --the weapons combos and p-organs mainly--, but they're few and far between. do have to respect the decision to make a AAA game that's significantly harder than any modern FS game.
pretty shallow character writing for the most part (i can still hear nekomaru talking about shitting himself everytime i close my eyes), but the actual mysteries are a delight. excluding the last chapter, every murder is properly setup, and the moment where you piece everything together feels incredibly rewarding (the chapter 5 murder in particular had me speechless). fuck hangman's gambit though
so far have only done 1 ending, but outside of the chapter 1 and 4 bosses everything else was extremely trivial. The weapons feel extremely unbalanced and a burst damage build feels way better than any other due to how powerful stagger is. still had fun with the game despite the problems but man,a lot of the bosses were disappointing .
apart from the (mostly) awful humor, pretty much a strict improvement over xb1. 2's cast (including the antaogonists) is significantly more fleshed out, and the plot itself is incredibly ambitious. tora drags the game down a fair bit, morag doesn't get much, and rex + pyra/mythra's chemistry is a bit lacking, but most everything else is handled well.
the environments are a particular standout, with every titan having gorgeous areas, even if they didn't evoke the same wonder I got from the setting of xb1. makes exploring pretty engaging despite the poor implementation of field skills, though i do like the concept (and its accompanied by a great soundtrack). chain attacks take too long (though they don't drag on for quite as long as xb3), but the combat system, once it opens up leads to some quick and engaging, albeit simple, fights
the environments are a particular standout, with every titan having gorgeous areas, even if they didn't evoke the same wonder I got from the setting of xb1. makes exploring pretty engaging despite the poor implementation of field skills, though i do like the concept (and its accompanied by a great soundtrack). chain attacks take too long (though they don't drag on for quite as long as xb3), but the combat system, once it opens up leads to some quick and engaging, albeit simple, fights
This review contains spoilers
Very difficult to recommend, but if you can accept the jank, questionable dungeon design, rushed plot, and how it can look downright ugly at times, there are some truly nuanced and well-written characters to engage with (plus one of the best soundtracks out there).
Outside of the last couple of antagonists, every member of the main cast has something to say and is given very distinct characterization through their motivations for coming to Mobius. They can be dysfunctional, annoying, and downright cruel to others at times, but the game never treats them the lesser for it, and what makes this all work so well, is how Caligula handles its characters as individuals. Every character has been deeply hurt by something in their past, and the game does a (mostly) great job of examining their traumas through its character scenarios, which is where the writing really shines. Unlike a certain other modern high school jrpg, Caligula 1 doesn't give any easy answers or solutions to the characters' problems; there's no comically evil villain that you can just defeat to make everything go away. All you can do is listen to them and help them as much as you can.
The final thing I need to touch on is the music, because, man, the dungeon/character themes are something special. Each one is composed by a vocaloid producer and sung by Reina Ueda, and they add so much personality to the characters. Even ignoring the absurdly good vocals and composition, the way the lyrics of each song perfectly encapsulate the thoughts of the musicians (Stork's song in particular is a standout on a second reading of the lyrics) is truly impressive.
Outside of the last couple of antagonists, every member of the main cast has something to say and is given very distinct characterization through their motivations for coming to Mobius. They can be dysfunctional, annoying, and downright cruel to others at times, but the game never treats them the lesser for it, and what makes this all work so well, is how Caligula handles its characters as individuals. Every character has been deeply hurt by something in their past, and the game does a (mostly) great job of examining their traumas through its character scenarios, which is where the writing really shines. Unlike a certain other modern high school jrpg, Caligula 1 doesn't give any easy answers or solutions to the characters' problems; there's no comically evil villain that you can just defeat to make everything go away. All you can do is listen to them and help them as much as you can.
The final thing I need to touch on is the music, because, man, the dungeon/character themes are something special. Each one is composed by a vocaloid producer and sung by Reina Ueda, and they add so much personality to the characters. Even ignoring the absurdly good vocals and composition, the way the lyrics of each song perfectly encapsulate the thoughts of the musicians (Stork's song in particular is a standout on a second reading of the lyrics) is truly impressive.
Solid plot with an unfortunately very uneven script. There's some good character writing but what little there is gets worsened by how unnatural some scenes can feel. Still worth playing though since it has one of the best settings out there and pretty good music.
2015
Great writing for most main story chapters starting with Camelot, though the LB .5 chapters and events are very hit or miss. Fantastic character designs, and a varied ost that unfortunately does not get used very well most of the time (seriously, why are year 1/2 songs so prevalent?). Would rate it higher if not for the gacha elements
2023
Fun game with style but both the rhythm and action elements feel very half-baked. I ended up spamming two combos through most of the game and the beat is only ever in 4/4 time. The plot is a pretty milquetoast critique of capitalism, and while the characters are charming, they're almost all very static. The ost, while good, feels like it's used poorly during any of the non-boss encounters, as the other sounds just kinda drown the bgm out. Despite everything though, Tracks 11 and 12 are a real highlight of the game, as that's where the music shines. Only major complaint about them is the final boss's last phase, which just has way too much visual clutter going on whenever you use any companion abilities.
2019
Solid tower defense game, with some major problems. Limited characters never getting proper reruns, and there being no way to guarantee a character you want on regular banners is pretty unacceptable for a modern gacha game. Newer content hasn't been great either, with two of the permanent game modes released in the past year (SSS and IS2) being heavily reliant on luck, and a good chunk of recent event bosses have had pretty bad, albeit not difficult, mechanics. Also has awful opportunity cost problems, especially when it comes to buffing units through modules.
2021
pretty awful combat both in pve and pvp, but the game's writing (eden treaty in particular blows most other games out of the water), presentation, and music are phenomenal. cool setting as well despite basically having an all girl cast. gacha on the global version is especially brutal with the accelerated schedule though.