h0l0gram
aria of sorrow is my second favorite castlevania game and my favorite 2d one, but this is the game that i would recommend if you want to start playing castlevania, let's talk about it
the graphics are, fine, it's gba you can't have everything, i think the scenarios are a bit boring, but the character and enemy design are really good, also the music fucking slaps
the gameplay is fun as hell, the basic metroidvania that made everyone fall in love with the genre, but after two bad tries on the gba, aria of sorrow got a lot of polishment on it's systems
the story is eh... it's ok, principally by castlevania standards, the characters are pretty good though principally julius
the exploration is the best part, because the castle is actually small, and that makes going from one place to another really quick, and it's actually easy to find yourself if you get lost
the souls mechanic is really fun, but the random part of it is shit, it feels like "oh man each of my playthroughs will be different so cool" and then by the end it's like "please drop the souls succubus i'm crying here"
the game takes a lot from symphony of the night, but it's a lot better for the quality of life and because the game is shorter, i've put 8 hours into aria and i have 97% of the game
aria is one of the best experiences out there, short and amazing 100% recommend to everyone that likes videogames
the graphics are, fine, it's gba you can't have everything, i think the scenarios are a bit boring, but the character and enemy design are really good, also the music fucking slaps
the gameplay is fun as hell, the basic metroidvania that made everyone fall in love with the genre, but after two bad tries on the gba, aria of sorrow got a lot of polishment on it's systems
the story is eh... it's ok, principally by castlevania standards, the characters are pretty good though principally julius
the exploration is the best part, because the castle is actually small, and that makes going from one place to another really quick, and it's actually easy to find yourself if you get lost
the souls mechanic is really fun, but the random part of it is shit, it feels like "oh man each of my playthroughs will be different so cool" and then by the end it's like "please drop the souls succubus i'm crying here"
the game takes a lot from symphony of the night, but it's a lot better for the quality of life and because the game is shorter, i've put 8 hours into aria and i have 97% of the game
aria is one of the best experiences out there, short and amazing 100% recommend to everyone that likes videogames
2021
what to say about death's door, it is my second favorite game from 2021 right behind NEO: twewy, this review won't contain spoilers for the story, the story is not the focus of the game, but it is good so i recommend you to play it and experience it for yourself
the gameplay is basic, but it's so good and smooth, the weapons are really basic, but each one can be used for different situations, the stats buff doesn't change your character until the point it gets broken, but you can feel the changes and it feels great yet challenging
the difficulty is really well balanced, not too hard and not too easy, with a good 2 hours everyone can beat a boss
the ost is so so so good omg, the music is amazing and it shapes your mood perfectly to what the game wants, the graphics are beautiful and full of charm as well
the characters are funny, charismatic and deep, there's not a single character i don't like in this game
now the only problem of the game is simple, it's too short, even though after you beat the game you have extra content it's still short, i have two runs with all the achievements on my steam account and i got only 25 hours, which is sad, but still amazing
if you've never played death's door do it, there is no wrong here, or just wait for a steam sale if you value your money that much
the gameplay is basic, but it's so good and smooth, the weapons are really basic, but each one can be used for different situations, the stats buff doesn't change your character until the point it gets broken, but you can feel the changes and it feels great yet challenging
the difficulty is really well balanced, not too hard and not too easy, with a good 2 hours everyone can beat a boss
the ost is so so so good omg, the music is amazing and it shapes your mood perfectly to what the game wants, the graphics are beautiful and full of charm as well
the characters are funny, charismatic and deep, there's not a single character i don't like in this game
now the only problem of the game is simple, it's too short, even though after you beat the game you have extra content it's still short, i have two runs with all the achievements on my steam account and i got only 25 hours, which is sad, but still amazing
if you've never played death's door do it, there is no wrong here, or just wait for a steam sale if you value your money that much
when i bought skull i played it non stop, i've been playing for the last 10 days and i have 20 hours, and i can't get myself to play it again, so let's go for the review
to start with the good things, the ost is awesome, and the skull changing mechanics are so enjoyable and cool to use
in the bad part, there is no method of healing in boss rooms, and bosses smash your skull with ease, there are just a few characters and they are so so bland
and all the rest of good and bad points are just opposittes
the graphics are really good, but the graphic design is SO GENERIC oh my god
the gameplay is fun, hard and quick, but after 20 runs it just gets repetitive and annoying
the different skulls are nice and the capability to evolve them is really cool, but in 20 hours i only managed to evolve a skull to it's max potential once
the game have a variety of itens each one with especial buffs that stack for each other item with the same buff, BUT YOU CAN'T SEE YOUR STATS
the story is fine, the boss fights epic, but the general atmosphere is boring, i don't get an incentive to interact with the characters so i always forget my prime objective because i don't care about it, because the game doesn't get me to care
skul is the perfect half score game, it does so many things nice, but so many things wrong at the same time
to start with the good things, the ost is awesome, and the skull changing mechanics are so enjoyable and cool to use
in the bad part, there is no method of healing in boss rooms, and bosses smash your skull with ease, there are just a few characters and they are so so bland
and all the rest of good and bad points are just opposittes
the graphics are really good, but the graphic design is SO GENERIC oh my god
the gameplay is fun, hard and quick, but after 20 runs it just gets repetitive and annoying
the different skulls are nice and the capability to evolve them is really cool, but in 20 hours i only managed to evolve a skull to it's max potential once
the game have a variety of itens each one with especial buffs that stack for each other item with the same buff, BUT YOU CAN'T SEE YOUR STATS
the story is fine, the boss fights epic, but the general atmosphere is boring, i don't get an incentive to interact with the characters so i always forget my prime objective because i don't care about it, because the game doesn't get me to care
skul is the perfect half score game, it does so many things nice, but so many things wrong at the same time
