inferno60x
Super Time Force Ultra, an updated version of the original Super Time Force, is a side-scrolling action shooter developed by Capybara Games. With the original game releasing for the Xbox One and Xbox 360 in May 2014, the updated Super Time Force Ultra was released in September 2015 for the PlayStation 4 and PlayStation Vita. With a vibrant pixelated art style, wacky time travel shenanigans, and a unique time-bending mechanic baked in, the game has a lot going for it that made it an indie classic upon release. After playing the game, however, its moments of chaotic strategic fun and humorous storytelling efforts are overshadowed by repetitive level design, unbalanced difficulty, and a challenging gameplay loop that holds it back in my opinion.
While I’d usually start a review with an overview of the story, there isn’t much to go on here. It essentially boils down to this - you take control of the members of the Super Time Force, a time-traveling military organization, sent to various points in history by Comander Repeatski to stop a near-endless robot army from destroying the world. Again, it’s not a lot of story, but not every game needs to have an overblown dramatic narrative. Regardless of its brevity, however, the story that does exist is told through fantastic pixel art cinematics and dialogue that genuinely had me laughing at parts. It’s fun, short, and just enough to get the game underway.
Much like the story, the core gameplay is easy enough to understand as a side-scrolling shooter title. With obvious inspirations from the Metal Slug and Contra franchises, the player controls one of sixteen characters as they run and gun their way to the end of the level. With each character having their own unique ability and weapon, it gives the game quite a bit of depth and strategic variance on how any level can be tackled (even if several of these characters aren’t unlocked until well into the game’s runtime). Super Time Force Ultra, however, has one other mechanic it’s known for that makes this more than a simple run-and-gun shooter - the “Time Out” mechanic. This gameplay feature makes good use of the word “Time” in Super Time Force by allowing the player to rewind to a point before their death, pick a new character, and then resume playing alongside a ghost version of their original character. The absurdity of these time shenanigans and the multitude of ghost characters that can exist at one time creates a hilarious dance of past-selves, each blasting away at enemies in a glorious symphony of gunfire. This time bending ability opens up creative strategies, like sacrificing earlier versions to revive fallen comrades or setting up elaborate kill zones in difficult levels, and is undeniably cool. Unfortunately, the mechanic can quickly become confusing and overwhelming, where the game devolves into button mashing as enemy swarms and you constantly attempt to revive yourself and try again. I can’t say I disliked the mechanic overall and thought the idea was great, it just could have been executed better and eventually became far too much for me to handle, especially on the PlayStation’s Vita screen.
With an interesting time travel storyline and the Time Out mechanic, one would assume the level design and missions would follow suit. This is unfortunately not the case. The levels, while visually distinct in their textures and backgrounds, suffer from repetition in their execution usually consisting of a copy and paste of the same layout. Mission objectives rarely deviate from "blast everything" instead of taking advantage of the interesting mechanics that the game introduces. Compound this with a short campaign and less-than-stellar enemy variety, and Super Time Force didn’t leave a very lasting impression. While there are challenge modes to extend playtime, I’m not that dedicated to mastering game mechanics that genuinely give me a headache.
Super Time Force Ultra has potential, but its confusing game mechanics, repetitive levels, and short runtime prevent it from reaching its full potential. If you're looking for a quick burst of chaotic fun with a unique time mechanic, it might be worth giving it a shot. Just don't expect a timeless classic.
While I’d usually start a review with an overview of the story, there isn’t much to go on here. It essentially boils down to this - you take control of the members of the Super Time Force, a time-traveling military organization, sent to various points in history by Comander Repeatski to stop a near-endless robot army from destroying the world. Again, it’s not a lot of story, but not every game needs to have an overblown dramatic narrative. Regardless of its brevity, however, the story that does exist is told through fantastic pixel art cinematics and dialogue that genuinely had me laughing at parts. It’s fun, short, and just enough to get the game underway.
Much like the story, the core gameplay is easy enough to understand as a side-scrolling shooter title. With obvious inspirations from the Metal Slug and Contra franchises, the player controls one of sixteen characters as they run and gun their way to the end of the level. With each character having their own unique ability and weapon, it gives the game quite a bit of depth and strategic variance on how any level can be tackled (even if several of these characters aren’t unlocked until well into the game’s runtime). Super Time Force Ultra, however, has one other mechanic it’s known for that makes this more than a simple run-and-gun shooter - the “Time Out” mechanic. This gameplay feature makes good use of the word “Time” in Super Time Force by allowing the player to rewind to a point before their death, pick a new character, and then resume playing alongside a ghost version of their original character. The absurdity of these time shenanigans and the multitude of ghost characters that can exist at one time creates a hilarious dance of past-selves, each blasting away at enemies in a glorious symphony of gunfire. This time bending ability opens up creative strategies, like sacrificing earlier versions to revive fallen comrades or setting up elaborate kill zones in difficult levels, and is undeniably cool. Unfortunately, the mechanic can quickly become confusing and overwhelming, where the game devolves into button mashing as enemy swarms and you constantly attempt to revive yourself and try again. I can’t say I disliked the mechanic overall and thought the idea was great, it just could have been executed better and eventually became far too much for me to handle, especially on the PlayStation’s Vita screen.
With an interesting time travel storyline and the Time Out mechanic, one would assume the level design and missions would follow suit. This is unfortunately not the case. The levels, while visually distinct in their textures and backgrounds, suffer from repetition in their execution usually consisting of a copy and paste of the same layout. Mission objectives rarely deviate from "blast everything" instead of taking advantage of the interesting mechanics that the game introduces. Compound this with a short campaign and less-than-stellar enemy variety, and Super Time Force didn’t leave a very lasting impression. While there are challenge modes to extend playtime, I’m not that dedicated to mastering game mechanics that genuinely give me a headache.
Super Time Force Ultra has potential, but its confusing game mechanics, repetitive levels, and short runtime prevent it from reaching its full potential. If you're looking for a quick burst of chaotic fun with a unique time mechanic, it might be worth giving it a shot. Just don't expect a timeless classic.
2019
Xeno Crisis is a 2019 multi-directional arena shooter developed and published by Bitmap Bureau. Created as a love letter to classic arcade shoot-’em-ups like Robotron: 2084, Xeno Crisi released for a litany of systems including the Sega Genesis, Nintendo Switch, GameCube, Nintendo 64, PlayStation 4, and (most importantly for this review) the PlayStation Vita. In short, Xeno Crisis is an nightmare-infested bullet-hell that offers a satisfying nostalgic shooter experience with outstanding pixelated visuals and an impressive soundtrack but falls short due to its length and crushing difficulty.
Like most video games from the same genre and time period that Xeno Crisis pulls inspiration from, the story here is sparse. The entire plot centers around a distress signal from the scientific research facility Outpost 88 which has been overrun by some sort of outside invaders. After receiving this distress signal, Commander Darius tasks two space marines, John Marsh and Sarah Ridley, with eradicating the threat and rescuing any survivors. After choosing whether to take on the mission as a one-man killing machine or in tandem with a second player, your marine of choice is airdropped into the first level of the invasion and has to fight for their life.
To survive, the player must guide their marine in and out of enemy-invested rooms, clearing each one of the invaders and saving survivors along the way. While initially equipped with only a standard rifle, a limited supply of grenades, and a close-range melee attack, the player will soon discover a wide array of weaponry scattered throughout each level to utilize - i.e. flamethrowers, homing missiles, lasers, shotguns, etc. Unfortunately, these scavenged weapons are only usable for a short amount of time, but their firepower more than makes up for it. When every room has been cleared, a door to the level boss opens and the ultimate challenge begins. The six bosses in the game each have their own disgusting designs, inspirations, and mechanics that make them fun to destroy and best in combat. Their designs, however, all look to be just pixelated versions of demons from Doom or a straight one-to-one copy of a Lovecraftian monster. It’s not a bad thing, per se, and the pixel work is still outstanding, it’s just a tad disappointing.
The gameplay loop of Xeno Crisis - entering a room, killing anything that moves, grabbing whatever power-ups, ammo, and health you can find, and dashing to the next room to do it all again - is incredibly addicting. This, along with the game’s soundtrack, is what makes it a fantastic game to have on a handheld and why I can’t delete it off my Vita. Rolling credits on the game, however, is no easy task. Xeno Crisis is crushingly difficult, even on the easiest setting. There are of course options to upgrade your character after each successful level, but these incremental health increases or weapon upgrades don’t do much to curve the ever-increasing difficulty. Furthermore, the twin-stick controls the game employs - left joystick controlling character movement, right joystick controlling the direction of weapon fire - is less than ideal on the PlayStation Vita. On a legitimate controller with two full-size joysticks, I’m sure the twin-stick controls and the demanding precision and speed required to survive in Xeno Crisis are far easier than on the tiny nubs available on the Vita. And while the Vita’s joysticks are serviceable and worth putting up with to have this game available on the go, it might leave you with a hand cramp or two.
Overall, Xeno Crisis on the PlayStation Vita is a fantastic port for fans of old-school arcade shooters and those seeking a challenge. While the difficulty and short length do put a damper on the overall experience, it doesn’t take away from the sheer enjoyment of blasting wave after wave of enemies with an ever-increasing arsenal of weaponry. I can say with certainty that I will never go back and put myself through the hell of finishing Xeno Crisis, but I also can’t bring myself to delete the game. It’s an impressively fun pick-up-and-play shooter that functions as a fantastic time-waster where the player can cut their brain off and just pull the trigger until their chosen Marine or the invaders are dead.
In short, if you crave intense twin-stick action on the go and have the reflexes to match, Xeno Crisis offers a rewarding, nostalgic trip down memory lane that deserves its spot in your Vita’s library.
Like most video games from the same genre and time period that Xeno Crisis pulls inspiration from, the story here is sparse. The entire plot centers around a distress signal from the scientific research facility Outpost 88 which has been overrun by some sort of outside invaders. After receiving this distress signal, Commander Darius tasks two space marines, John Marsh and Sarah Ridley, with eradicating the threat and rescuing any survivors. After choosing whether to take on the mission as a one-man killing machine or in tandem with a second player, your marine of choice is airdropped into the first level of the invasion and has to fight for their life.
To survive, the player must guide their marine in and out of enemy-invested rooms, clearing each one of the invaders and saving survivors along the way. While initially equipped with only a standard rifle, a limited supply of grenades, and a close-range melee attack, the player will soon discover a wide array of weaponry scattered throughout each level to utilize - i.e. flamethrowers, homing missiles, lasers, shotguns, etc. Unfortunately, these scavenged weapons are only usable for a short amount of time, but their firepower more than makes up for it. When every room has been cleared, a door to the level boss opens and the ultimate challenge begins. The six bosses in the game each have their own disgusting designs, inspirations, and mechanics that make them fun to destroy and best in combat. Their designs, however, all look to be just pixelated versions of demons from Doom or a straight one-to-one copy of a Lovecraftian monster. It’s not a bad thing, per se, and the pixel work is still outstanding, it’s just a tad disappointing.
The gameplay loop of Xeno Crisis - entering a room, killing anything that moves, grabbing whatever power-ups, ammo, and health you can find, and dashing to the next room to do it all again - is incredibly addicting. This, along with the game’s soundtrack, is what makes it a fantastic game to have on a handheld and why I can’t delete it off my Vita. Rolling credits on the game, however, is no easy task. Xeno Crisis is crushingly difficult, even on the easiest setting. There are of course options to upgrade your character after each successful level, but these incremental health increases or weapon upgrades don’t do much to curve the ever-increasing difficulty. Furthermore, the twin-stick controls the game employs - left joystick controlling character movement, right joystick controlling the direction of weapon fire - is less than ideal on the PlayStation Vita. On a legitimate controller with two full-size joysticks, I’m sure the twin-stick controls and the demanding precision and speed required to survive in Xeno Crisis are far easier than on the tiny nubs available on the Vita. And while the Vita’s joysticks are serviceable and worth putting up with to have this game available on the go, it might leave you with a hand cramp or two.
Overall, Xeno Crisis on the PlayStation Vita is a fantastic port for fans of old-school arcade shooters and those seeking a challenge. While the difficulty and short length do put a damper on the overall experience, it doesn’t take away from the sheer enjoyment of blasting wave after wave of enemies with an ever-increasing arsenal of weaponry. I can say with certainty that I will never go back and put myself through the hell of finishing Xeno Crisis, but I also can’t bring myself to delete the game. It’s an impressively fun pick-up-and-play shooter that functions as a fantastic time-waster where the player can cut their brain off and just pull the trigger until their chosen Marine or the invaders are dead.
In short, if you crave intense twin-stick action on the go and have the reflexes to match, Xeno Crisis offers a rewarding, nostalgic trip down memory lane that deserves its spot in your Vita’s library.
DISCLAIMER I have no nostalgic attachment to the 1997 PlayStation 1 original Klonoa: Door to Phantomile. In actuality, I only picked up the 2022 remaster because the physical edition was on sale and I wanted it for my collection. It should be apparent then that my initial feelings of this game were untainted by nostalgia for the original or honest interest in the remaster. Therefore, I can say with a clear conscience and no ill will that this game is incredibly mediocre.
Klonoa: Door to Phantomile is 2.5D platformer developed by Namco and originally released on the PlayStation 1 in 1997. Directed by Hideo Yoshizawa, known for his work on the original Ninja Gaiden trilogy for the Nintendo Entertainment System, the game was originally planned to be an adaptation of the manga Spriggan with a plot centered around the Cold War and ancient artifacts of immense power. After licensing arrangements for Spriggan fell through, however, the original ideas were scrapped for a dreams motif and a more comical story. Upon release, Klonoa was met with near-universal praise but would never gain real traction in Western markets. Despite the poor sales numbers, the game would spawn a series of sequels, a 2008 remake released for the Nintendo Wii, and a 2022 high-definition remaster which is the subject of this review. With that said, in contradiction to the praise given to the original and the generally favorable reviews of the remaster, I believe the 1997 release fails to live up to other platformers released alongside it like Super Mario 64, Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back, and Mega Man X4 and the remaster pales in comparison to other recently released classic compilations like Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy, Super Mario 3D All-Stars, or the Mega Man and Mega Man X Legacy Collections.
As for the story, players are whisked away to Phantomile, a dreamworld of floating islands and cutesy enemies in danger of becoming a land of nightmares thanks to Ghadius and his trusty sidekick Joka. The player takes control of Klonoa and his trusty Wind Ring to save Phantomile and defeat Ghadius. This paper-thin plot is relayed to the player via cutscenes full of nonsensical gibberish with translated textboxes of dialogue. While the overall narrative is par for the course when compared to other platformers of the era, it doesn’t leave a very lasting impression even when considering the plot twist ending. Maybe playing the 2022 remaster without experiencing the 1997 original was a mistake or I simply expect more out of games today than I would have in the era of PlayStation 1, but I just can’t see the appeal of Klonoa’s cutscenes or story, and found my self fast-forwarding through most of it.
The player must guide Klonoa through six different worlds and over twelve levels of platforming and light puzzle-solving to save Phantomile. In total these levels are a mixed bag and their designs range from uninspired to boring. Some are breezy jaunts through vibrant forest landscapes or forgotten ruins, while others are labyrinthine messes of color, trial-and-error platforming, and backtracking puzzles. Enemy placement throughout can sometimes feel arbitrary or downright devilish, and there's a distinct lack of the inventive level design that made contemporary platformers like Super Mario 64 or Crash Bandicoot 2 so memorable. The moment-to-moment gameplay to get through these levels doesn’t help things either. Grabbing enemies with the use of the Wind Ring’s Wind Bullet to use them as projectiles, platforms, or perform a double jump is a neat gimmick, but compared to the genre-defining freedom of Super Mario 64, the fast-paced gameplay of Crash Bandicoot 2, the subversive oddness of Abe’s Oddysee, or the action-packed Mega Man X4, Klonoa feels basic.
