honko
It starts real good and the ending is defo a controversial one but I really liked it. Everything in the middle was exceedingly mid though. You barely meet any noteworthy characters and it sets up close to nothing for the ending, really feels like filler with some real lame cases.
2021
honestly I don't think these characters are as cool as everyone says. love the art style and the music tho. fun to play, wish you didn't die as quick, wish the game didn't take 5 minutes to start every time.
Extremely charming and lovely and just look at it and listen to the music and so on and so forth. This game suffers from early 3D syndrome like crazy though: every animation is just so damn long with multiple frames of wind-up on actions that were instant in every Kirby game before and after. Additionally in order to get the actual ending you need to find every crystal shard. A lot of them require using the ability combination mechanic which is brilliant but the game doesn't tell you beforehand which abilities you will need and sometimes doesn't even give you the necessary abilities in the level you're in so it's a real drag. I also find it very weird how every level just kinda ends, like you just walk through a door that looks like every other door except this one all of a sudden takes you to the end of level mini game so it never feels super satisfying to clear a level, it's always just kinda out of nowhere.
I feel like I am the inverse of what people like about this game since my friend who I played this entire thing with told me the Library level was widely hated and that level for me was the absolute highlight due to its strong atmosphere and more condensed level design. I really don't like how big and empty a lot of levels in this game feel, especially coupled with the ridiculously slow walking speed. I do think the game gets better as it goes on, starting with a good opener but then dropping you into a couple levels that I really did not like for aforementioned reasons but then coming around again towards the end in the last three or so levels. The music is really good throughout and the original look is great and that pussy ass Master Queef is funny but sadly I just didn't have a lot of fun playing it most of the time.
2017
you know how in super metroid the game barely tells you where to go so you just kinda explore shit at your own discretion? yeah it's like that
on a more serious note the exploration in this game is nearly unrivaled. there is such a legitamate sense of wonder as you enter a new area, deliberately crafted and enhanced by tiny little touches like how, depending on the area, you might get a map super early on or way late. this is my favorite game to just get lost in. the amount of stuff in this little guy is staggering - I never really cared if where I'm going is the way the devs wanted me to go or not because there is just so much stuff to find everywhere you go, whether it be lore, items, money, upgrades, etc. compared to metroid this game has a relatively small amount of upgrades to collect. this is kind of a double edged sword - the small amount of items grants an amazing sense of freedom to the world since progression in metroidvania titles tends to be locked behind certain upgrades. on the other hand there are few things to really spice up the combat. the fundamentals of it are rock solid - every swing feels satisfying and impactful and being able to pogo off of enemies and obstacles is always a good time. that being said, it can feel pretty basic and overly simplistic, especially at the beginning. great enemy and boss movesets rectify this problem to some extent, but I can certainly understand when people tell me that they think the combat is a little boring.
the visuals are needless to say stunning and the music does a great job of setting the tone. special shotouts to the frequent usage of dynamic music
on a more serious note the exploration in this game is nearly unrivaled. there is such a legitamate sense of wonder as you enter a new area, deliberately crafted and enhanced by tiny little touches like how, depending on the area, you might get a map super early on or way late. this is my favorite game to just get lost in. the amount of stuff in this little guy is staggering - I never really cared if where I'm going is the way the devs wanted me to go or not because there is just so much stuff to find everywhere you go, whether it be lore, items, money, upgrades, etc. compared to metroid this game has a relatively small amount of upgrades to collect. this is kind of a double edged sword - the small amount of items grants an amazing sense of freedom to the world since progression in metroidvania titles tends to be locked behind certain upgrades. on the other hand there are few things to really spice up the combat. the fundamentals of it are rock solid - every swing feels satisfying and impactful and being able to pogo off of enemies and obstacles is always a good time. that being said, it can feel pretty basic and overly simplistic, especially at the beginning. great enemy and boss movesets rectify this problem to some extent, but I can certainly understand when people tell me that they think the combat is a little boring.
the visuals are needless to say stunning and the music does a great job of setting the tone. special shotouts to the frequent usage of dynamic music
I clapped when Hurry Up! from Wario Land 4 played in one cutscene
2013
yoko taro's wild ride, full of bad gameplay, awful graphics, and an uncomfortable amount of sex jokes. and yet it all comes together to create an unforgettable experience.