2020
i love roguelikes, like a lot, and going under may not be one of the best gameplay-wise but it's one of the best i've ever played
let's start by the bad things, the gameplay is simple, and neither the power ups nor the weapons create cool bizzare cenarios like tboi or hades
also the way the powerups are unlocked is too bland, i would prefer a shop where i could buy the ones that i find more interesting instead of them coming in order
the main hub feels too empty, differently from hades or dead cells it's a really big place with few things to do, it's not bad just a first disapointing impression
and that's it, now to start the good things, the ost is incredible, each music ties perfectly to it's respective place, and while simple the graphics are really cute and the art design is amazing, each character has a bunch of panels that adds a layer depth to each one
and the characters are really fun, they are simple yet complex, the way their relationship to jackie grows every time you talk, and with almost non-repeating phrases, i can't help but love them
there are only 3 dungeons but each one of them are cool to explore with distinct enemies and really cool boss battles
but everything doesn't matter when the best aspect of going under comes out, the funny, i laughed at every part of the game, each weird thing that happenned, each funny line, each reference to the real world, god this game is so funny yet real
the jokes about business are so funny yet so real, it makes you think between the laughters, the whole game is created around this aspect, and it actually nails it
for last the story, it's actually good, not amazing but very much enjoyable, the final boss fight is one of the best moments in the game with one of the best songs
i wouldn't recommend going under if you dislike the majority of roguelikes or think that games are "only entertainment and shouldn't touch real life aspects and problems", this game is really good and if you don't have any of the mentioned problems, i recommend it 100%
let's start by the bad things, the gameplay is simple, and neither the power ups nor the weapons create cool bizzare cenarios like tboi or hades
also the way the powerups are unlocked is too bland, i would prefer a shop where i could buy the ones that i find more interesting instead of them coming in order
the main hub feels too empty, differently from hades or dead cells it's a really big place with few things to do, it's not bad just a first disapointing impression
and that's it, now to start the good things, the ost is incredible, each music ties perfectly to it's respective place, and while simple the graphics are really cute and the art design is amazing, each character has a bunch of panels that adds a layer depth to each one
and the characters are really fun, they are simple yet complex, the way their relationship to jackie grows every time you talk, and with almost non-repeating phrases, i can't help but love them
there are only 3 dungeons but each one of them are cool to explore with distinct enemies and really cool boss battles
but everything doesn't matter when the best aspect of going under comes out, the funny, i laughed at every part of the game, each weird thing that happenned, each funny line, each reference to the real world, god this game is so funny yet real
the jokes about business are so funny yet so real, it makes you think between the laughters, the whole game is created around this aspect, and it actually nails it
for last the story, it's actually good, not amazing but very much enjoyable, the final boss fight is one of the best moments in the game with one of the best songs
i wouldn't recommend going under if you dislike the majority of roguelikes or think that games are "only entertainment and shouldn't touch real life aspects and problems", this game is really good and if you don't have any of the mentioned problems, i recommend it 100%
This review contains spoilers
this is one of the worst games i have ever played, it is so so boring, but i am getting ahead of myself
let's talk about it's positive points, the graphics are great, and the music is really good
the end
let's start with the gameplay, it's persona 1 psp but worse, the battles are too slow and all the systems are unbalaced
every skill costs too much SP, at the same time the boost mechanic is too strong and always makes battles too easy
farming is such a drag on, enemys on old areas never give enough EXP and enemys on new areas are too strong to grind, also bosses are too strong principaly kamoshidaman, in my playthrough i spent more time grinding for his fight than getting to it
the ammount of random battles is slightly more than i can tolerate, and the maps often lead to roadblocks with no reward, the golden chests would be a fun addition if exploring the map wasn't so boring
the characters are completely distorted, principally p4 and p5 cast where they are much more annoying than in their respective games, hikari is the only exception and the only thing that makes me give this game a 1 rather than a 0.5
the story is too predictable and bland, the final villain isn't threatning and the climax is shit, the character interactions sometimes are "cute" but mostly unfunny, the unison skills are ok, but after some time i just started skipping then
the navi skills in battle are almost useless in battle because the meter takes too long to fill, also the baton pass is useless
i really wanted to like the game for my first 4 hours of it were really fun, yet it's just so disappointing
if you really really love old JRPGS, persona 3, 4 and 5, cool music, exaggerated tropes and quirky anime, you will probably like the game
otherwise, i can't recommend it
let's talk about it's positive points, the graphics are great, and the music is really good
the end
let's start with the gameplay, it's persona 1 psp but worse, the battles are too slow and all the systems are unbalaced
every skill costs too much SP, at the same time the boost mechanic is too strong and always makes battles too easy
farming is such a drag on, enemys on old areas never give enough EXP and enemys on new areas are too strong to grind, also bosses are too strong principaly kamoshidaman, in my playthrough i spent more time grinding for his fight than getting to it
the ammount of random battles is slightly more than i can tolerate, and the maps often lead to roadblocks with no reward, the golden chests would be a fun addition if exploring the map wasn't so boring
the characters are completely distorted, principally p4 and p5 cast where they are much more annoying than in their respective games, hikari is the only exception and the only thing that makes me give this game a 1 rather than a 0.5
the story is too predictable and bland, the final villain isn't threatning and the climax is shit, the character interactions sometimes are "cute" but mostly unfunny, the unison skills are ok, but after some time i just started skipping then
the navi skills in battle are almost useless in battle because the meter takes too long to fill, also the baton pass is useless
i really wanted to like the game for my first 4 hours of it were really fun, yet it's just so disappointing
if you really really love old JRPGS, persona 3, 4 and 5, cool music, exaggerated tropes and quirky anime, you will probably like the game
otherwise, i can't recommend it