With less-than-stellar gameplay and what I’d consider boring level design, the 2022 remake has little else going for it. There are of course updated visuals and smoother framerates, but that's about it. There's no new content, no gameplay tweaks, not even a hint of effort to modernize the experience. Compared to well-crafted collections like the Mega Man/Mega Man X Legacy Collections and the glorious Super Mario 3D All-Stars, Klonoa's remake feels like an afterthought. A selection of concept art or a music player would have been at least something to make this compilation feel more like a celebration of the franchise rather than a quick cash grab.
Overall, Klonoa: Door to Phantomile isn't a bad game and the remake is well put together, but in the company of its 1997 contemporaries and the plethora of better retro game compilations out today, it is forgettable. The charming visuals and unique ring mechanic can't overcome the bland level design, repetitive gameplay, and uninspired remake treatment. If you're looking for a platforming fix, there are countless titles, both retro and modern, that offer far more excitement and innovation. Klonoa might have a wisp of charm, but it's not enough to save it from being lost in the vast library of platforming excellence.
Unless you're a die-hard Klonoa fan or a completionist ticking off every obscure 90s platformer, Klonoa: Door to Phantomile is a game best left unopened. It's a decent reminder of a simpler time, but one that's ultimately surpassed by the platforming giants that were released alongside it.
Klonoa: Door to Phantomile is 2.5D platformer developed by Namco and originally released on the PlayStation 1 in 1997. Directed by Hideo Yoshizawa, known for his work on the original Ninja Gaiden trilogy for the Nintendo Entertainment System, the game was originally planned to be an adaptation of the manga Spriggan with a plot centered around the Cold War and ancient artifacts of immense power. After licensing arrangements for Spriggan fell through, however, the original ideas were scrapped for a dreams motif and a more comical story. Upon release, Klonoa was met with near-universal praise but would never gain real traction in Western markets. Despite the poor sales numbers, the game would spawn a series of sequels, a 2008 remake released for the Nintendo Wii, and a 2022 high-definition remaster which is the subject of this review. With that said, in contradiction to the praise given to the original and the generally favorable reviews of the remaster, I believe the 1997 release fails to live up to other platformers released alongside it like Super Mario 64, Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back, and Mega Man X4 and the remaster pales in comparison to other recently released classic compilations like Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy, Super Mario 3D All-Stars, or the Mega Man and Mega Man X Legacy Collections.
As for the story, players are whisked away to Phantomile, a dreamworld of floating islands and cutesy enemies in danger of becoming a land of nightmares thanks to Ghadius and his trusty sidekick Joka. The player takes control of Klonoa and his trusty Wind Ring to save Phantomile and defeat Ghadius. This paper-thin plot is relayed to the player via cutscenes full of nonsensical gibberish with translated textboxes of dialogue. While the overall narrative is par for the course when compared to other platformers of the era, it doesn’t leave a very lasting impression even when considering the plot twist ending. Maybe playing the 2022 remaster without experiencing the 1997 original was a mistake or I simply expect more out of games today than I would have in the era of PlayStation 1, but I just can’t see the appeal of Klonoa’s cutscenes or story, and found my self fast-forwarding through most of it.
The player must guide Klonoa through six different worlds and over twelve levels of platforming and light puzzle-solving to save Phantomile. In total these levels are a mixed bag and their designs range from uninspired to boring. Some are breezy jaunts through vibrant forest landscapes or forgotten ruins, while others are labyrinthine messes of color, trial-and-error platforming, and backtracking puzzles. Enemy placement throughout can sometimes feel arbitrary or downright devilish, and there's a distinct lack of the inventive level design that made contemporary platformers like Super Mario 64 or Crash Bandicoot 2 so memorable. The moment-to-moment gameplay to get through these levels doesn’t help things either. Grabbing enemies with the use of the Wind Ring’s Wind Bullet to use them as projectiles, platforms, or perform a double jump is a neat gimmick, but compared to the genre-defining freedom of Super Mario 64, the fast-paced gameplay of Crash Bandicoot 2, the subversive oddness of Abe’s Oddysee, or the action-packed Mega Man X4, Klonoa feels basic.
With less-than-stellar gameplay and what I’d consider boring level design, the 2022 remake has little else going for it. There are of course updated visuals and smoother framerates, but that's about it. There's no new content, no gameplay tweaks, not even a hint of effort to modernize the experience. Compared to well-crafted collections like the Mega Man/Mega Man X Legacy Collections and the glorious Super Mario 3D All-Stars, Klonoa's remake feels like an afterthought. A selection of concept art or a music player would have been at least something to make this compilation feel more like a celebration of the franchise rather than a quick cash grab.
Overall, Klonoa: Door to Phantomile isn't a bad game and the remake is well put together, but in the company of its 1997 contemporaries and the plethora of better retro game compilations out today, it is forgettable. The charming visuals and unique ring mechanic can't overcome the bland level design, repetitive gameplay, and uninspired remake treatment. If you're looking for a platforming fix, there are countless titles, both retro and modern, that offer far more excitement and innovation. Klonoa might have a wisp of charm, but it's not enough to save it from being lost in the vast library of platforming excellence.
Unless you're a die-hard Klonoa fan or a completionist ticking off every obscure 90s platformer, Klonoa: Door to Phantomile is a game best left unopened. It's a decent reminder of a simpler time, but one that's ultimately surpassed by the platforming giants that were released alongside it.
The original story of the iconic Metal Gear Solid received a unique retelling on the PlayStation Portable with the release of Metal Gear Solid: Digital Graphic Novel in June of 2006. Developed by Kojima Productions and published by Konami, this “video game” is more of an experiment in interactive storytelling, offering a digitized version of the Metal Gear Solid Comic drawn by Ashley Wood and published by IDW with added sound effects, animations, music, and other interactive bells and whistles. Unfortunately, while the nostalgia of Metal Gear Solid’s story is undeniable, the experience stumbles on its static presentation, limited interactivity, and, most importantly to a graphic novel, its artwork.
The story itself is a timeless classic, needing no introduction. Solid Snake's infiltration of Shadow Moses Island, the subsequent defeat of the rogue members of FOXHOUND (including his twin brother Liquid Snake), and the inevitable destruction of Metal Gear REX is a masterclass in narrative tension. This comic book adaptation, however, strays from its stellar source material at various moments to provide its own interpretation of the events. These alterations range from trivially minute to jarringly different and at times make no logical sense or portray important characters incorrectly. I understand this is an adaptation of Metal Gear Solid and was never going to be a 1-to-1 translation considering the interactive medium of video games, but changes made in any adaptation to the story and character portrayals in a source material should make sense, provide important missing details not found in the original, or transform the source material in an interesting and unique way. Metal Gear Solid: Digital Graphic Novel does none of these.
With that said, the changes made to this classic video game story could be entirely overlooked if everything else about this adaptation was spectacular, unfortunately, that is not the case. To understand what I mean, we have to first look at how the game is presented to a player. First, the "digital graphic novel" moniker suggests a unique blend of impressively drawn static panels and interactive elements. In reality, this means turning pages with button presses and occasionally scanning or zooming in on panels to uncover hidden secrets and unlock bonus content in the game's Memory Building Simulation mode. While some may find enjoyment in this game's rendition of Where’s Waldo as they scour every corner of the uneven artwork for that next tidbit of information, for me it comes off as just a glorified scavenger hunt that wasn’t worth my time or the eye strain. Unfortunately, this seek-and-find aspect, along with the connections required to fill out the Memory Building Simulation mode, is the most interactivity the game has to offer and these feel more like a tacked-on afterthought. For the most part, players will spend the bulk of their time as spectators, passively consuming the story of Metal Gear Solid without the genre-defining stealth gameplay and pulse-pounding boss fights.
My biggest issue with this adaptation, however, isn’t with its lack of interactive elements or even the changes made to the original story, it is with the artwork. All of the art for this digital graphic novel is pulled straight from the Metal Gear Solid comic illustrated by Ashley Wood. An Australian comic book artist and award-winning illustrator, Wood has been involved in several projects over his career including working for both Marvel and DC Comics as well as supplying art for the cinema scenes in both Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops and Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker. A winner of the 2002 Communication Arts Award of Excellence in Illustration and a collaborator with companies like Disney and Sony Pictures, there is no doubt that Woods is an incredibly talented illustrator. The artwork on display in the Metal Gear Solid: Digital Graphic Novel, however, is a mixed bag of illustrated artistic brilliance tossed among an unsurmountable amount of rushed and unfinished sketches. While some panels capture the essence of the Metal Gear universe, showcasing the tension and grit of the narrative, others appear unpolished and lack the finesse and detail one expects of both the Metal Gear franchise and the graphic novel medium. Edges are jagged, characters appear blocky or morph into awkward caricatures of themselves, backgrounds lack detail and depth or simply don’t exist at all, and the overall impression is one of unrealized potential. It’s not offensively bad, it just doesn't do justice to the franchise's visual legacy - especially the work of the lead character designer for the series Yoji Shinkawa.
Ultimately, the Metal Gear Solid: Digital Graphic Novel is a footnote in this long franchise's history. Not quite a game, not quite a graphic novel, and not quite something new altogether, it is best suited for completionists and die-hard fans who have an unhealthy obsession with collecting every scrap of franchise minutiae (like myself). For newcomers, it's a decent primer on the story, but the changes made to the narrative, the rough visuals, and the nonexistent gameplay might leave them wondering what all the fuss is about. If you're a seasoned Metal Gear Solid fan looking for a way to relive a classic or a newcomer hoping to get into the franchise, look elsewhere. But if you're willing to overlook the artistic shortcomings for a nostalgic trip down memory lane with a few bells and whistles, then this might just scratch that itch. Just don't expect a masterpiece or a revolution in interactive storytelling.
The story itself is a timeless classic, needing no introduction. Solid Snake's infiltration of Shadow Moses Island, the subsequent defeat of the rogue members of FOXHOUND (including his twin brother Liquid Snake), and the inevitable destruction of Metal Gear REX is a masterclass in narrative tension. This comic book adaptation, however, strays from its stellar source material at various moments to provide its own interpretation of the events. These alterations range from trivially minute to jarringly different and at times make no logical sense or portray important characters incorrectly. I understand this is an adaptation of Metal Gear Solid and was never going to be a 1-to-1 translation considering the interactive medium of video games, but changes made in any adaptation to the story and character portrayals in a source material should make sense, provide important missing details not found in the original, or transform the source material in an interesting and unique way. Metal Gear Solid: Digital Graphic Novel does none of these.
With that said, the changes made to this classic video game story could be entirely overlooked if everything else about this adaptation was spectacular, unfortunately, that is not the case. To understand what I mean, we have to first look at how the game is presented to a player. First, the "digital graphic novel" moniker suggests a unique blend of impressively drawn static panels and interactive elements. In reality, this means turning pages with button presses and occasionally scanning or zooming in on panels to uncover hidden secrets and unlock bonus content in the game's Memory Building Simulation mode. While some may find enjoyment in this game's rendition of Where’s Waldo as they scour every corner of the uneven artwork for that next tidbit of information, for me it comes off as just a glorified scavenger hunt that wasn’t worth my time or the eye strain. Unfortunately, this seek-and-find aspect, along with the connections required to fill out the Memory Building Simulation mode, is the most interactivity the game has to offer and these feel more like a tacked-on afterthought. For the most part, players will spend the bulk of their time as spectators, passively consuming the story of Metal Gear Solid without the genre-defining stealth gameplay and pulse-pounding boss fights.
My biggest issue with this adaptation, however, isn’t with its lack of interactive elements or even the changes made to the original story, it is with the artwork. All of the art for this digital graphic novel is pulled straight from the Metal Gear Solid comic illustrated by Ashley Wood. An Australian comic book artist and award-winning illustrator, Wood has been involved in several projects over his career including working for both Marvel and DC Comics as well as supplying art for the cinema scenes in both Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops and Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker. A winner of the 2002 Communication Arts Award of Excellence in Illustration and a collaborator with companies like Disney and Sony Pictures, there is no doubt that Woods is an incredibly talented illustrator. The artwork on display in the Metal Gear Solid: Digital Graphic Novel, however, is a mixed bag of illustrated artistic brilliance tossed among an unsurmountable amount of rushed and unfinished sketches. While some panels capture the essence of the Metal Gear universe, showcasing the tension and grit of the narrative, others appear unpolished and lack the finesse and detail one expects of both the Metal Gear franchise and the graphic novel medium. Edges are jagged, characters appear blocky or morph into awkward caricatures of themselves, backgrounds lack detail and depth or simply don’t exist at all, and the overall impression is one of unrealized potential. It’s not offensively bad, it just doesn't do justice to the franchise's visual legacy - especially the work of the lead character designer for the series Yoji Shinkawa.
Ultimately, the Metal Gear Solid: Digital Graphic Novel is a footnote in this long franchise's history. Not quite a game, not quite a graphic novel, and not quite something new altogether, it is best suited for completionists and die-hard fans who have an unhealthy obsession with collecting every scrap of franchise minutiae (like myself). For newcomers, it's a decent primer on the story, but the changes made to the narrative, the rough visuals, and the nonexistent gameplay might leave them wondering what all the fuss is about. If you're a seasoned Metal Gear Solid fan looking for a way to relive a classic or a newcomer hoping to get into the franchise, look elsewhere. But if you're willing to overlook the artistic shortcomings for a nostalgic trip down memory lane with a few bells and whistles, then this might just scratch that itch. Just don't expect a masterpiece or a revolution in interactive storytelling.
Dragonball Evolution, if you’ve purged it from your brain, was the 2009 20th Century Fox movie incredibly loose adaptation of the Dragon Ball manga by Akira Toriyama. Largely considered one of the worst movies of all time, a critical and commercial failure, and an undeniable stain on any future anime-to-cinema adaptations, to say the film was poorly received would be an understatement. Two days before the film's North American release on April 10, 2009, however, a fighting video game based on the film would be released for the PlayStation Portable. Dragonball Evolution: The Game was developed by Dimps, the same creatives behind the decently successful Dragon Ball Z: Shin Budokai series on the PSP. While I believe the game is better than the film it is based on, it still spectacularly fails at capturing the magic of the Dragon Ball franchise, falling short in both execution and engagement. Much like its film inspiration, the game attempts to capitalize on one of Japan’s most beloved mangas and anime, but ultimately disappoints even the most ardent of fans and is a monument to missed opportunity and corporate greed.
Instead of using the years of rich lore and intricate storylines available thanks to its source material, the game follows in the footsteps of the film and opts for a generic good-versus-evil narrative devoid of any depth or originality. The player mostly controls Goku, who looks more like a rejected high school age Street Fighter character than a Saiyan warrior, as he battles various mainstays of the Dragon Ball universe (whether friend or foe) to gather the seven Dragon Balls and stop Piccolo from taking over the world. While this is somewhat of an arc in the DragonBall manga/anime, it is the changes made to Goku and Piccolo’s origin story and the characterization of pivotal franchise staple characters that curtails this generic plot into absurdity. Fortunately for this game, and this review, this trainwreck of a plot is the fault of the film writers of Dragonball Evolution and doesn’t deserve much more consideration here as this is not a review of the film. How the ridiculous narrative of the film is conveyed to the player, however, does deserve attention - through compressed still character images pulled from the movie plastered in front of ugly color smeared backgrounds, boring text boxes full of cringe-inducing dialogue, abhorrent repetitive music, and the occasional mess of rendered cutscenes. It all comes together to deliver this already terrible plot in the worst way imaginable.