I'd say the theme of drakengard 3 is contrast. now to be fair, contast was already the theme of taro's previous game, NIER, but this game has a very different spin on it - the contrast this game makes the player experience is beauty and sereneness clashing with grotesqueness. it is a game that has some of the most genuinely touching, human moments in any game I've ever played, while simultaneously making you want to throw it at the nearest wall with absurd difficulty spikes, awful frame rates, and boring, repetitive gameplay. at the same time it tells some of the best jokes in video games right next to some of the worst jokes and that is right next to some extremely dark, mature themes and that again is right next to some DMC style bullshit happening. I doubt aspects like the bad frame rate were an intenional part of the experience, not even yoko taro has enough balls to do that, yet it somehow works so well in unison with everything else that I can't help but appreciate it.
there is nothing else quite like drakengard 3 and I absolutely believe that it is worth trying for yourself, whether you are a hardcore drakennier fanboy or not. oh and play the DLCs - it shows how little square enix thinks of their customers that it is DLC in the first place but the added chapters really go a long way to not just improve the main game, but also stand on their own as some of the most interesting stories told in the gaming sphere.
I'd say the theme of drakengard 3 is contrast. now to be fair, contast was already the theme of taro's previous game, NIER, but this game has a very different spin on it - the contrast this game makes the player experience is beauty and sereneness clashing with grotesqueness. it is a game that has some of the most genuinely touching, human moments in any game I've ever played, while simultaneously making you want to throw it at the nearest wall with absurd difficulty spikes, awful frame rates, and boring, repetitive gameplay. at the same time it tells some of the best jokes in video games right next to some of the worst jokes and that is right next to some extremely dark, mature themes and that again is right next to some DMC style bullshit happening. I doubt aspects like the bad frame rate were an intenional part of the experience, not even yoko taro has enough balls to do that, yet it somehow works so well in unison with everything else that I can't help but appreciate it.
there is nothing else quite like drakengard 3 and I absolutely believe that it is worth trying for yourself, whether you are a hardcore drakennier fanboy or not. oh and play the DLCs - it shows how little square enix thinks of their customers that it is DLC in the first place but the added chapters really go a long way to not just improve the main game, but also stand on their own as some of the most interesting stories told in the gaming sphere.
2023
The final boss is kind of a letdown after the beast that was the Witch Queen's finale. On the other hand the ending is so wild and esoteric and bewildering that it makes me real excited for the future of the story.
Not a review, just some personal highlights:
The new music is good and stands up to the insanely high quality of the original tracks. I'd be lying if I said I always preferred the new tracks but I'd rather it be this way than if there was no new music.
The way the Noise interacts with various stage gimmicks is incredible. Pizza Tower has always been masterful at conveying characters non-verbally and this update just continues doing that perfectly.
The Noise feels a bit more advanced in comparison to Peppino. It takes a bit to learn him but mastering him allows for things you couldn't have dreamt of before and it's just great. Perfect for being a reward for clearing the game as Peppino.
It's insane to think that this game has not one, but two of the best playing characters in its genre now. I couldn't kiss its ass enough even if I tried
The new music is good and stands up to the insanely high quality of the original tracks. I'd be lying if I said I always preferred the new tracks but I'd rather it be this way than if there was no new music.
The way the Noise interacts with various stage gimmicks is incredible. Pizza Tower has always been masterful at conveying characters non-verbally and this update just continues doing that perfectly.
The Noise feels a bit more advanced in comparison to Peppino. It takes a bit to learn him but mastering him allows for things you couldn't have dreamt of before and it's just great. Perfect for being a reward for clearing the game as Peppino.
