guiltyparty
2011
Deliberate binaries and strong imagery punctuate a whimsical narrative with surprising nuance. Fun to play, with a fair bit of freedom.
1992
Lots of avenues for experimentation through the job system. Pretty straightforward plot, but the gameplay here is some of the franchise's most robust.
With a striking genre shift, Kinoko Nasu plays with expectations and pens a poignant finale, capping off his study of heroism with an exploration of villainy and victimhood.
While it sports more grounded conflict than the high fantasy of Ishgard, Stormblood's excellent compositions and enjoyable raids are a treat in their own right.
2017
This review contains spoilers
Do you think games are silly little things?
A challenging game with highly entertaining patterns and visual cues, set to some of ZUN's strongest tracks. Not for the faint of heart.
A brilliantly-paced mystery game with exceptionally solid writing and remarkable swerves. Vibrant faces, fluid animation, engaging mechanics and plenty of narrative hooks — nothing short of a delight on all fronts.
A clever story with creative tone shifts and a unique "switch-based" flowchart system. While the main story is enjoyable enough, the true highlight is in one of the guest scenarios: an over-the-top tiff between rival assassins penned by TYPE-MOON's Kinoko Nasu, with art by his partner-in-crime Takeuchi.
Soken's radiant score punctuates an engaging story and some of the game's best dungeons yet. Astoundingly, Natsuko Ishikawa manages to spin some of the franchise's least interesting antagonists into, quite possibly, its finest.
Despite being the sole playable character, venturing with the rambunctious Yuffie feels both rich and satisfying, thanks to her unique ninjutsu and her synergy — to say nothing of her chemistry — with the newly introduced Sonon. It's a fairly short romp, especially if you're not going out of your way to play Fort Condor, but it has all of the bits and bobs that made the base game so exhilarating: a spectacular soundtrack, dynamic cutscenes with clean gameplay transitions, and truly remarkable character writing.
Pokemon at its strongest, boldest, and most visually impressive. The franchise's crown jewel.
"Planned chaos" at its best. A treat for the eyes and a feast for the ears.
2003
Unnerving and disorienting, with particularly effective sound design and immersive sensory writing. Fairly engaging and a touch wicked when it's not being overly gratuitous, but it's often trying a bit too hard.
2020
Kodaka's FMV experiment is a cute two-hour adventure with fine cinematography, but not a particularly intuitive one. Ultimately not too memorable.
1994
One of the franchise's most beloved entries, and for good reason. Featuring an astoundingly diverse cast, a rich setting that blends magic and machinery, an intricate plot, groundbreaking cinematic tricks, and one of Uematsu's finest scores, Final Fantasy VI has withstood the test of time.