The visuals during the actual fighting game portion of Dragonball Evolution don’t fare much better either. Gone are the vibrant colors and dynamic recognizable aesthetic of Dragon Ball and in its place stands muted, jagged, character models that would look more at home on the set of a low budget Power Rangers fan film or a bad PlayStation 1 game. Environments are also bland, repetitive, and look like they were ripped from a budget stock photo website. This disconnect between the Dragonball created by Akira Toriyama, the characters and locations fans know and love, and what was delivered on both the screen and in this game is truly baffling and shows how little Hollywood understood anime culture at the time.
With a development team known for making decent Dragon Ball titles on the PSP (i.e. Dragon Ball Z: Shin Budokai and Dragon Ball Z: Shin Budokai - Another Road) it is amazing how terrible the combat in Dragonball Evolution truly is. Compared to the explosive energy of the source material or even Dimps other Dragon Ball titles, the fighting system on display here is a limp noodle and the AI as dumb as a rock. In short, the fighting system relies heavily on button-mashing, lacking any strategic depth or satisfying execution that defines a successful fighting game. Honestly, due to the game’s braindead AI, mashing the same attack repeatedly is enough to get through most encounters in the Story Mode and opponents in Arcade Mode don’t fare much better. Special attacks like the Kamamaheha, supposed to be explosive displays of power, are underwhelming whimpers that feel inconsequential due to the overall mechanical simplicity of the game and are rarely even needed to win a match. Mash buttons, watch flashy but meaningless animations, repeat. There's no strategy, no finesse, just a desperate hope that your character's attack will connect before your brain melts from boredom.
The only merciful aspect of Dragonball Evolution is its brevity. Completing the story mode can be done in an afternoon (it only took me 2 hours), leaving you with enough free time to do anything else - watch paint dry, count grass, read a book, or even play a better game.
Ultimately, Dragonball Evolution fails to deliver anything close to a satisfying experience for fans of the franchise or fighting games in general. It lacks the depth, polish, and engaging elements that defines a successful fighting game and the explosive energy and aesthetic that is required of a good Dragon Ball game. While it may hold some modicum of potential to appeal to a niche audience seeking a simple short button-mashing experience, it fails to live up to the legacy of the universe it seeks to imitate or the expectations of dedicated fans. In the vast pantheon of Dragon Ball games, it sits at the bottom gathering dust. In the impressive library of the PSP, it falls near the bottom of the list and is a prime contender for “Worst Game Based on a Movie” award (a hotly contested award to be honest). Even with zero expectations, Dragonball Evolution managed to disappoint me and this comes from someone who has seen the atrocity it is based on. Honestly, play any other Dragon Ball title than this.
Instead of using the years of rich lore and intricate storylines available thanks to its source material, the game follows in the footsteps of the film and opts for a generic good-versus-evil narrative devoid of any depth or originality. The player mostly controls Goku, who looks more like a rejected high school age Street Fighter character than a Saiyan warrior, as he battles various mainstays of the Dragon Ball universe (whether friend or foe) to gather the seven Dragon Balls and stop Piccolo from taking over the world. While this is somewhat of an arc in the DragonBall manga/anime, it is the changes made to Goku and Piccolo’s origin story and the characterization of pivotal franchise staple characters that curtails this generic plot into absurdity. Fortunately for this game, and this review, this trainwreck of a plot is the fault of the film writers of Dragonball Evolution and doesn’t deserve much more consideration here as this is not a review of the film. How the ridiculous narrative of the film is conveyed to the player, however, does deserve attention - through compressed still character images pulled from the movie plastered in front of ugly color smeared backgrounds, boring text boxes full of cringe-inducing dialogue, abhorrent repetitive music, and the occasional mess of rendered cutscenes. It all comes together to deliver this already terrible plot in the worst way imaginable.
The visuals during the actual fighting game portion of Dragonball Evolution don’t fare much better either. Gone are the vibrant colors and dynamic recognizable aesthetic of Dragon Ball and in its place stands muted, jagged, character models that would look more at home on the set of a low budget Power Rangers fan film or a bad PlayStation 1 game. Environments are also bland, repetitive, and look like they were ripped from a budget stock photo website. This disconnect between the Dragonball created by Akira Toriyama, the characters and locations fans know and love, and what was delivered on both the screen and in this game is truly baffling and shows how little Hollywood understood anime culture at the time.
With a development team known for making decent Dragon Ball titles on the PSP (i.e. Dragon Ball Z: Shin Budokai and Dragon Ball Z: Shin Budokai - Another Road) it is amazing how terrible the combat in Dragonball Evolution truly is. Compared to the explosive energy of the source material or even Dimps other Dragon Ball titles, the fighting system on display here is a limp noodle and the AI as dumb as a rock. In short, the fighting system relies heavily on button-mashing, lacking any strategic depth or satisfying execution that defines a successful fighting game. Honestly, due to the game’s braindead AI, mashing the same attack repeatedly is enough to get through most encounters in the Story Mode and opponents in Arcade Mode don’t fare much better. Special attacks like the Kamamaheha, supposed to be explosive displays of power, are underwhelming whimpers that feel inconsequential due to the overall mechanical simplicity of the game and are rarely even needed to win a match. Mash buttons, watch flashy but meaningless animations, repeat. There's no strategy, no finesse, just a desperate hope that your character's attack will connect before your brain melts from boredom.
The only merciful aspect of Dragonball Evolution is its brevity. Completing the story mode can be done in an afternoon (it only took me 2 hours), leaving you with enough free time to do anything else - watch paint dry, count grass, read a book, or even play a better game.
Ultimately, Dragonball Evolution fails to deliver anything close to a satisfying experience for fans of the franchise or fighting games in general. It lacks the depth, polish, and engaging elements that defines a successful fighting game and the explosive energy and aesthetic that is required of a good Dragon Ball game. While it may hold some modicum of potential to appeal to a niche audience seeking a simple short button-mashing experience, it fails to live up to the legacy of the universe it seeks to imitate or the expectations of dedicated fans. In the vast pantheon of Dragon Ball games, it sits at the bottom gathering dust. In the impressive library of the PSP, it falls near the bottom of the list and is a prime contender for “Worst Game Based on a Movie” award (a hotly contested award to be honest). Even with zero expectations, Dragonball Evolution managed to disappoint me and this comes from someone who has seen the atrocity it is based on. Honestly, play any other Dragon Ball title than this.
2023
The original release of Super Mario RPG holds a special place in my heart. It’s a game I watched my uncle play through a cracked door at my grandparents when I was supposed to be sleeping. It’s a SNES cartridge I still hold onto because it has my uncles save data on it, which has become even more special after his passing in 2021. To say my review of the remake will be clouded by nostalgia and tinged with bias is likely an understatement. Regardless, I’ve done my best to review Super Mario RPG as I would any other game, but I can’t promise I haven't overlooked a few shortcomings due to my inherent bias and love of this SNES classic.
Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars was originally released in North America for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System on May 13, 1996. A brainchild of Shigeru Miyamoto’s desire to make a Mario-inspired RPG and developer Square’s hopes to have an RPG sell better in Western markets, the game would sell more than 200,000 units within a month, be the most rented video game in the United States for fourteen straight weeks, and eventually became the sixth best selling game of 1996. In short, the game far exceeded Nintendo, Square, and fan expectations. Despite the critical acclaim and sales figures a sequel would never come and, while the gameplay elements, humor, and other aspects would be used as inspiration for the Paper Mario and Mario & Luigi series, Super Mario RPG was left to wallow in obscurity for nearly three decades…that was until a Nintendo Direct on June 21, 2023.
During the June 2023 Nintendo Direct a full remake of Super Mario RPG was announced and would release exclusively on the Nintendo Switch on November 17, 2023. Developed using the Unity Engine by ArtePiazza, known for their work on the Dragon Quest series and the Nintendo DS ports of Dragon Quest IV, V, and VI, the game featured full 3D graphics, updated character models and names, a newly arranged soundtrack by composer Yoko Shimomura, a new battle mechanic, and additional post-game content. With all of that background out of the way, let’s get to the review.
The first thing most players will notice about the 2023 remake is the game’s striking visual overhaul. While these new visuals fail to have the same nostalgic pull that other 2D-HD pixelated games have on me, such as the Octopath Traveler series for example, it does manage to capture the essence of the SNES original by lovingly translating those pixels into full 3D models, bursting with vibrant colors and expressive animations. From Mario's bouncy, energetic, and over-the-top movements when he recounts story beats to Geno's melancholic gaze and Mallow’s plump fluffiness, every character feels richer and more detailed. The environments, too, have also been reimagined with intricate details and a playful sense of scale that gives the game an almost diorama feel akin to Nintendo’s Captain Toad series.
Another obvious change from the original is the updated soundtrack. While the remakes soundtrack was also composed by Yoko Shimomura and retains much of the same beats and tunes from the 1996 original, all of the tracks have been slightly altered to match the new modern aesthetic. These new orchestral arrangements of the classic tracks retain the spirit of the original while adding depth and grandeur to this remade adventure. SNES purists, however, need not fret as an in-game option allows players to revert back to the original SNES chiptune glory.
Although the visuals and soundtrack may have seen changes, the gameplay of the SNES original remains largely unchanged in this 2023 remake. The once-innovative action RPG combat system, where timing your button presses adds power to your attacks, has gone on to influence several games in recent years such as Sea of Stars, but its inclusion here is still just as satisfying as it was at the game’s launch. Whether you’re timing Mario’s hammer swings to deal massive damage or unleashing Mallow’s powerful spells or Geno’s destructive Geno Flash, the compulsion to get the timing right and deal the most amount of damage keeps each battle engaging - in contrast to other RPGs where the player simply clicks a button and waits for an attack animation to play out. The remake does introduce subtle combat gameplay tweaks, like timing bonuses, splash damage effects, and the "Star Meter" that allows for powerful special attacks and character-specific abilities. While some may lament the lack of any major gameplay changes, I believe these slight additions ensure the combat is as fresh to veteran players as possible while respecting the game’s legacy.
The story of the 2023 remake is very much just a copy and paste of the original, but I don’t think this is a bad thing. In short and without major spoilers, the game follows Mario as he teams up with Geno, Mallow, Bowser, and Princess Peach to recover seven star pieces needed to repair the shattered Star Road and ensure wishes can once again be granted in the Mushroom Kingdom. For a Mario game, especially a spin-off from the main series that was intended as an entry-level RPG for Western audiences, the story is near perfection. Furthermore, what it lacks in complexity it makes up for in charm, humor, and heart, with memorable dialogue, visual gags, Nintendo references, and quirky characters and locations. The story doesn’t break new ground or revolutionize the RPG genre, but it is timeless and as charming as ever.
Overall, the 2023 remake of Super Mario RPG is a resounding success and a welcome return for this once forgotten classic. It's a faithful tribute to a beloved game that has been meticulously crafted with respect and an understanding of what made the original so special. The stunning visuals, engaging gameplay, and timeless humor make it a must-play for fans of the classic and newcomers alike. And while the linearity of the story and the lack of customization options, particularly for equipment, may feel limiting to seasoned RPG veterans, there is no denying this timeless gem will put a smile on your face. This remake is truly a shining example of how to breathe new life into a beloved classic, proving that Super Mario RPG's magic is truly ageless.
Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars was originally released in North America for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System on May 13, 1996. A brainchild of Shigeru Miyamoto’s desire to make a Mario-inspired RPG and developer Square’s hopes to have an RPG sell better in Western markets, the game would sell more than 200,000 units within a month, be the most rented video game in the United States for fourteen straight weeks, and eventually became the sixth best selling game of 1996. In short, the game far exceeded Nintendo, Square, and fan expectations. Despite the critical acclaim and sales figures a sequel would never come and, while the gameplay elements, humor, and other aspects would be used as inspiration for the Paper Mario and Mario & Luigi series, Super Mario RPG was left to wallow in obscurity for nearly three decades…that was until a Nintendo Direct on June 21, 2023.
During the June 2023 Nintendo Direct a full remake of Super Mario RPG was announced and would release exclusively on the Nintendo Switch on November 17, 2023. Developed using the Unity Engine by ArtePiazza, known for their work on the Dragon Quest series and the Nintendo DS ports of Dragon Quest IV, V, and VI, the game featured full 3D graphics, updated character models and names, a newly arranged soundtrack by composer Yoko Shimomura, a new battle mechanic, and additional post-game content. With all of that background out of the way, let’s get to the review.
The first thing most players will notice about the 2023 remake is the game’s striking visual overhaul. While these new visuals fail to have the same nostalgic pull that other 2D-HD pixelated games have on me, such as the Octopath Traveler series for example, it does manage to capture the essence of the SNES original by lovingly translating those pixels into full 3D models, bursting with vibrant colors and expressive animations. From Mario's bouncy, energetic, and over-the-top movements when he recounts story beats to Geno's melancholic gaze and Mallow’s plump fluffiness, every character feels richer and more detailed. The environments, too, have also been reimagined with intricate details and a playful sense of scale that gives the game an almost diorama feel akin to Nintendo’s Captain Toad series.
Another obvious change from the original is the updated soundtrack. While the remakes soundtrack was also composed by Yoko Shimomura and retains much of the same beats and tunes from the 1996 original, all of the tracks have been slightly altered to match the new modern aesthetic. These new orchestral arrangements of the classic tracks retain the spirit of the original while adding depth and grandeur to this remade adventure. SNES purists, however, need not fret as an in-game option allows players to revert back to the original SNES chiptune glory.
Although the visuals and soundtrack may have seen changes, the gameplay of the SNES original remains largely unchanged in this 2023 remake. The once-innovative action RPG combat system, where timing your button presses adds power to your attacks, has gone on to influence several games in recent years such as Sea of Stars, but its inclusion here is still just as satisfying as it was at the game’s launch. Whether you’re timing Mario’s hammer swings to deal massive damage or unleashing Mallow’s powerful spells or Geno’s destructive Geno Flash, the compulsion to get the timing right and deal the most amount of damage keeps each battle engaging - in contrast to other RPGs where the player simply clicks a button and waits for an attack animation to play out. The remake does introduce subtle combat gameplay tweaks, like timing bonuses, splash damage effects, and the "Star Meter" that allows for powerful special attacks and character-specific abilities. While some may lament the lack of any major gameplay changes, I believe these slight additions ensure the combat is as fresh to veteran players as possible while respecting the game’s legacy.
The story of the 2023 remake is very much just a copy and paste of the original, but I don’t think this is a bad thing. In short and without major spoilers, the game follows Mario as he teams up with Geno, Mallow, Bowser, and Princess Peach to recover seven star pieces needed to repair the shattered Star Road and ensure wishes can once again be granted in the Mushroom Kingdom. For a Mario game, especially a spin-off from the main series that was intended as an entry-level RPG for Western audiences, the story is near perfection. Furthermore, what it lacks in complexity it makes up for in charm, humor, and heart, with memorable dialogue, visual gags, Nintendo references, and quirky characters and locations. The story doesn’t break new ground or revolutionize the RPG genre, but it is timeless and as charming as ever.
Overall, the 2023 remake of Super Mario RPG is a resounding success and a welcome return for this once forgotten classic. It's a faithful tribute to a beloved game that has been meticulously crafted with respect and an understanding of what made the original so special. The stunning visuals, engaging gameplay, and timeless humor make it a must-play for fans of the classic and newcomers alike. And while the linearity of the story and the lack of customization options, particularly for equipment, may feel limiting to seasoned RPG veterans, there is no denying this timeless gem will put a smile on your face. This remake is truly a shining example of how to breathe new life into a beloved classic, proving that Super Mario RPG's magic is truly ageless.