It's insane to think that this game has not one, but two of the best playing characters in its genre now. I couldn't kiss its ass enough even if I tried
2023
This is a review exclusively about The Final Draft NG+ mode. There are full spoilers for both the base game and the NG+ ahead.
I'm not gonna beat around the bush, The Final Draft really disappointed me. The main game is a 5/5 for me, whereas this NG+ would at best be a 2/5.
First off, the new content: it's just not enough. Not enough to jusitfy an entire additional playthrough. Starting a new game with all your weapons and everything doesn't change as much about the game as you'd really want it to. I imagine there aren't a lot of people who love this game solely for its gameplay and at the very least I can say it isn't worse in NG+, but it certainly isn't improved. Of course I love the new Darling cutscenes as a massive Control fan - they are easily the best part of this. The new poems added to Saga's story are a joke in comparison.
Secondly, my major gripe with The Final Draft: the new story content. The changed dialogue in general is actually really interesting and just as well written as you'd expect from a Remedy game but the ending just ruins it. The Final Draft adds an extra cutscene taking place right after the main game's ending. That original ending is extremely ambiguous which suits the tone perfectly. Mystery is a huge part of why I love these games, this universe. This additional cutscene does its best to get rid of all ambiguity and just provide the most ideal outcome imaginable. Logan is fine, Saga is fine, Casey is fine, hell even Alan is fine. That one irks me. The last hours of the game are spent between Saga and Alan discussing how for the story to reach its conclusion, the hero must sacrifice themselves. Alan was to be that sacrifice and yet here he is, just fine, better than fine even. He says himself Scratch is gone. Excuse me but what the fuck does that mean? The "Wake is Scratch" twist is genius because it completely recontextualizes all of Scratch's actions - it makes you understand that the things he wanted to achieve don't stem from a place of pure evil. Scratch represents the dark in Alan. The things he doesn't want others to know about and hides even from himself. Scratch is a reflection in a mirror that is a lake that is really an ocean. So I ask again, what does "Scratch is gone" mean? To me it almost reads like Alan is "cured" which is just silly. I hope there is more to it than the literal reading of "the evil is defeated" but I really can't say, all I know is that it felt extremely deflating and underwhelming. The best comparison I could give is Nier: Automata, which also has a very ambiguous very good ending, only to later receive supplemental material that expands on it and by doing that lowers its impact.
I can't say there is an easy way to "fix" The Final Draft. More non story content would certainly be a start. But from a story perspective, I could totally see this being a sendoff to Saga, Alan, and the rest of the characters. If that was the intent, it might be unfair to critisize the new ending for being too positive. I do want these characters to get happy endings. But even then, I feel it should've been handled differently.
I'm not gonna beat around the bush, The Final Draft really disappointed me. The main game is a 5/5 for me, whereas this NG+ would at best be a 2/5.
First off, the new content: it's just not enough. Not enough to jusitfy an entire additional playthrough. Starting a new game with all your weapons and everything doesn't change as much about the game as you'd really want it to. I imagine there aren't a lot of people who love this game solely for its gameplay and at the very least I can say it isn't worse in NG+, but it certainly isn't improved. Of course I love the new Darling cutscenes as a massive Control fan - they are easily the best part of this. The new poems added to Saga's story are a joke in comparison.
Secondly, my major gripe with The Final Draft: the new story content. The changed dialogue in general is actually really interesting and just as well written as you'd expect from a Remedy game but the ending just ruins it. The Final Draft adds an extra cutscene taking place right after the main game's ending. That original ending is extremely ambiguous which suits the tone perfectly. Mystery is a huge part of why I love these games, this universe. This additional cutscene does its best to get rid of all ambiguity and just provide the most ideal outcome imaginable. Logan is fine, Saga is fine, Casey is fine, hell even Alan is fine. That one irks me. The last hours of the game are spent between Saga and Alan discussing how for the story to reach its conclusion, the hero must sacrifice themselves. Alan was to be that sacrifice and yet here he is, just fine, better than fine even. He says himself Scratch is gone. Excuse me but what the fuck does that mean? The "Wake is Scratch" twist is genius because it completely recontextualizes all of Scratch's actions - it makes you understand that the things he wanted to achieve don't stem from a place of pure evil. Scratch represents the dark in Alan. The things he doesn't want others to know about and hides even from himself. Scratch is a reflection in a mirror that is a lake that is really an ocean. So I ask again, what does "Scratch is gone" mean? To me it almost reads like Alan is "cured" which is just silly. I hope there is more to it than the literal reading of "the evil is defeated" but I really can't say, all I know is that it felt extremely deflating and underwhelming. The best comparison I could give is Nier: Automata, which also has a very ambiguous very good ending, only to later receive supplemental material that expands on it and by doing that lowers its impact.
