Scorn is an uneven balance of Riven-like alien techno-puzzling and atmospheric existential horror akin to SOMA. The art is a perfect amalgamation of Giger & Beksiński, fleshy organic architecture amassed across the surface of a dying world. The first two-thirds present particularly engaging core puzzles, as you slowly unpick the purpose of the machines you are revving up, often leading to some sort of sacrifice of an innocent(?) being (ranging from tiny weird guys to enormous weird guys) in this abject world. The wordless communication of the narrative through exploration, the environment & your ritualistic puzzling is refreshing (in a time where many games won't. shut. up).

The alien life wandering the flesh-corridors are alluring at first, with some interesting behaviours ambivalent to, & decentering, the player. But their placement and the very awkward feeling combat generates annoyance rather than tension, a very clumsy implementation of what was probably envisioned as a ‘living’ world but grew smaller in scope as they struggled to bring this to release. This is most evident in the very dull final chapter where a (puzzle) boss and most puzzles are solved with blunt-force explosives. Despite my final impressions, Ebb has a really strong foundation here and I look forward to seeing how they grow.

12 years on from the strange, incomplete original, DD2 is more of the same, uneasily sitting between the uncompromising Souls series & more conventional narrative ARPGs. At times evoking a desolate offline MMO, DD2 is at its best when out in the wilds, the sun setting at your back & two or more beasts landing on the path ahead, all Arising out of dynamic systems.

The main questline unfortunately does not play to these strengths, with much of Act I confined to the capital & some really dull writing. Fortunately, writing does not maketh a game, and side-quests that take you out into the unreasonably huge map are much more interesting, and really need to be sought out in the crowds and corners of the world. Keeping track of these with the bizarre quest tracker is uneven and obtuse: you’re either reading the landscape and tracing clues or just beating your head against a wall figuring out what the game requires of you.

Dragon’s Dogma 2 is singular, not quite fully realised, a beautifully rendered physics-heavy oddity. The art direction is profoundly generic, but so deceptively understated it at times resembles a Ray Harryhausen film, full of weight, movement and character. DD2 makes you feel like you have friends, albeit stupid friends, who'd throw themselves off a cliff for a view of yonder.

While they’re all talking dinosaurs, Goodbye Volcano High’s characters felt more like genuine teenagers just trying to figure themselves out as high school comes to a close, before tragically having to come to terms with their futures being cut short. In the face of their inevitable end (in this case a looming asteroid), what matters to them is making the most of their lives in the moment and appreciating their loved ones and passions. It’s a bleak premise from the outset but largely a sweet and heartfelt game, enjoyed it a lot

And though it’s mainly narrative focused with dialogue choices, the rhythm game sections where your band play on stage were nice and connected me more with Fang and their dream to be a successful musician. The soundtrack in general is nice too

Surprisingly fun, if way too brutal Souls/Zelda-like.
You only get 2 heart upgrades in the ENTIRE game, and the upgrades are so minimal that you might kill first-level enemies with 2 slashes instead of 3 by the time you're maxed out.
Nevertheless, I had a really good time with it. The combat is fluid and fun. The world is heaps of fun to explore, with shortcut porn galore for anyone who loves that aspect of the Soul's games. And, the story is decent, with some funny characters and a tongue-in-cheek charm.

O jogo é based, kinazzo. É uma cápsula do tempo com cheirinho de falsa nostalgia, gostoso demais. Queria muito ter curtido o original na época, o pvp e etc pra hoje em dia não depender de emulador.

Já o "remake" é uma das coisas mais covardes que já vi, ao invés de corrigir certos probleminhas ou adicionar QOL relevante, só destruíram a direção de arte e praticamente apagaram a existência do jogo original. Um desrespeito sem igual.

A Sony é um câncer. A nota alta é unicamente pelo jogo original.