I’m not sure an introduction is necessary, but…Super Mario Bros. Wonder is a side-scrolling platformer released exclusively for the Nintendo Switch on October 20, 2023. As the twenty-second installment in the Super Mario series as a whole, the first new 2D Mario experience since the release of New Super Mario Bros. U in 2012, and the first Mario game released post-launch of The Super Mario Bros. Movie, Wonder had a lot to live up to. Considering its critical acclaim and review scores, five award nominations at The Game Awards in 2023, and selling 4.3 million units worldwide within the first two weeks of launch making it the fastest-selling Super Mario-related title ever, it is fair to say that Wonder met and likely surpassed all fan expectations. Wonder isn’t just a fantastic new Super Mario game though; it’s a vibrant celebration of the franchise that is saturated with fresh ideas, dazzling visuals, and enough fun to captivate gamers of all ages. It’s an invitation to a world brimming with imagination and joy that hasn’t been seen from Nintendo or any game developer in the last decade. In a word, it is wonderful (yes, I had to).
It wouldn’t be fair to give all of the credit for Wonder’s success to two people, but the game would never have come to be if it wasn’t for Director Shiro Mouri and Producer Takashi Tezuka. While Tezuka had always planned for Wonder to be very different from a traditional 2D Mario game, it was Mouri who made that a reality when he conceptualized the central theme and mechanic of the game and implemented the Wonder Flower. Touch one of these whimsical Wonder Flower blooms and the world around Mario transforms into a mind-bending spectacle, altering level layouts, enemy behaviors, and even Mario's own abilities or physical form. While the changes brought on by the Wonder Flower varies greatly for each level with some showcasing warp pipes transforming into inchworms, players and enemies stretching or shrinking, hordes of enemies appearing to demolish the stage entirely or provide a rideable platform for Mario to traverse, my personal favorite was anytime Mario underwent a transformation. These include adorable transformations like Hoppycat Mario and Goomba Mario as well as powerful yet silly transformations like Balloon Mario, Wubba Mario, and Metal Mario. While I won’t go into all of those transformations here or every change that occurs upon touching a psychedelic Wonder Flower, suffice it to say that each of these moments are never predictable, always exciting, and turn the traditional Mario gameplay on its head.
The Wonder Flower and its various effects, however, aren’t the only things going on in the several new worlds and levels introduced in Wonder. The Flower Kingdom as a whole feels like Mario at its most inventive; each level overflowing with clever twists and innovative mechanics that haven’t been seen in a 2D Mario title before. It's hard to describe without spoiling the magic, but every jump, every pipe, every Wonder Flower you encounter holds the potential for something completely unexpected and utterly delightful including three all-new Mario power-ups - Elephant Mario, Bubble Mario, and Drill Mario.
Thanks to the power of the Elephant Fruit, Mario is transformed into Elephant Mario. A fun and silly power-up, Elephant Mario is one of the main selling points of Super Mario Wonder and was heavily advertised alongside the game even appearing on its box art. While in this elephant form, Mario can use his trunk as a melee attack to quickly dispatch enemies, destroy blocks, or push otherwise dangerous Spike Balls, use his immense weight to smash through blocks, and even store water in his trunk to provide sustenance to the dried up plants scattered throughout levels. Personally, Elephant Mario isn’t my favorite new power-up in Wonder, but it is a fun transformation that breaks the traditional mold of Mario power-ups.
With the use of a Bubble Flower, Mario will don a new outfit and transform into his Bubble form allowing them to shoot bubbles. At first glance, the Bubble power-up seems odd. What could a bubble possibly do to the assortment of dangers that face Mario daily? In actuality, the Bubble power-up is one of the most lethal power-ups in Super Mario Wonder. While the power-up functions similarly to the traditional Fire Flower power-up introduced in Super Mario Bros. - in that it allows Mario to shoot a projectile - the bubble floats towards enemies, even enemies previously impervious to the effects of the Fire Flower power-up, and instantly kills them. This means that enemies like Boos and Dry Bones who were once invulnerable and had to be simply avoided, can now be removed entirely from a level thanks to the power of a sud. The Bubble power-up is more than an offensive measure, however, as the bubbles can be used as a tool to reach otherwise unreachable places in levels thanks to Mario’s ability to bounce off them and gain height. While initially disappointed in and misunderstanding of the Bubble power-up, I eventually found myself using it more and more thanks to its ability to clear the board of nearly every hazard and provide an extra boost when the level called for it.
The final new power-up, and my personal favorite, is introduced thanks to the Drill Mushroom. Much like the name implies, upon ingesting a Drill Mushroom Mario will be transformed into his Drill form, which is really a suit and hat that allows Mario to drill through the ground and ceiling. While this ability to dive in and out of danger is great, the main selling point of the Drill power-up is that Mario becomes nearly invincible when in the ground and ceiling of a level and can essentially move with reckless abandon throughout any level avoiding danger entirely. On top of this, when Mario erupts from the ground or ceiling he fires off a drilling attack that can defeat enemies or break blocks. In this form, Mario’s ground pound attack also changes allowing him to pierce enemies from above thanks to his new drilling powers.
One final note regarding interesting gameplay elements of Wonder is the implementation of Badges. These equippable modifiers let you tailor your Mario experience to your play style. Want to zip through levels like a blur? Equip the Jet Run badge. Fancy defying physics? Spring Feet Badge is your new best friend. Want to avoid instant death from a pit or boiling hot lava? Use the Safety Bounce Badge. Want to start out as Super Mario or earn additional coins for every enemy you smash? Try out the Auto Super Mushroom Badge or Coin Reward Badge. There's a badge for nearly everything, encouraging experimentation and ensuring each stage offers countless avenues for mastery and replayability.
While the previously mentioned Mouri and Tezuka brought the gameplay elements and ideas of Wonder to the table, it was Art Director Masanobu Sato who brought the Flower Kingdom of Wonder to life and gave the game its visually impressive art style and direction. At its core, Wonder is unmistakably a Mario title that fits in aesthetically with other entries in the series, but it’s been infused with this modern flair and distinct personality that is brand new to the franchise. Lush, detailed environments burst with color, while character animations are expressively fluid, bringing a new level of charm to our favorite Mushroom Kingdom denizens and the new Flower Kingdom. Mario, Luigi, and their friends and enemies also adopt a new stylized expressiveness that’s both endearing and hilarious to see in game. Even the new enemies introduced in this title feel like classic Mario bad guys that were just lost to time and hadn’t been seen in a decade. Wonder is truly familiar yet exciting, it’s a world that begs to be explored, and a love letter to Mario's past that, much like Super Mario Galaxy did for 3D Mario titles, confidently pushes the 2D Mario series artistically forward in a way that no other title has.
In conclusion, I believe that Super Mario Wonder isn't just a game; it's a wondrous leap forward for one of gamings greatest franchises and a testament to gaming’s boundless potential. It's a joyful celebration of everything we love about Mario, infused with a shot of creative adrenaline that makes it feel extraordinarily exceptional. It is a stunningly beautiful, endlessly creative, and undeniably fun adventure that redefines what a Mario game can be. So, whether you're a seasoned Goomba stomper or a curious newcomer, grab your controller, prepare to be amazed, and get ready to jump into a world of wonder and imagination.
It wouldn’t be fair to give all of the credit for Wonder’s success to two people, but the game would never have come to be if it wasn’t for Director Shiro Mouri and Producer Takashi Tezuka. While Tezuka had always planned for Wonder to be very different from a traditional 2D Mario game, it was Mouri who made that a reality when he conceptualized the central theme and mechanic of the game and implemented the Wonder Flower. Touch one of these whimsical Wonder Flower blooms and the world around Mario transforms into a mind-bending spectacle, altering level layouts, enemy behaviors, and even Mario's own abilities or physical form. While the changes brought on by the Wonder Flower varies greatly for each level with some showcasing warp pipes transforming into inchworms, players and enemies stretching or shrinking, hordes of enemies appearing to demolish the stage entirely or provide a rideable platform for Mario to traverse, my personal favorite was anytime Mario underwent a transformation. These include adorable transformations like Hoppycat Mario and Goomba Mario as well as powerful yet silly transformations like Balloon Mario, Wubba Mario, and Metal Mario. While I won’t go into all of those transformations here or every change that occurs upon touching a psychedelic Wonder Flower, suffice it to say that each of these moments are never predictable, always exciting, and turn the traditional Mario gameplay on its head.
The Wonder Flower and its various effects, however, aren’t the only things going on in the several new worlds and levels introduced in Wonder. The Flower Kingdom as a whole feels like Mario at its most inventive; each level overflowing with clever twists and innovative mechanics that haven’t been seen in a 2D Mario title before. It's hard to describe without spoiling the magic, but every jump, every pipe, every Wonder Flower you encounter holds the potential for something completely unexpected and utterly delightful including three all-new Mario power-ups - Elephant Mario, Bubble Mario, and Drill Mario.
Thanks to the power of the Elephant Fruit, Mario is transformed into Elephant Mario. A fun and silly power-up, Elephant Mario is one of the main selling points of Super Mario Wonder and was heavily advertised alongside the game even appearing on its box art. While in this elephant form, Mario can use his trunk as a melee attack to quickly dispatch enemies, destroy blocks, or push otherwise dangerous Spike Balls, use his immense weight to smash through blocks, and even store water in his trunk to provide sustenance to the dried up plants scattered throughout levels. Personally, Elephant Mario isn’t my favorite new power-up in Wonder, but it is a fun transformation that breaks the traditional mold of Mario power-ups.
With the use of a Bubble Flower, Mario will don a new outfit and transform into his Bubble form allowing them to shoot bubbles. At first glance, the Bubble power-up seems odd. What could a bubble possibly do to the assortment of dangers that face Mario daily? In actuality, the Bubble power-up is one of the most lethal power-ups in Super Mario Wonder. While the power-up functions similarly to the traditional Fire Flower power-up introduced in Super Mario Bros. - in that it allows Mario to shoot a projectile - the bubble floats towards enemies, even enemies previously impervious to the effects of the Fire Flower power-up, and instantly kills them. This means that enemies like Boos and Dry Bones who were once invulnerable and had to be simply avoided, can now be removed entirely from a level thanks to the power of a sud. The Bubble power-up is more than an offensive measure, however, as the bubbles can be used as a tool to reach otherwise unreachable places in levels thanks to Mario’s ability to bounce off them and gain height. While initially disappointed in and misunderstanding of the Bubble power-up, I eventually found myself using it more and more thanks to its ability to clear the board of nearly every hazard and provide an extra boost when the level called for it.
The final new power-up, and my personal favorite, is introduced thanks to the Drill Mushroom. Much like the name implies, upon ingesting a Drill Mushroom Mario will be transformed into his Drill form, which is really a suit and hat that allows Mario to drill through the ground and ceiling. While this ability to dive in and out of danger is great, the main selling point of the Drill power-up is that Mario becomes nearly invincible when in the ground and ceiling of a level and can essentially move with reckless abandon throughout any level avoiding danger entirely. On top of this, when Mario erupts from the ground or ceiling he fires off a drilling attack that can defeat enemies or break blocks. In this form, Mario’s ground pound attack also changes allowing him to pierce enemies from above thanks to his new drilling powers.
One final note regarding interesting gameplay elements of Wonder is the implementation of Badges. These equippable modifiers let you tailor your Mario experience to your play style. Want to zip through levels like a blur? Equip the Jet Run badge. Fancy defying physics? Spring Feet Badge is your new best friend. Want to avoid instant death from a pit or boiling hot lava? Use the Safety Bounce Badge. Want to start out as Super Mario or earn additional coins for every enemy you smash? Try out the Auto Super Mushroom Badge or Coin Reward Badge. There's a badge for nearly everything, encouraging experimentation and ensuring each stage offers countless avenues for mastery and replayability.
While the previously mentioned Mouri and Tezuka brought the gameplay elements and ideas of Wonder to the table, it was Art Director Masanobu Sato who brought the Flower Kingdom of Wonder to life and gave the game its visually impressive art style and direction. At its core, Wonder is unmistakably a Mario title that fits in aesthetically with other entries in the series, but it’s been infused with this modern flair and distinct personality that is brand new to the franchise. Lush, detailed environments burst with color, while character animations are expressively fluid, bringing a new level of charm to our favorite Mushroom Kingdom denizens and the new Flower Kingdom. Mario, Luigi, and their friends and enemies also adopt a new stylized expressiveness that’s both endearing and hilarious to see in game. Even the new enemies introduced in this title feel like classic Mario bad guys that were just lost to time and hadn’t been seen in a decade. Wonder is truly familiar yet exciting, it’s a world that begs to be explored, and a love letter to Mario's past that, much like Super Mario Galaxy did for 3D Mario titles, confidently pushes the 2D Mario series artistically forward in a way that no other title has.
In conclusion, I believe that Super Mario Wonder isn't just a game; it's a wondrous leap forward for one of gamings greatest franchises and a testament to gaming’s boundless potential. It's a joyful celebration of everything we love about Mario, infused with a shot of creative adrenaline that makes it feel extraordinarily exceptional. It is a stunningly beautiful, endlessly creative, and undeniably fun adventure that redefines what a Mario game can be. So, whether you're a seasoned Goomba stomper or a curious newcomer, grab your controller, prepare to be amazed, and get ready to jump into a world of wonder and imagination.
Super Dragon Ball Heroes: World Mission is a faithful rendition of the popular Japanese arcade card game for console audiences. Released in April of 2019 for the Nintendo Switch and PC, the game features over one thousand cards and 350 characters from Dragon Ball, Dragon Ball Z, Dragon Ball Super, and Dragon Ball GT. While it delivers a decently satisfying trip of nostalgia for fans of the Dragon Ball universe with iconic characters, ki blasts, and flashy transformations, it ultimately falls short of achieving much of anything worthwhile.
The card battle system used throughout the game takes much from its arcade counterpart. Thankfully it is engaging at the onset and has been impressively implemented on the Nintendo Switch thanks to its touchscreen. In short, players assemble a deck of seven cards from a vast roster of Dragon Ball characters, each with their own unique abilities and attacks. Players then take their seven-card deck of characters into battle against an opposing force where battles unfold swiftly, punctuated by flashy yet poorly animated basic punches and kicks, ki blasts, and special moves. Overall, there is some form of strategic depth to this card-battling system, and it is likely exciting for any veteran card game players, but it felt like a water-down version of a fighting game to me, especially when the battles hinge on a timed button press to land a powerful combo. Ultimately, the repetitive mechanics and predictable AI behavior quickly got old and dampened any long-term plans I had of reliving Dragon Ball memories in card battler form.
Super Dragon Ball Heroes: World Mission falls victim to a storytelling problem that has plagued Dragon Ball games since nearly their inception - rehashing familiar Dragon Ball scenarios with an original twist brought on by an enemy meddling in the timeline. While this approach worked decently well in fighting game format - i.e. the Dragon Ball Xenoverse games - and serves as a nostalgic trip for seasoned fans, it offers little to newcomers unfamiliar with the source material and has become old hat to veterans of Dragon Ball media. Furthermore, the narrative surrounding the player character is serviceable, but lacks any emotional depth or originality that would distinguish it from the sea of other Dragon Ball games where you just take on the role of Goku, another Z-Fighter, or can craft your own character.