I can't say there is an easy way to "fix" The Final Draft. More non story content would certainly be a start. But from a story perspective, I could totally see this being a sendoff to Saga, Alan, and the rest of the characters. If that was the intent, it might be unfair to critisize the new ending for being too positive. I do want these characters to get happy endings. But even then, I feel it should've been handled differently.
2021
Deluxe? More like it sucks!
Nah but like, I really want just more of everything kinda deal. I would like more enemy variety, more stage gimmicks, and more arcade stages in general.
What is here is really good and its such a good concept and really fun but defo doesn't justify its full price to me. Now I got it on sale for like 3 bucks and I'd say its worth that much at least.
Nah but like, I really want just more of everything kinda deal. I would like more enemy variety, more stage gimmicks, and more arcade stages in general.
What is here is really good and its such a good concept and really fun but defo doesn't justify its full price to me. Now I got it on sale for like 3 bucks and I'd say its worth that much at least.
Can't really imagine playing this in single player cause it's so designed around the multi player experience (with some baffling exceptions) but as a multi player game yeah it's good, it's fun to play and its paced pretty rapidly, it never gets stale really.
My main complains are with its weird structure. Randomized areas and bosses are pretty typical for multiplayer focused games like Risk of Rain or Deep Rock Galactic but the difference is that in those games a run is what, like an hour at most? Makes these games very replayable. This run took me and my two buddies about 9 hours, at which point I just lose motivation to replay it even knowing how much I'm missing out on due to its randomized nature. It doesn't scratch either itch for me, as I feel I didn't get as much out of it in a single run as I would have without all the random bullshit or in multiple, shorter runs that are all vastly different.
My main complains are with its weird structure. Randomized areas and bosses are pretty typical for multiplayer focused games like Risk of Rain or Deep Rock Galactic but the difference is that in those games a run is what, like an hour at most? Makes these games very replayable. This run took me and my two buddies about 9 hours, at which point I just lose motivation to replay it even knowing how much I'm missing out on due to its randomized nature. It doesn't scratch either itch for me, as I feel I didn't get as much out of it in a single run as I would have without all the random bullshit or in multiple, shorter runs that are all vastly different.
2001
Consider this a lukewarm 4/5. This is the sort of game that more than just encourages replays, it's practically built to not be done after seeing the credits once. That being said the first time experience for any game is an extremely important one, and for me that experience was a 4/5. Should I ever revisit the game, get better at bosses and combat in general, the score might very well change.
2021
This review contains spoilers
I would've really liked it if it wasn't for some huge issues. Let's go over them.
1. The game's checkpoints are not great. I had to refight the Ornstein and Smogh ripoff boss fight three times since I died almost insantly after defeating them because at that point any water will drain your health at a ridiculous rate and you die within seconds. The devs could have made the game autosave after beating a boss or even do a Dark Souls 3 and put a checkpoint in the boss arena but nope. The checkpoint system itself is kinda stupid too: so like in Dark Souls, checkpoints fully heal you and restore all your healing items but unlike Dark Souls using checkpoints comes at no cost which is to say enemies don't get revived. That means there's no reason not to walk back to the last checkpoint after every encounter which robs the game of a lof of challenge which it could've used.