The largest praise I can offer Super Dragon Ball Heroes is in its sheer volume of Dragon Ball content. As stated, the game boasts a massive roster of characters, spanning the entirety of the franchise from the popular Z-Fighters to the lowest Frieza Force grunt, and ensures battles take place across numerous iconic locations. Despite the way cards are acquired in the game becoming more and more of a drag as the game progresses, fans will at least initially delight in collecting and unlocking their favorite heroes and villains, building decks that cater to their individual preferences and combat styles. This abundance of content is the whole reason I picked up the game and, interestingly enough, makes the game a veritable time capsule of Dragon Ball media.
Overall World Mission delivers a competent card battle experience that caters squarely to Dragon Ball fans. While it offers a satisfying dose of nostalgia, the game ultimately lacks the strategic depth and narrative intrigue to appeal to a wider audience. For casual players and seasoned card game enthusiasts seeking a deeper experience, other titles within the genre may offer more compelling options. And for Dragon Ball fans, go replay Dragon Ball FighterZ or just re-watch the anime.
The card battle system used throughout the game takes much from its arcade counterpart. Thankfully it is engaging at the onset and has been impressively implemented on the Nintendo Switch thanks to its touchscreen. In short, players assemble a deck of seven cards from a vast roster of Dragon Ball characters, each with their own unique abilities and attacks. Players then take their seven-card deck of characters into battle against an opposing force where battles unfold swiftly, punctuated by flashy yet poorly animated basic punches and kicks, ki blasts, and special moves. Overall, there is some form of strategic depth to this card-battling system, and it is likely exciting for any veteran card game players, but it felt like a water-down version of a fighting game to me, especially when the battles hinge on a timed button press to land a powerful combo. Ultimately, the repetitive mechanics and predictable AI behavior quickly got old and dampened any long-term plans I had of reliving Dragon Ball memories in card battler form.
Super Dragon Ball Heroes: World Mission falls victim to a storytelling problem that has plagued Dragon Ball games since nearly their inception - rehashing familiar Dragon Ball scenarios with an original twist brought on by an enemy meddling in the timeline. While this approach worked decently well in fighting game format - i.e. the Dragon Ball Xenoverse games - and serves as a nostalgic trip for seasoned fans, it offers little to newcomers unfamiliar with the source material and has become old hat to veterans of Dragon Ball media. Furthermore, the narrative surrounding the player character is serviceable, but lacks any emotional depth or originality that would distinguish it from the sea of other Dragon Ball games where you just take on the role of Goku, another Z-Fighter, or can craft your own character.
The largest praise I can offer Super Dragon Ball Heroes is in its sheer volume of Dragon Ball content. As stated, the game boasts a massive roster of characters, spanning the entirety of the franchise from the popular Z-Fighters to the lowest Frieza Force grunt, and ensures battles take place across numerous iconic locations. Despite the way cards are acquired in the game becoming more and more of a drag as the game progresses, fans will at least initially delight in collecting and unlocking their favorite heroes and villains, building decks that cater to their individual preferences and combat styles. This abundance of content is the whole reason I picked up the game and, interestingly enough, makes the game a veritable time capsule of Dragon Ball media.
Overall World Mission delivers a competent card battle experience that caters squarely to Dragon Ball fans. While it offers a satisfying dose of nostalgia, the game ultimately lacks the strategic depth and narrative intrigue to appeal to a wider audience. For casual players and seasoned card game enthusiasts seeking a deeper experience, other titles within the genre may offer more compelling options. And for Dragon Ball fans, go replay Dragon Ball FighterZ or just re-watch the anime.
2023
Sea of Stars is an RPG developed by Sabotage Studios and released for essentially every platform in August 2023. Intended as a prequel (though in a very loose sense) to Sabotage’s critically acclaimed Metroidvania, The Messenger, Sea of Stars is a well-crafted homage to classic JRPGs of the 16-bit era. With cited influences of Chrono Trigger, Super Mario RPG, and the Paper Mario series, the game is a love letter to the genre with impressive pixel art visuals, turn-based combat, and a heartwarming narrative. Despite the initial undeniable allure of a new classic pixelated RPG on modern consoles, the voyage proves bumpy in parts, offering a blend of delight and frustration.
The story of Sea of Stars centers around two young heroes, Zale and Valere, born under the twin influences of the sun and moon, respectively. Referred to as Children of the Solstice, the two are endowed with unique Solar and Lunar powers that grow stronger under the influence of an Eclipse. Their world, previously corrupted by the machinations of the Fleshmancer, a malicious alchemist obsessed with manipulating life itself, is now in peril due to the Dwellers, grotesque otherworldly monstrosities of immense physical and magical strength leftover from the Fleshmancer’s rule. With their fates intertwined, Zale and Valere embark on a perilous journey to confront the Fleshmancer and restore balance to their world.
The narrative of Sea of Stars weaves a captivating tapestry of intrigue, heartache, loss, triumph, and betrayal, but the story is not without fault. While the opening hours of the game reveal the backstory and motivations of the main characters, it stumbles in its world-building and lore. This feels unusual for an RPG and left me craving more context and backstory than I was given for the next several hours of gameplay. Perhaps this lack of information was a deliberate choice by the developers or it may stem from my recent playthrough of the lore-rich Final Fantasy XVI, but it creates a disconnect for me between the world promised in the game’s advertising and the world delivered. The story also suffers from pacing issues at certain points. In short, and without spoiling too much, there are moments when the game crawls along as the player completes fetch quests but then takes a mad dash towards a finale that lacks the bombastic nature expected of an RPG. It is an odd juxtaposition, to say the least.
With that said, however, any good adventure, especially one where saving the world is involved, shouldn’t be undertaken alone and no RPG would be complete without a party of interesting characters. So, throughout Zale and Valere’s journey the pair befriend and forge alliances with a diverse cast of individuals that either join the party or support the two in some way. Each companion, whether a party member or not, brings their own skills and personalities to the table, enriching the narrative tapestry of the game with humor, drama, and heartfelt moments. While there are several standouts among the cast like the pirate navigator turned ghost Hortence or the earth magic wielding mole Malkomud, the most important characters in the game besides Zale and Valere and your fellow party members. This group includes Garl the Warrior Cook, Seraï the mysterious cyborg, Re’Shan the Immortal Alchemist, and B’st the lone survivor of a dead race.
Going by the moniker, the Warrior Cook, Garl is the steadfast childhood friend of Zale and Valere. Garl’s role in the party is essentially that of a physical tank. He has impressively high HP and physical attack but has no innate magic to do magical damage. He uses the pots and pans at his disposal to dish out damage and heal his allies. Garl is easily my favorite character in the game and I believe this was by design. He acts almost as a stand-in for the player as he is simply a normal person on an adventure with his magical friends.
Seraï is the second party member to join Zale and Valere and can conjure up portals to instantly travel vast distances. While she dips in and out of the party for a while - something that annoyed me personally - she ultimately joins the party for good as a dagger user who provides high single-target damage. As her story progresses along a twisting and turning path, Seraï easily become my second favorite character behind Garl and one of my go-to party members.
Re’Shan the Immortal Alchemist is an interesting character. While he is supposedly forbidden from helping the heroes on their quest, he reluctantly joins the party as a powerful user of magic. His abilities allow him to deal impressive magical damage while also corralling enemies into groups providing for powerful AOE attacks by his allies.
B’st is the final party member to join the group and likely the one players will spend the least amount of time with. As a living glass golem, B’st is a powerful physical attacker who can tank nearly any attack. After initially misunderstanding his character, I began to enjoy B’st’s inclusion on the team and would use him far more than Re’Shan.
With a party of interesting characters to use, it is a good thing that the combat in Sea of Stars is fantastic. It seamlessly blends familiar turn-based mechanics and innovates on gameplay twists introduced by other classic RPGs that keep encounters fresh and exciting. Timing button presses in sync with attacks, just like Super Mario RPG, adds a layer of strategic depth, while the Solar and Lunar powers available to Zale and Valere along with the Combo meter and the abilities of other party members provide powerful combos, board clearing ultimate attacks, and party healing maneuvers. The unique vulnerabilities of each enemy and the <<locks>> system in the game encourages experimentation and adaptation that requires the use of every party member ensuring that the player never has a one-size-fits-all team composition. The boss battles, in particular, are a spectacle of animation and strategic depth, leaving you feeling like a true Solstice Warrior.
Another standout component of the game is its soundtrack. Composed by Eric W. Brown with additional tracks provided by legendary game composer Yasunori Mitsuda, the soundtrack of Sea of Stars is a masterpiece in its own right. Each location has its own distinct theme, perfectly capturing the atmosphere of the environment and the emotions of its inhabitants. Standout tracks for me personally include Dance of 1,000 Suns, Crucible of Confirmation, and Encounter Elite.
Despite all of my praise for Sea of Stars in this review, my largest issue with the game is its lack of a true open-world experience. While Sabotage touts the game as having “unshackled traversal” that allows the player to seamlessly maneuver the game world, this isn’t necessarily true. Besides the necessary loading screens between different islands that dot the map (which may not be an issue on the PlayStation or PC ports of the game), to say the game is “open world” or even widely explorable would be an overstatement. The exploration of the game’s world is incredibly linear and nearly every time I expected the game world to open up and allow for serious exploration, I would disappointedly be left wanting. This is counterintuitive to what I expect of an RPG, even one based on classics from the SNES. A true RPG experience should allow for non-linear progression and exploration that is unfettered by the desires of the story. There will obviously be areas roped off due to story moments or mechanics that have yet to be discovered, and while those areas do exist in Sea of Stars, the areas available for the player to explore before gaining the ability to fly after the penultimate boss of the game are nearly non-existent. This was a serious disappointment in an otherwise exceptional game.
Overall, Sea of Star isn’t the best RPG I’ve ever played, or even the best RPG I’ve played recently (Octopath Traveler 2 holds that spot), but it is a fantastic game in its own right. It is a perfect homage to the games that paved the way for it and wears inspirations on its sleeve without shame. It boasts main characters and a story that feels both modern and like they’ve come straight from the bygone era of the Super Nintendo. The artstyle and pixel art throughout the game is exceptional and feels at home on the Nintendo Switch where it can shine brightly on the OLED screen. While the game overall has a few shortcomings that keep it from attaining perfection, it is well worth your time and a must-play for fans of the genre. While it may have ridden the retro-inspired indie wave of popularity that is saturating the game market at the moment, Sea of Stars is more than just a retro throwback.
The story of Sea of Stars centers around two young heroes, Zale and Valere, born under the twin influences of the sun and moon, respectively. Referred to as Children of the Solstice, the two are endowed with unique Solar and Lunar powers that grow stronger under the influence of an Eclipse. Their world, previously corrupted by the machinations of the Fleshmancer, a malicious alchemist obsessed with manipulating life itself, is now in peril due to the Dwellers, grotesque otherworldly monstrosities of immense physical and magical strength leftover from the Fleshmancer’s rule. With their fates intertwined, Zale and Valere embark on a perilous journey to confront the Fleshmancer and restore balance to their world.
The narrative of Sea of Stars weaves a captivating tapestry of intrigue, heartache, loss, triumph, and betrayal, but the story is not without fault. While the opening hours of the game reveal the backstory and motivations of the main characters, it stumbles in its world-building and lore. This feels unusual for an RPG and left me craving more context and backstory than I was given for the next several hours of gameplay. Perhaps this lack of information was a deliberate choice by the developers or it may stem from my recent playthrough of the lore-rich Final Fantasy XVI, but it creates a disconnect for me between the world promised in the game’s advertising and the world delivered. The story also suffers from pacing issues at certain points. In short, and without spoiling too much, there are moments when the game crawls along as the player completes fetch quests but then takes a mad dash towards a finale that lacks the bombastic nature expected of an RPG. It is an odd juxtaposition, to say the least.
With that said, however, any good adventure, especially one where saving the world is involved, shouldn’t be undertaken alone and no RPG would be complete without a party of interesting characters. So, throughout Zale and Valere’s journey the pair befriend and forge alliances with a diverse cast of individuals that either join the party or support the two in some way. Each companion, whether a party member or not, brings their own skills and personalities to the table, enriching the narrative tapestry of the game with humor, drama, and heartfelt moments. While there are several standouts among the cast like the pirate navigator turned ghost Hortence or the earth magic wielding mole Malkomud, the most important characters in the game besides Zale and Valere and your fellow party members. This group includes Garl the Warrior Cook, Seraï the mysterious cyborg, Re’Shan the Immortal Alchemist, and B’st the lone survivor of a dead race.
Going by the moniker, the Warrior Cook, Garl is the steadfast childhood friend of Zale and Valere. Garl’s role in the party is essentially that of a physical tank. He has impressively high HP and physical attack but has no innate magic to do magical damage. He uses the pots and pans at his disposal to dish out damage and heal his allies. Garl is easily my favorite character in the game and I believe this was by design. He acts almost as a stand-in for the player as he is simply a normal person on an adventure with his magical friends.
Seraï is the second party member to join Zale and Valere and can conjure up portals to instantly travel vast distances. While she dips in and out of the party for a while - something that annoyed me personally - she ultimately joins the party for good as a dagger user who provides high single-target damage. As her story progresses along a twisting and turning path, Seraï easily become my second favorite character behind Garl and one of my go-to party members.
Re’Shan the Immortal Alchemist is an interesting character. While he is supposedly forbidden from helping the heroes on their quest, he reluctantly joins the party as a powerful user of magic. His abilities allow him to deal impressive magical damage while also corralling enemies into groups providing for powerful AOE attacks by his allies.
B’st is the final party member to join the group and likely the one players will spend the least amount of time with. As a living glass golem, B’st is a powerful physical attacker who can tank nearly any attack. After initially misunderstanding his character, I began to enjoy B’st’s inclusion on the team and would use him far more than Re’Shan.
With a party of interesting characters to use, it is a good thing that the combat in Sea of Stars is fantastic. It seamlessly blends familiar turn-based mechanics and innovates on gameplay twists introduced by other classic RPGs that keep encounters fresh and exciting. Timing button presses in sync with attacks, just like Super Mario RPG, adds a layer of strategic depth, while the Solar and Lunar powers available to Zale and Valere along with the Combo meter and the abilities of other party members provide powerful combos, board clearing ultimate attacks, and party healing maneuvers. The unique vulnerabilities of each enemy and the <<locks>> system in the game encourages experimentation and adaptation that requires the use of every party member ensuring that the player never has a one-size-fits-all team composition. The boss battles, in particular, are a spectacle of animation and strategic depth, leaving you feeling like a true Solstice Warrior.
Another standout component of the game is its soundtrack. Composed by Eric W. Brown with additional tracks provided by legendary game composer Yasunori Mitsuda, the soundtrack of Sea of Stars is a masterpiece in its own right. Each location has its own distinct theme, perfectly capturing the atmosphere of the environment and the emotions of its inhabitants. Standout tracks for me personally include Dance of 1,000 Suns, Crucible of Confirmation, and Encounter Elite.
Despite all of my praise for Sea of Stars in this review, my largest issue with the game is its lack of a true open-world experience. While Sabotage touts the game as having “unshackled traversal” that allows the player to seamlessly maneuver the game world, this isn’t necessarily true. Besides the necessary loading screens between different islands that dot the map (which may not be an issue on the PlayStation or PC ports of the game), to say the game is “open world” or even widely explorable would be an overstatement. The exploration of the game’s world is incredibly linear and nearly every time I expected the game world to open up and allow for serious exploration, I would disappointedly be left wanting. This is counterintuitive to what I expect of an RPG, even one based on classics from the SNES. A true RPG experience should allow for non-linear progression and exploration that is unfettered by the desires of the story. There will obviously be areas roped off due to story moments or mechanics that have yet to be discovered, and while those areas do exist in Sea of Stars, the areas available for the player to explore before gaining the ability to fly after the penultimate boss of the game are nearly non-existent. This was a serious disappointment in an otherwise exceptional game.
Overall, Sea of Star isn’t the best RPG I’ve ever played, or even the best RPG I’ve played recently (Octopath Traveler 2 holds that spot), but it is a fantastic game in its own right. It is a perfect homage to the games that paved the way for it and wears inspirations on its sleeve without shame. It boasts main characters and a story that feels both modern and like they’ve come straight from the bygone era of the Super Nintendo. The artstyle and pixel art throughout the game is exceptional and feels at home on the Nintendo Switch where it can shine brightly on the OLED screen. While the game overall has a few shortcomings that keep it from attaining perfection, it is well worth your time and a must-play for fans of the genre. While it may have ridden the retro-inspired indie wave of popularity that is saturating the game market at the moment, Sea of Stars is more than just a retro throwback.
2003
I tried, I failed, I gave up.
Viewtiful Joe has been a game I've wanted to play since I first saw its advertisements back in the early 2000's. It has so much style, oozes cool, and just gives off a vibe that my teenage boy brain wanted to play so badly. Unfortunately, I never got to experience Joe's adventures at the game's launch and now, many years later, I can't even beat the first level...
As much as I wanted to love and adore Viewtiful Joe I just suck at this game and abandoned it to play other things. Sorry Joe.
Viewtiful Joe has been a game I've wanted to play since I first saw its advertisements back in the early 2000's. It has so much style, oozes cool, and just gives off a vibe that my teenage boy brain wanted to play so badly. Unfortunately, I never got to experience Joe's adventures at the game's launch and now, many years later, I can't even beat the first level...
As much as I wanted to love and adore Viewtiful Joe I just suck at this game and abandoned it to play other things. Sorry Joe.
2023
I’ve tried my hand at several Final Fantasy titles over the years and never completed a single entry in the long-running and much-beloved series. I attempted Final Fantasy VII on the PlayStation 1 with little success, I quickly lost interest in Final Fantasy Tactics Advance on the Game Boy Advance, World of Final Fantasy on the PlayStation Portable was not at all what I was expecting, and Final Fantasy VII Remake on the PlayStation 4 got overshadowed by other releases I cared more about. In short, I am not what I’d call a Final Fantasy fan. It wasn’t until the reveal and launch of Final Fantasy XVI that my curiosity began to grow. With every trailer I became more intrigued by the game’s new combat system, its intriguing plot of redemption and revenge, the rich lore of Valisthea, and the impressive climatic clashes between massive Eikons. When the game finally went on sale for Black Friday 2023, my curiosity got the better of me and 62+ hours later I’m really glad it did.
Final Fantasy XVI began concept development in 2015 after much of the work had been completed on Final Fantasy XV. While its production and promotion were impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, and later by the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the game would eventually release as a PlayStation 5 timed exclusive on June 22, 2023. Producer Naoki Yoshida, known for his revival of the struggling MMORPG Final Fantasy XIV, wanted Final Fantasy XVI to follow a darker fantasy storyline that would have broad appeal to both Western and Eastern audiences. He hoped this darker tone along with the action-oriented gameplay and lack of traditional JRPG elements would reinvigorate the Final Fantasy series and have mass appeal to players of all generations. It is unclear whether this approach worked as Square Enix has stated the game's sales numbers did not meet their high expectations, despite selling three million units in its first week of launch, but my purchase of the game is a testament to Yoshida’s approach at least making me genuinely interested in the franchise for the first time.
Now onto the review…
As I played through Final Fantasy XVI one word continued to come to mind, ambitious. Final Fantasy XVI is nothing if not ambitious in nearly every aspect. Whether it is the new action-heavy combat system, the engaging story, or the impressive amount of world-building and lore the game provides, it’s apparent Square Enix, and especially the members of Creative Business Unit III, had lofty goals for the game. It is possible, however, that Final Fantasy XVI simply set out to do too much. It is this ambition that I believe pushes the game to unbelievable heights in its story, characters, world-building, and combat, but causes it to suffer when it comes to the sidequests, crafting and gear system, and story pacing. Let’s take a look at what I like to call the fruits and casualties of ambition.
THE FRUITS OF AMBITION
Final Fantasy XVI's story plunges us into a world teetering on the precipice of oblivion. The once vibrant land of Valisthea is choked by the Blight, a magical drought consuming everything in its path. Nations clash over dwindling magical and natural resources, fueled by an intricate web of political machinations and the volatile power of the Eikons - colossal primal deities bound to human Dominants. At the heart of this maelstrom stands Clive Rosfield, a man whose life is ripped apart by tragedy and thrust into a whirlwind of vengeance and desperate hope for survival and freedom.
Clive's journey throughout the game is a poignant exploration of loss and the crushing weight of responsibility. Witnessing the brutal murder of his younger brother, Joshua Rosfield, at the hands of the second Eikon of Fire, Ifrit, Clive becomes consumed by a desire for revenge. But, as the game progresses and the flames of revenge subside, Clive is more so shackled with responsibility for the lives of his friends and loved ones, and ultimately the continued existence of the entire continent of Valisthea. Burdened with leadership, crushed by prophecy and expectation, and laden with guilt and regret, Clive is a multi-faceted character who evolves throughout the game as he grapples with his inner demons and desperately attempts to defy the destiny laid before him. His journey is truly a testament to the human spirit's capacity for both immense pain and unwavering resilience. He challenges the gods, not with divine power, but with unwavering determination and a love that transcends even death.
While fans of the series may decry the lack of a party and the shift to a single character-driven narrative, it is this shift that allows Clive to shine. It is this shift that ensures fans empathize with and understand Clive as a person, as a man struggling with rejection, loss, regret, and the weight of expectation. Without this shift from party members to a single main protagonist, Clive would be lost in a sea of other characters all vying for the player’s attention and adoration. While there are other star characters to dive into and love within Final Fantasy XVI, it is Clive who shines the brightest and I applaud Square Enix for their work here.
As alluded to earlier, the catalyst for much of the game’s opening revolves around Clive’s younger brother and the Dominant of the Phoenix, Joshua Rosfield. Though physically absent for much of the narrative, Joshua and his memory remain a potent presence as a driving force for Clive. When the Dominant of the Phoenix finally does return to Clive’s side, an unfortunately short-lived reunion, his positivity acts as a constant counterpoint to Clive's gloomy demeanor and his knowledge and connections ensure the group's ultimate victory as the game draws to a close. Furthermore, despite Joshua’s small amount of time as an active member of Clive’s inner circle, the game still makes a point to show small interactions between the two and remind the player that these two characters love and care for each other as brothers should.
As an older brother to two younger siblings myself, the relationship between Clive and Joshua hit very close to home for me. I, much like Clive, see myself as their protector, someone who should be there for them at all times, and a person they can look up to. Failing in that responsibility, whether it be letting them die at the hands of an insurmountable Eikon or something innocuous and far lower stakes here in the real world, still hurts and can leave a lasting impression. While my personal struggles with being an older brother pale in comparison to those of Clive Rosfield, those struggles are just as real. They helped me understand and empathize with the pain, loss, self-loathing, and regret Clive felt at his lowest points in the game. Whether the reason I hold Final Fantasy XVI in such high regard is due to the relationship between Clive and Joshua and my own personal feelings is up to you to decide.
Besides Clive and Joshua, however, Final Fantasy XVI has a slew of other well-developed characters, each with their own motivations and vulnerabilities. All of these characters could have their own devoted sections of this review, but just to name a few there is Jill Warrick, the childhood friend forced into the gilded cage of subservience as the Dominant of Shiva and later torn between duty and love; Cidolfus Telamon, the jaded yet compassionate Dominant of Ramuh who is haunted by the sins of his past and seeks to build a new world where men can die on their own terms; Dion Lesage, the loving prince of the Holy Empire of Sanbreque and the Dominant of Bahamut who wants nothing more than to protect his people and make his father proud; and the several characters with prominent roles at The Hideaway like Blackthorne, Charon, Goetz, and Gav.
Valisthea, a once-blessed continent now on the brink of collapse, is just as alive as the characters that inhabit it. Each nation that calls the land home boasts its own distinct aesthetic and cultural touchstones, from the royalty and regality of the Holy Empire of Sanbreque to the stoic religious extremism of the Iron Kingdom. The lands of this world provide a captivating backdrop for the game’s emotional narrative, placing elements of beauty and opulence with its crystal-blessed kingdoms in stark opposition to reminders of misery and decay with its Blight-ravaged wastelands and poverty-stricken villages. Valisthea is steeped in lore, with ancient civilizations, folktales of heroes and gods, secret societies, crumbling ruins, and hidden truths about man’s creation, purpose, and inevitable destruction. Unraveling this history through environmental storytelling and optional lore entries is a highlight of Final Fantasy XVI in my opinion. It is this immense amount of backstory that oozes care, dedication, and ambition from a development team that hoped to build a game world like any other. While I did have concerns during my playthrough regarding the nature, purpose, and history of the Fallen, this was nullified in the game’s “Echoes of the Fallen” DLC.
The combat of Final Fantasy XVI is a topic of debate among fans. While I have no horse in that race, considering I have barely scratched the surface of this enormous franchise, I believe the combat is an overall triumph and a step in the right direction for the franchise going forward if it intends to entirely abandon its turn-based roots. As a fan of action-oriented games, the combat of Final Fantasy XVI was near perfection. It demands quick reflexes to land combos and perform dodges along with strategic thinking and resource management to take down each powerful foe. The player must weave together melee attacks, magic bursts, and the awe-inspiring powers of each Eikon to truly master the game’s combat system and survive amidst the chaos of battle. Speaking of the Eikons, their integration into the basic combat system is fantastically done and each one adds another layer of depth, complexity, and variety to combat. While you can only equip Clive with six of the nearly forty different Eikon abilities at a time, it is the experimentation that allows players to cater Clive to their preferred playstyle. Whether that is aerial combos thanks to the winds of Garuda, brute strength in the hand-to-hand combat style of Titan, or the overwhelming magical firepower of Bahamut. Staggering enemies is another crucial element of the game’s combat system. When the bar below an enemy's health is full, that enemy will enter a staggered state, opening up opportunities for massive damage and extended combos. This rewards players who carefully time their attacks and punishes those who simply button-mash and shoot off their Eikon abilities without much thought. Overall, Final Fantasy XVI's combat marks a bold and ambitious step for the series. It delivers a fast-paced, dynamic experience that demands skill, especially on the harder difficulties. However, its focus on action and Eikon integration might not appeal to everyone. Ultimately, whether you'll enjoy the combat hinges on your personal preferences. If you crave a fast-paced action RPG, Final Fantasy XVI will likely satisfy you. But if you hold a special place in your heart for classic turn-based battles, you might find yourself yearning.
THE CASUALTIES OF AMBITION
It is apparent that the character-driven story and action-focused combat of Final Fantasy XVI were the top priority for Creative Business Unit III when developing the game. While I personally believe this is how the game should have been developed, it does create an obvious disparity between the creativity and care that went into crafting the main scenario and the repetitive fetch-quests disguised as side quests present in the game. In short, unlike other open-world games that I would rank highly in terms of their side content - Ghost of Tsushima comes to mind - side quests in Final Fantasy XVI are nearly pointless. They offer little in the way of challenge, reward, engaging side character interactions, or personal growth for our main characters. There are of course sidequests that offer decent rewards, important crafting materials, upgrades, or powerful weapons for completing them that perhaps should not be missed, but, to be honest, out of the 76 sidequests in the game there are only six I believe are truly worth completing considering their content without taking into account their completion rewards. These six are The White Winged Wonder, All Bark, Playthings, Payback, Where There’s a Will, Priceless, and More than Words. While I won’t dive into each of those here (this review is long enough as it is) suffice it to say that each of these quests provides either important world-building, necessary character development, criminally missable character interactions, or heartwrenching narratives that should not be missed. In short, if every sidequest in Final Fantasy XVI rose to the heights of these six or were half as in-depth or narratively rewarding the game would certainly be better for it.
While on the topic of sidequests, the rewards provided upon their completion creates its own problem. Completing certain questlines throughout Final Fantasy XVI offer more than monetary rewards or crafting trinkets, but most sidequest completion rewards are currency-related, whether it be outright Gil or items that can be sold for Gil. In any other game, this system would be great to enable the player to buy gear, armor, weapons, or even cosmetics, but in Final Fantasy XVI this overabundance of cash highlights an issue - the game’s lack of customization options and impactful purchasable gear. Let me explain.
In short, the player is able to outfit Clive with six pieces of customizable gear: a sword, a belt, a pair of vambraces, and three combat accessories. Initially this seems promising as a player could feasible equip a group of items that caters to their particular playstyle or their favorite Eikon, i.e. a sword that does fire damage, a belt that increases the Phoenix’s power, a pair of vambraces that increase the cooldown on all Phoenix abilities, etc. Instead, however, every sword, belt, or pair of vambraces discovered throughout the game have no added effects, no elemental benefits, and no integrated abilities. These items are essentially just a damage or defense modifier, something to make Clive’s stats go up and nothing more. While the three combat accessories have a little more to them that just modifying Clive’s stats, they too suffer from incredible bland effects with most being an inconsequential damage increase or cooldown reduction for a particular Eikon’s abilities. This is enough in itself to be a sin of game design, but this is further compounded when you realize that all of the best gear in the game is either handed directly to the player during the course of the main campaign or is easily craftable at the Hideaway’s Blacksmith. There is little reason to spend the insane amounts of Gil handed to the player for completing the games 70+ sidequests because the game simply hands the best gear to the player after every boss encounter.
As I have stated previously, the story of Final Fantasy XVI is fantastic, but it is not without it issue, especially in terms of pacing. There are two instances worth mentioning where the game grinds to a considerable halt.
First, after the epic defeat of Hugo Kupka and the destruction of another Mother Crystal, the pace of the game stalls considerably due to the interjection of a lengthy, boring, and bizzare mandatory sidequest that adds little if anything to the narrative. The particulars of this sidequest are not important, but to illustrate my point as to why this quest is bizarre and unimportant to the overall plot let me give yout this example. During this quest there are two choices provided to the player. The player is asked to choose between Otto and Gav at one point and Jill and Tarja at another. Both Jill and Gav are established characters that have interacted with Clive on several occasions throughout the game. They have battled alongside you and have character growth present in the story. Otto and Tarja on the other hand are secondary characters at best and forgettable at worst. Otto is essentially second in command of the rag tag bunch of rebels Clive leads, while Tarja is the gang's main healer and apothecary. While these characters are present from the introduction of the Hideaway, they barely interact with Clive in any meaningful way and there is little reason to choose them over Gav and Jill at this point. This decision is just odd and meaningless, especially when you realize that the choice has no bearing on the story as a whole. Whether the player chooses Jill, Gav, Otto, or Tarja the sidequent continues normally and no story beats are lost or gained.
Second, the entire final act of the game is incredibly bogged down by sidequests in an effort to tie up several characters stories that have been told throughout the game. Why these conclusions are held until right before the final confrontation with the games main antagonist is beyond me. It creates a slog of content and dialogue to traverse before the final climatic showdown and kills the rising momentum for the games triumphant conclusion. Of course I could forgo this side content entirely and push forward to the end of the game with out completing it, but I’m not that type of gamer.
CONCLUSION
Final Fantasy XVI is a game of ambition and contradictions. It boasts a captivating story with a nuanced protagonist set against a beautifully realized world brimming with lore. The action-focused combat is a welcome evolution, delivering a fast-paced, demanding experience for those who crave it. However, the game's strengths are undermined by lackluster sidequests, bland gear options, and questionable pacing choices. Whether these shortcomings outweigh the game's triumphs ultimately depends on your personal preferences.