2. The bosses kinda suck. The previously mentioned Ornstein and Smough boss is the best one in the game as its structure makes it so you can't just circle strafe around them like for most other bosses. The other exception to this rule is the final boss which is by far the worst one in the game. He has this really fun machine gun move where for like legit 30 seconds he'll non stop fire homing projectiles. The only strat to avoid damage here is to hide behind one of the pillars in the boss arena. All his other moves are super unnoteworthy except for one move where he'll suddenly throw a barage of fire balls at you. This move has next to no wind-up and can deal ridiculous damage, I remember dying to it with more than four full health bars. The other bosses are fine overall and some are even good but yeah for pretty much all of them if you just keep strafing around them they can't do shit.
3. The metro area. This one fucking area made me dislike the entire game so much more. And it was so close to being good too - the atmosphere is amazing. It's the darkest area in the game and the only one where the map doesn't show you anything. Combine that with some real spooky enemy designs and you got some real strong vibes, ruined by the game's lighting. So like some other games like Hollow Knight at one point you can get a little lantern as a light source. The problem is that lantern doesn't at all follow the player - it is its own entity that tries to follow the player but it really struggles doing so. Its path finding is really not great so it'll constantly get stuck around corners and stuff leaving you in complete darkness. The light it casts is also just not very strong which defo enhances said atmosphere but my god does it make traversing this area tedious. You can take like five steps before you gotta wait for your little light source buddy to catch up which a lot of the time it fails to do, I really don't get how they tested this shit out and didn't think to change it for the final game. Oh yeah and about the strong atmosphere? Ruined by meme drawings on the wall. The dev let people on Twitter submit random artwork to plaster on the walls of this area, the idea being it's supposed to be like grafitti. It is kinda cool just for the novelty of it but also because it like tells you something about the world, like that there used to be people in the past who drew random shit on the walls and that's cool but like, being in this spooky ass area and suddenly seeing popular yugioh meme Ojama Lime on the wall instantly broke any sense of tension. I really would've preferred these grafitti things to be included in any other area instead.
I really wish I could've enjoyed this thing more and at times I really got into it, like it's made in the Doom engine so already it's a lot of fun play and the level design can be really strong and it has a good sense of exploration as you'd hope for a game like this to have but yeah, it sadly has too many issues for me to really be able to recommend it.
1. The game's checkpoints are not great. I had to refight the Ornstein and Smogh ripoff boss fight three times since I died almost insantly after defeating them because at that point any water will drain your health at a ridiculous rate and you die within seconds. The devs could have made the game autosave after beating a boss or even do a Dark Souls 3 and put a checkpoint in the boss arena but nope. The checkpoint system itself is kinda stupid too: so like in Dark Souls, checkpoints fully heal you and restore all your healing items but unlike Dark Souls using checkpoints comes at no cost which is to say enemies don't get revived. That means there's no reason not to walk back to the last checkpoint after every encounter which robs the game of a lof of challenge which it could've used.
2. The bosses kinda suck. The previously mentioned Ornstein and Smough boss is the best one in the game as its structure makes it so you can't just circle strafe around them like for most other bosses. The other exception to this rule is the final boss which is by far the worst one in the game. He has this really fun machine gun move where for like legit 30 seconds he'll non stop fire homing projectiles. The only strat to avoid damage here is to hide behind one of the pillars in the boss arena. All his other moves are super unnoteworthy except for one move where he'll suddenly throw a barage of fire balls at you. This move has next to no wind-up and can deal ridiculous damage, I remember dying to it with more than four full health bars. The other bosses are fine overall and some are even good but yeah for pretty much all of them if you just keep strafing around them they can't do shit.