For me personally, the game leaves a lasting impression not just for its epic scope and thrilling combat, but for its nuanced exploration of human nature, the enduring power of hope in the face of overwhelming darkness, and its representation of brotherhood. It's an experiene that will stay with me long after the credits roll. Overall, I believe Final Fantasy XVI is a worthwhile journey that is absolutely worth your time, just be prepared for underwhelming sidequests and a few pacing hiccups.
Final Fantasy XVI began concept development in 2015 after much of the work had been completed on Final Fantasy XV. While its production and promotion were impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, and later by the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the game would eventually release as a PlayStation 5 timed exclusive on June 22, 2023. Producer Naoki Yoshida, known for his revival of the struggling MMORPG Final Fantasy XIV, wanted Final Fantasy XVI to follow a darker fantasy storyline that would have broad appeal to both Western and Eastern audiences. He hoped this darker tone along with the action-oriented gameplay and lack of traditional JRPG elements would reinvigorate the Final Fantasy series and have mass appeal to players of all generations. It is unclear whether this approach worked as Square Enix has stated the game's sales numbers did not meet their high expectations, despite selling three million units in its first week of launch, but my purchase of the game is a testament to Yoshida’s approach at least making me genuinely interested in the franchise for the first time.
Now onto the review…
As I played through Final Fantasy XVI one word continued to come to mind, ambitious. Final Fantasy XVI is nothing if not ambitious in nearly every aspect. Whether it is the new action-heavy combat system, the engaging story, or the impressive amount of world-building and lore the game provides, it’s apparent Square Enix, and especially the members of Creative Business Unit III, had lofty goals for the game. It is possible, however, that Final Fantasy XVI simply set out to do too much. It is this ambition that I believe pushes the game to unbelievable heights in its story, characters, world-building, and combat, but causes it to suffer when it comes to the sidequests, crafting and gear system, and story pacing. Let’s take a look at what I like to call the fruits and casualties of ambition.
THE FRUITS OF AMBITION
Final Fantasy XVI's story plunges us into a world teetering on the precipice of oblivion. The once vibrant land of Valisthea is choked by the Blight, a magical drought consuming everything in its path. Nations clash over dwindling magical and natural resources, fueled by an intricate web of political machinations and the volatile power of the Eikons - colossal primal deities bound to human Dominants. At the heart of this maelstrom stands Clive Rosfield, a man whose life is ripped apart by tragedy and thrust into a whirlwind of vengeance and desperate hope for survival and freedom.
Clive's journey throughout the game is a poignant exploration of loss and the crushing weight of responsibility. Witnessing the brutal murder of his younger brother, Joshua Rosfield, at the hands of the second Eikon of Fire, Ifrit, Clive becomes consumed by a desire for revenge. But, as the game progresses and the flames of revenge subside, Clive is more so shackled with responsibility for the lives of his friends and loved ones, and ultimately the continued existence of the entire continent of Valisthea. Burdened with leadership, crushed by prophecy and expectation, and laden with guilt and regret, Clive is a multi-faceted character who evolves throughout the game as he grapples with his inner demons and desperately attempts to defy the destiny laid before him. His journey is truly a testament to the human spirit's capacity for both immense pain and unwavering resilience. He challenges the gods, not with divine power, but with unwavering determination and a love that transcends even death.
While fans of the series may decry the lack of a party and the shift to a single character-driven narrative, it is this shift that allows Clive to shine. It is this shift that ensures fans empathize with and understand Clive as a person, as a man struggling with rejection, loss, regret, and the weight of expectation. Without this shift from party members to a single main protagonist, Clive would be lost in a sea of other characters all vying for the player’s attention and adoration. While there are other star characters to dive into and love within Final Fantasy XVI, it is Clive who shines the brightest and I applaud Square Enix for their work here.
As alluded to earlier, the catalyst for much of the game’s opening revolves around Clive’s younger brother and the Dominant of the Phoenix, Joshua Rosfield. Though physically absent for much of the narrative, Joshua and his memory remain a potent presence as a driving force for Clive. When the Dominant of the Phoenix finally does return to Clive’s side, an unfortunately short-lived reunion, his positivity acts as a constant counterpoint to Clive's gloomy demeanor and his knowledge and connections ensure the group's ultimate victory as the game draws to a close. Furthermore, despite Joshua’s small amount of time as an active member of Clive’s inner circle, the game still makes a point to show small interactions between the two and remind the player that these two characters love and care for each other as brothers should.
As an older brother to two younger siblings myself, the relationship between Clive and Joshua hit very close to home for me. I, much like Clive, see myself as their protector, someone who should be there for them at all times, and a person they can look up to. Failing in that responsibility, whether it be letting them die at the hands of an insurmountable Eikon or something innocuous and far lower stakes here in the real world, still hurts and can leave a lasting impression. While my personal struggles with being an older brother pale in comparison to those of Clive Rosfield, those struggles are just as real. They helped me understand and empathize with the pain, loss, self-loathing, and regret Clive felt at his lowest points in the game. Whether the reason I hold Final Fantasy XVI in such high regard is due to the relationship between Clive and Joshua and my own personal feelings is up to you to decide.
Besides Clive and Joshua, however, Final Fantasy XVI has a slew of other well-developed characters, each with their own motivations and vulnerabilities. All of these characters could have their own devoted sections of this review, but just to name a few there is Jill Warrick, the childhood friend forced into the gilded cage of subservience as the Dominant of Shiva and later torn between duty and love; Cidolfus Telamon, the jaded yet compassionate Dominant of Ramuh who is haunted by the sins of his past and seeks to build a new world where men can die on their own terms; Dion Lesage, the loving prince of the Holy Empire of Sanbreque and the Dominant of Bahamut who wants nothing more than to protect his people and make his father proud; and the several characters with prominent roles at The Hideaway like Blackthorne, Charon, Goetz, and Gav.
Valisthea, a once-blessed continent now on the brink of collapse, is just as alive as the characters that inhabit it. Each nation that calls the land home boasts its own distinct aesthetic and cultural touchstones, from the royalty and regality of the Holy Empire of Sanbreque to the stoic religious extremism of the Iron Kingdom. The lands of this world provide a captivating backdrop for the game’s emotional narrative, placing elements of beauty and opulence with its crystal-blessed kingdoms in stark opposition to reminders of misery and decay with its Blight-ravaged wastelands and poverty-stricken villages. Valisthea is steeped in lore, with ancient civilizations, folktales of heroes and gods, secret societies, crumbling ruins, and hidden truths about man’s creation, purpose, and inevitable destruction. Unraveling this history through environmental storytelling and optional lore entries is a highlight of Final Fantasy XVI in my opinion. It is this immense amount of backstory that oozes care, dedication, and ambition from a development team that hoped to build a game world like any other. While I did have concerns during my playthrough regarding the nature, purpose, and history of the Fallen, this was nullified in the game’s “Echoes of the Fallen” DLC.
The combat of Final Fantasy XVI is a topic of debate among fans. While I have no horse in that race, considering I have barely scratched the surface of this enormous franchise, I believe the combat is an overall triumph and a step in the right direction for the franchise going forward if it intends to entirely abandon its turn-based roots. As a fan of action-oriented games, the combat of Final Fantasy XVI was near perfection. It demands quick reflexes to land combos and perform dodges along with strategic thinking and resource management to take down each powerful foe. The player must weave together melee attacks, magic bursts, and the awe-inspiring powers of each Eikon to truly master the game’s combat system and survive amidst the chaos of battle. Speaking of the Eikons, their integration into the basic combat system is fantastically done and each one adds another layer of depth, complexity, and variety to combat. While you can only equip Clive with six of the nearly forty different Eikon abilities at a time, it is the experimentation that allows players to cater Clive to their preferred playstyle. Whether that is aerial combos thanks to the winds of Garuda, brute strength in the hand-to-hand combat style of Titan, or the overwhelming magical firepower of Bahamut. Staggering enemies is another crucial element of the game’s combat system. When the bar below an enemy's health is full, that enemy will enter a staggered state, opening up opportunities for massive damage and extended combos. This rewards players who carefully time their attacks and punishes those who simply button-mash and shoot off their Eikon abilities without much thought. Overall, Final Fantasy XVI's combat marks a bold and ambitious step for the series. It delivers a fast-paced, dynamic experience that demands skill, especially on the harder difficulties. However, its focus on action and Eikon integration might not appeal to everyone. Ultimately, whether you'll enjoy the combat hinges on your personal preferences. If you crave a fast-paced action RPG, Final Fantasy XVI will likely satisfy you. But if you hold a special place in your heart for classic turn-based battles, you might find yourself yearning.
THE CASUALTIES OF AMBITION
It is apparent that the character-driven story and action-focused combat of Final Fantasy XVI were the top priority for Creative Business Unit III when developing the game. While I personally believe this is how the game should have been developed, it does create an obvious disparity between the creativity and care that went into crafting the main scenario and the repetitive fetch-quests disguised as side quests present in the game. In short, unlike other open-world games that I would rank highly in terms of their side content - Ghost of Tsushima comes to mind - side quests in Final Fantasy XVI are nearly pointless. They offer little in the way of challenge, reward, engaging side character interactions, or personal growth for our main characters. There are of course sidequests that offer decent rewards, important crafting materials, upgrades, or powerful weapons for completing them that perhaps should not be missed, but, to be honest, out of the 76 sidequests in the game there are only six I believe are truly worth completing considering their content without taking into account their completion rewards. These six are The White Winged Wonder, All Bark, Playthings, Payback, Where There’s a Will, Priceless, and More than Words. While I won’t dive into each of those here (this review is long enough as it is) suffice it to say that each of these quests provides either important world-building, necessary character development, criminally missable character interactions, or heartwrenching narratives that should not be missed. In short, if every sidequest in Final Fantasy XVI rose to the heights of these six or were half as in-depth or narratively rewarding the game would certainly be better for it.
While on the topic of sidequests, the rewards provided upon their completion creates its own problem. Completing certain questlines throughout Final Fantasy XVI offer more than monetary rewards or crafting trinkets, but most sidequest completion rewards are currency-related, whether it be outright Gil or items that can be sold for Gil. In any other game, this system would be great to enable the player to buy gear, armor, weapons, or even cosmetics, but in Final Fantasy XVI this overabundance of cash highlights an issue - the game’s lack of customization options and impactful purchasable gear. Let me explain.
In short, the player is able to outfit Clive with six pieces of customizable gear: a sword, a belt, a pair of vambraces, and three combat accessories. Initially this seems promising as a player could feasible equip a group of items that caters to their particular playstyle or their favorite Eikon, i.e. a sword that does fire damage, a belt that increases the Phoenix’s power, a pair of vambraces that increase the cooldown on all Phoenix abilities, etc. Instead, however, every sword, belt, or pair of vambraces discovered throughout the game have no added effects, no elemental benefits, and no integrated abilities. These items are essentially just a damage or defense modifier, something to make Clive’s stats go up and nothing more. While the three combat accessories have a little more to them that just modifying Clive’s stats, they too suffer from incredible bland effects with most being an inconsequential damage increase or cooldown reduction for a particular Eikon’s abilities. This is enough in itself to be a sin of game design, but this is further compounded when you realize that all of the best gear in the game is either handed directly to the player during the course of the main campaign or is easily craftable at the Hideaway’s Blacksmith. There is little reason to spend the insane amounts of Gil handed to the player for completing the games 70+ sidequests because the game simply hands the best gear to the player after every boss encounter.
As I have stated previously, the story of Final Fantasy XVI is fantastic, but it is not without it issue, especially in terms of pacing. There are two instances worth mentioning where the game grinds to a considerable halt.
First, after the epic defeat of Hugo Kupka and the destruction of another Mother Crystal, the pace of the game stalls considerably due to the interjection of a lengthy, boring, and bizzare mandatory sidequest that adds little if anything to the narrative. The particulars of this sidequest are not important, but to illustrate my point as to why this quest is bizarre and unimportant to the overall plot let me give yout this example. During this quest there are two choices provided to the player. The player is asked to choose between Otto and Gav at one point and Jill and Tarja at another. Both Jill and Gav are established characters that have interacted with Clive on several occasions throughout the game. They have battled alongside you and have character growth present in the story. Otto and Tarja on the other hand are secondary characters at best and forgettable at worst. Otto is essentially second in command of the rag tag bunch of rebels Clive leads, while Tarja is the gang's main healer and apothecary. While these characters are present from the introduction of the Hideaway, they barely interact with Clive in any meaningful way and there is little reason to choose them over Gav and Jill at this point. This decision is just odd and meaningless, especially when you realize that the choice has no bearing on the story as a whole. Whether the player chooses Jill, Gav, Otto, or Tarja the sidequent continues normally and no story beats are lost or gained.
Second, the entire final act of the game is incredibly bogged down by sidequests in an effort to tie up several characters stories that have been told throughout the game. Why these conclusions are held until right before the final confrontation with the games main antagonist is beyond me. It creates a slog of content and dialogue to traverse before the final climatic showdown and kills the rising momentum for the games triumphant conclusion. Of course I could forgo this side content entirely and push forward to the end of the game with out completing it, but I’m not that type of gamer.
CONCLUSION
Final Fantasy XVI is a game of ambition and contradictions. It boasts a captivating story with a nuanced protagonist set against a beautifully realized world brimming with lore. The action-focused combat is a welcome evolution, delivering a fast-paced, demanding experience for those who crave it. However, the game's strengths are undermined by lackluster sidequests, bland gear options, and questionable pacing choices. Whether these shortcomings outweigh the game's triumphs ultimately depends on your personal preferences.
For me personally, the game leaves a lasting impression not just for its epic scope and thrilling combat, but for its nuanced exploration of human nature, the enduring power of hope in the face of overwhelming darkness, and its representation of brotherhood. It's an experiene that will stay with me long after the credits roll. Overall, I believe Final Fantasy XVI is a worthwhile journey that is absolutely worth your time, just be prepared for underwhelming sidequests and a few pacing hiccups.
ClayFighter 2: Judgment Clay may be a terrible fighting game to many and one of the worst fighting games on the SNES to some, but nostalgia hits hard with this one. I received this game as a gift for my birthday in 1995 and played it religiously. If I wasn't playing Mega Man X or Super Mario World (much better games I would like to add), I was button-mashing my way to victory in ClayFighter 2. I'm sure the game doesn't hold up today and would be a complete disaster to go back and revisit, so I'll let it sit in my memory as a fun time waster to a 6-year-old instead of plugging in my SNES and ruining one more thing from my childhood.
Frogger's Adventures: Temple of the Frog released in North America for the Game Boy Advance on November 22, 2001. In this all new side-scrolling adventure, the player must guide Frogger through fifteen increasingly difficult levels scattered across five varied game worlds, defeat five evil bosses, and recover the four sacred elements to save his swampy home. Each of these levels contain a slew of enemies, platforming challenges, death traps, and pitfalls that can instantly kill Frogger and send the player back to square one.
If you have ever played a Frogger game, Temple of the Frog’s gameplay is easy enough to pick up. The familiar core of dodging objects, crossing rivers, and avoiding death is present, but slightly expanded with enhanced platforming elements, light puzzle-solving, and boss battles. Frogger hops across floating platforms, avoids blazing infernos and spear wielding bad guys, and uses his tongue to grab fireflies. While there isn’t much difference between Temple of the Frog and Frogger’s previous games, there is enough variance between the two to keep a player engaged for a few hours if nothing else. The puzzles are obviously straightforward and combat is nonexistent, but the platforming challenges presented and ease of retrying a level after failure makes the game slightly addicting, at least enough for me to continue playing until I reached the credits.