3. The metro area. This one fucking area made me dislike the entire game so much more. And it was so close to being good too - the atmosphere is amazing. It's the darkest area in the game and the only one where the map doesn't show you anything. Combine that with some real spooky enemy designs and you got some real strong vibes, ruined by the game's lighting. So like some other games like Hollow Knight at one point you can get a little lantern as a light source. The problem is that lantern doesn't at all follow the player - it is its own entity that tries to follow the player but it really struggles doing so. Its path finding is really not great so it'll constantly get stuck around corners and stuff leaving you in complete darkness. The light it casts is also just not very strong which defo enhances said atmosphere but my god does it make traversing this area tedious. You can take like five steps before you gotta wait for your little light source buddy to catch up which a lot of the time it fails to do, I really don't get how they tested this shit out and didn't think to change it for the final game. Oh yeah and about the strong atmosphere? Ruined by meme drawings on the wall. The dev let people on Twitter submit random artwork to plaster on the walls of this area, the idea being it's supposed to be like grafitti. It is kinda cool just for the novelty of it but also because it like tells you something about the world, like that there used to be people in the past who drew random shit on the walls and that's cool but like, being in this spooky ass area and suddenly seeing popular yugioh meme Ojama Lime on the wall instantly broke any sense of tension. I really would've preferred these grafitti things to be included in any other area instead.
I really wish I could've enjoyed this thing more and at times I really got into it, like it's made in the Doom engine so already it's a lot of fun play and the level design can be really strong and it has a good sense of exploration as you'd hope for a game like this to have but yeah, it sadly has too many issues for me to really be able to recommend it.
This is a compilation title. As someone who has already played every other game in the series, this is immediately rather disheartening. They did do a nice job remaking all the old mini games and making them feel right in line with those from Rhythm Heaven DS and Fever but it still doesn't make them very exciting. What is very exciting are the new mini games. Sadly, there aren't too many of them, but those that there are are all absolutely fantastic, some of my personal favorites in the entire franchise even. The remix stages are also all entirely new and also blow it out of the park, even if largely based on mini games from the previous games. However, they also put focus on this game's weakest aspect: its structure.
Rhytyhm Heaven Megamix is the first time a Rhythm Heaven game has a story with cutscenes and dialogue put between the mini games. Quite frankly, I am not thrilled about the writing here. All of the prior games have writing in them through the descriptions, tutorials, and most importantly the unlockables and throughout these three games all of those are written impeccably. They're full of heart, hilarious, and short and to the point. The writing in Megamix is really convoluted, the characters just keep talking in the cutscenes and its a real pace breaker. The things I mentioned earlier have equally suffered in quality, with the writing for descriptions etc. simply not being anywhere near as funny or endearing as its predecessors.
The game also does something rather interesting that I am not at all a fan of: each of the mini games played for the first 1-2 hours are bastardized, shorter, and easier versions of their original counterparts. There's no remix stages for these either. Only a couple hours in does it feel like the game is actually starting, providing the original versions of the old mini games, which are far more enjoyable. That's where remixes are introduced back into the game too and as mentioned, these are lovely.
If you're a Rhythm Heaven fan you've probably already played this but if not, and you're asking yourself whether this is a good entry point, I would wholeheartedly recommend you to seek out any of the other titles.
Rhytyhm Heaven Megamix is the first time a Rhythm Heaven game has a story with cutscenes and dialogue put between the mini games. Quite frankly, I am not thrilled about the writing here. All of the prior games have writing in them through the descriptions, tutorials, and most importantly the unlockables and throughout these three games all of those are written impeccably. They're full of heart, hilarious, and short and to the point. The writing in Megamix is really convoluted, the characters just keep talking in the cutscenes and its a real pace breaker. The things I mentioned earlier have equally suffered in quality, with the writing for descriptions etc. simply not being anywhere near as funny or endearing as its predecessors.
The game also does something rather interesting that I am not at all a fan of: each of the mini games played for the first 1-2 hours are bastardized, shorter, and easier versions of their original counterparts. There's no remix stages for these either. Only a couple hours in does it feel like the game is actually starting, providing the original versions of the old mini games, which are far more enjoyable. That's where remixes are introduced back into the game too and as mentioned, these are lovely.
If you're a Rhythm Heaven fan you've probably already played this but if not, and you're asking yourself whether this is a good entry point, I would wholeheartedly recommend you to seek out any of the other titles.