I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the fact that Temple of the Frog is a less than stellar presentation on the Game Boy Advance. While the game performs perfectly, the controls are responsive, and I didn’t experience a single issue during my playthrough, the game’s pixel art and overall art direction leaves a lot to be desired. I consider myself a fan of pixel art and have been more than pleased with the art style's recent revival with popular Indie titles and game series such as Octopath Traveler, but the pixel art on display in Temple of the Frog is mediocre at best and ugly at worst. There are beautiful games on the Game Boy Advance, with and without pixel art, but Temple of the Frog is not one of those games.
Overall Frogger's Adventures: Temple of the Frog is a charming and competent platformer that captures the essence of the arcade classic with a twist of adventure. However, the game ultimately stumbles with ugly visuals, a short playtime, lack of replayability, and a pointless story, making it a fun diversion rather than a must-play on a handheld whose game library is already full of fantastic platformers. If you're a die-hard Frogger fan or looking for a lighthearted platforming romp, it's worth a shot. But for those seeking a deeper and more engaging experience, there are greener (and swampier) pastures to explore on the Game Boy Advance.
If you have ever played a Frogger game, Temple of the Frog’s gameplay is easy enough to pick up. The familiar core of dodging objects, crossing rivers, and avoiding death is present, but slightly expanded with enhanced platforming elements, light puzzle-solving, and boss battles. Frogger hops across floating platforms, avoids blazing infernos and spear wielding bad guys, and uses his tongue to grab fireflies. While there isn’t much difference between Temple of the Frog and Frogger’s previous games, there is enough variance between the two to keep a player engaged for a few hours if nothing else. The puzzles are obviously straightforward and combat is nonexistent, but the platforming challenges presented and ease of retrying a level after failure makes the game slightly addicting, at least enough for me to continue playing until I reached the credits.
I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the fact that Temple of the Frog is a less than stellar presentation on the Game Boy Advance. While the game performs perfectly, the controls are responsive, and I didn’t experience a single issue during my playthrough, the game’s pixel art and overall art direction leaves a lot to be desired. I consider myself a fan of pixel art and have been more than pleased with the art style's recent revival with popular Indie titles and game series such as Octopath Traveler, but the pixel art on display in Temple of the Frog is mediocre at best and ugly at worst. There are beautiful games on the Game Boy Advance, with and without pixel art, but Temple of the Frog is not one of those games.
Overall Frogger's Adventures: Temple of the Frog is a charming and competent platformer that captures the essence of the arcade classic with a twist of adventure. However, the game ultimately stumbles with ugly visuals, a short playtime, lack of replayability, and a pointless story, making it a fun diversion rather than a must-play on a handheld whose game library is already full of fantastic platformers. If you're a die-hard Frogger fan or looking for a lighthearted platforming romp, it's worth a shot. But for those seeking a deeper and more engaging experience, there are greener (and swampier) pastures to explore on the Game Boy Advance.
Frogger's Adventures: Temple of the Frog released a year before this game is far and away better than this. It's a boring 2D platformer with very little going for it. The controls are terrible, the objective is amorphous, and it's just not fun.
To the surprise of fans, Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name was revealed alongside the next mainline game, Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth, during the Ryu Ga Gotoku (“RGG”) Studios Summit Livestream in September 2022. The game would hit store shelves a little over a year later on November 9th, 2023 for PlayStation, Xbox, Windows, and Steam. Following the game’s release, interviews with the RGG team would reveal Gaiden’s ambitious development timeline: Gaiden was conceived and developed in just six months, alongside Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth. This rapid development may explain some narrative choices and the smaller scope compared to other Yakuza titles, but ultimately, from a review perspective, Gaiden feels like the antithesis of Yakuza 6: The Song of Life. While Yakuza 6 excelled in its story and suffered thanks to its slow and clunky combat, Gaiden excels at its combat and stumbles in the execution of its story. Let’s discuss.
A side-story for previous series protagonist Kiryu Kazuma taking place before, during, and after the events of Yakuza: Like a Dragon, Gaiden tosses players back into the familiar streets of Sotenbori, Osaka, but this time, the Dragon of Dojima walks a different path. We find Kiryu, a shell of his former self, living a life of quiet exile under the thumb of the Daidoji Faction, a secretive political organization. It is apparent throughout the story that Kiryu doesn’t necessarily regret his decision to fake his death at the end of Yakuza 6, but he is grappling with the consequences of his sacrifice. Instead of spending his days with the children of Morning Glory and helping raise Haruto, he now lives at the becking call of the Daidoji and must complete tasks for them or risk the lives of everyone he loves. The story of Gaiden, while making a point to show Kiryu’s internal struggle and outward disdain with the Daidoji leash around his neck, doesn’t truly tackle this as its main narrative. Instead of spending time trying to topple the Daidoji and free Kiryu from servitude, the game’s story centers on the upcoming dissolution of the Omi Alliance and Tojo Clan and Kiryu’s role in that dissolution - something that was covered perfectly well in Yakuza: Like a Dragon in my opinion. In this way, Gaiden feels like a detour to fix the narrative corner the RGG team painted themselves into at the end of Yakuza 6 and bring Kiryu back into the fray for Infinite Wealth. This makes the story of Gaiden one of the weaker the series has to offer. It has a few twists along the way but is mostly irrelevant to the overarching plot of the Yakuza/Like a Dragon series at this time. For the most part, I believe the important and impactful story moments for Kiryu’s overall character could have been delivered in Infinite Wealth. In short, Gaiden’s story is a good Yakuza/Like a Dragon story, but it can mostly be relegated to filler and little else.
There are three characters central to the story of Gaiden that I want to discuss before breaking down the game’s combat - Akame, Homare Nishitani III, and Kosei Shishido.
Throughout Gaiden, Akame isn't just any other side character. She's the heart of the Sotenbori underground, a person Kiryu turns to for intel and odd jobs while in Sotenbori, and a central character throughout much of the game. While her past is mostly shrouded in mystery, we do know she came to Sotenbori to become a singer - a dream that would go unrealized. She would eventually form a relationship with the Sotenbori homeless population and establish the Akame Network, a bustling hub of information and a lifeline for those operating beneath the radar. While not a Yakuza herself, Akame is tangentially related to the Watase Family of the Omi Alliance. It is the relationship that causes her to operate as Kiryu’s ticket into The Castle, a Yakuza run pleasure boat off the coast of Japan. From here the two would form a friendship as Kiryu took on odd jobs for the Akame Network and Akame provided him a place to stay during his time in Sotenbori.
While Akame and the Akame Network mainly serve as substory machines for the player, essentially spitting out one side quest after the other, her inclusion in the story serves a larger purpose. She becomes a confidante to Kiryu, a sounding board for his doubts and anxieties as he grapples with his faked death and the consequences of his choices. Her sharp wit and unwavering loyalty offer him solace and support in a world that has seemingly moved on without him. Throughout the game, Kiryu grows to trust Akame, and the two form a friendship that unravels her past, her aspirations, and the personal struggles she faces. She's not simply a plot device; she's a well-developed character with her own agency and motivations. Kiryu, in turn, plays a critical role in helping her overcome her fear of rejection and spurs her on to once again chase her dream of becoming a singer. By the game's end, Akame's fate remains up in the air, leaving room for a possible future appearance in Infinite Wealth. Her impact on Kiryu's story during Gaiden, however, is undeniable. She reminds him of his humanity, his connection to the people he swore to protect, and the value of forging one's own destiny. In a game that sees Kiryu grappling with the past, Akame represents hope for the future, both for him and for the underbelly of Sotenbori.
Homare Nishitani III, one of two central antagonists in Gaiden, isn't the first of his name to appear in a Yakuza/Like a Dragon title. His namesake, Homare Nishitani, was an antagonist in Yakuza 0 and ultimately influenced the nonchalant semi-sadistic attitude of Goro Majima after the conclusion of that game. Nishitani III, much like Homare Nishitani, is the embodiment of excess and depravity, reveling in cruelty, power, and wealth. As he sits atop The Castle pleasure ship he rules over he indulges in extravagant displays of opulence and surrounds himself with beautiful women, goons, and the most powerful Colosseum fighters.
Nishitani III plays a narrative role throughout the story that I won’t go into here. Still, from a character perspective, he operates as a twisted reflection of Kiryu while also being a stark reminder of the darkness and depravity that lurks beneath the surface of the Yakuza’s pride and ceremony. As a foil to Kiryu, Nishitani III highlights the dangers of unchecked power and the consequences of abandoning one's moral compass. While Kiryu speaks his mind and takes the fight to his enemies, Nishitani III operates in the shadows and sets traps for his advisories. Furthermore, Kiryu is fine to abandon any power or stations of respect he has gained throughout his life, Nistani III on the other hand longs for power, yearns for respect he doesn’t deserve, and has an undeniable unchecked ambition. He represents the corrupting influence of power and the dangers of desire within the criminal underworld. His presence serves as a reminder of the importance of upholding one's moral principles, even in the face of adversity.
Kosei Shishido becomes the ultimate antagonist of Like a Dragon Gaiden by the end of the game. He is a formidable force of nature sculpted by his violent upbringing and relentless ambition to rise above his station. He is a towering figure, nearly dwarfing Kiryu in size, with a face etched with scars and a perpetual scowl. He embodies raw power, relying on brute force and a head-cracking baseball bat to dominate his opponents.
His early life was spent in the brutal coliseums of the Kijin Clan, where he honed his raw physical strength and earned a reputation as a savage and unstoppable fighter. He was forced to kill to survive and eventually became a slave to the whims of Homare Nishitani III. His fighting ability eventually caught the eye of the Watase Family, which he quickly joined and rose to the rank of lieutenant. Shishido's ambitions, however, extended beyond his loyalty to the Watase Family. He craved power, control, and the family he had found when becoming a Yakuza. This culminates in his betrayal of Patriarch Masaru Watase near the end of the game as he attempts to stop the planned dissolution of the Omi Alliance and Tojo Clan by any means necessary - this is ultimately what brings Kiryu and Shishido to blows.
Shishido's true purpose in the story, however, goes beyond mere muscle. Much like Nishitani III, he acts as a mirror for Kiryu throughout Gaiden and serves as another testament to the consequences of unchecked ambition. Shishido, more than any other antagonist in the series, provides Kiryu a glimpse of what he could have become if he had chosen a different path or lacked the upbringing given to him by Shintaro Kazama. Furthermore, Shishido provides a different perspective on the Yakuza that neither Kiryu nor any other Yakuza/Like a Dragon protagonist can provide. Instead of viewing the Yakuza as a criminal organization, a group of men hellbent on control, or an organization past its prime and usefulness in Japanese society, Shishido sees the Yakuza, and particularly the Omi Alliance, as a family he never had. This provides an understandable reason as to why Shishido and several of the members of the Omi refused to disband after the dissolution order was given at the end of Gaiden. These men have nowhere else to turn and no one else to go home to. The Yakuza, regardless of their criminal activities, are their family and they will do anything to protect that. This is what drives Shishido to fight Kiryu at the end of the game and what gives him the strength to keep getting up after being knocked down.
After the combat hiccups I experienced in Yakuza 6 and the dislike some fans harbor for the combat in Yakuza Kiwami 2, Kiryu's return in Like a Dragon Gaiden brought excitement and apprehension. Fans were excited to see the Dragon of Dojima as a playable character once again but were afraid the combat shortcomings seen in his prior two adventures would continue. Fortunately, Gaiden brings a fresh take on the series' combat and seamlessly blends the familiar street brawling of Kiryu’s past with the quick, precise, and agile fighting style he’s mastered as an agent of the Daidoji. This creates a combat system that is both rewarding to play and satisfying to watch as punches, kicks, and Tiger Drops are once again as snappy, responsive, and bone-crunching as they were when Kiryu walked the streets of Kamurocho.
For the first time since Yakuza 0, Kiryu has access to more than one fighting style in Gaiden: Yakuza Style and Agent Style. Yakuza Style, as the name suggests, channels the classic brawling Kiryu is known for, letting the player pummel enemies with devastating punches and kicks with the full force of the Dragon of Dojima. Since this combat style is present in nearly every iteration of Kiryu’s character, it’s fair to compare its implementation here to the previous games in the series. With that said, Kiryu has never felt better to control, and long gone are the problems present in Kiwami 2 and Yakuza 6. Agent Style, a brand new combat style created specifically for Gaiden, was taught to Kiryu by the Daidoji to help carry out any mission he is given. brings the finesse. This secret fighting style combines martial arts techniques from different countries and time periods with what are essentially spy gadgets to bring down opponents. Exploding cigarettes, jet-propelled shoes, and attack drones are some of the gadgets present in the game and each adds a layer of depth to the typical beat ‘em combat present in Yakuza/Like a Dragon titles.
Overall, Gaiden's combat is a breath of fresh air and a successful evolution of what came before. It's faster, more dynamic, and more rewarding than Kiryu’s prior outings and, while the heavy punches of older titles might be missed by some, the overall experience is undeniably satisfying. It's Kiryu at his most strategic, weaving a dance of dodges, counters, and well-placed gadgets to prove that even the Dragon of Dojima has a few more tricks up his sleeve.
In conclusion, Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name delivers a satisfying dose of classic Yakuza action. The repetitive mission structure of the Akame Network, rushed character development, and ultimately inconsequential plot aside, Gaiden is worth playing. While it doesn’t hold a candle to the satisfying conclusion for Kiryu’s story in Yakuza 6, it doesn’t tarnish that conclusion either. It isn’t my favorite Yakuza/Like a Dragon title by a long shot, but it is a fun side game that leaves me longing for Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth’s release in January 2024.
A side-story for previous series protagonist Kiryu Kazuma taking place before, during, and after the events of Yakuza: Like a Dragon, Gaiden tosses players back into the familiar streets of Sotenbori, Osaka, but this time, the Dragon of Dojima walks a different path. We find Kiryu, a shell of his former self, living a life of quiet exile under the thumb of the Daidoji Faction, a secretive political organization. It is apparent throughout the story that Kiryu doesn’t necessarily regret his decision to fake his death at the end of Yakuza 6, but he is grappling with the consequences of his sacrifice. Instead of spending his days with the children of Morning Glory and helping raise Haruto, he now lives at the becking call of the Daidoji and must complete tasks for them or risk the lives of everyone he loves. The story of Gaiden, while making a point to show Kiryu’s internal struggle and outward disdain with the Daidoji leash around his neck, doesn’t truly tackle this as its main narrative. Instead of spending time trying to topple the Daidoji and free Kiryu from servitude, the game’s story centers on the upcoming dissolution of the Omi Alliance and Tojo Clan and Kiryu’s role in that dissolution - something that was covered perfectly well in Yakuza: Like a Dragon in my opinion. In this way, Gaiden feels like a detour to fix the narrative corner the RGG team painted themselves into at the end of Yakuza 6 and bring Kiryu back into the fray for Infinite Wealth. This makes the story of Gaiden one of the weaker the series has to offer. It has a few twists along the way but is mostly irrelevant to the overarching plot of the Yakuza/Like a Dragon series at this time. For the most part, I believe the important and impactful story moments for Kiryu’s overall character could have been delivered in Infinite Wealth. In short, Gaiden’s story is a good Yakuza/Like a Dragon story, but it can mostly be relegated to filler and little else.
There are three characters central to the story of Gaiden that I want to discuss before breaking down the game’s combat - Akame, Homare Nishitani III, and Kosei Shishido.
Throughout Gaiden, Akame isn't just any other side character. She's the heart of the Sotenbori underground, a person Kiryu turns to for intel and odd jobs while in Sotenbori, and a central character throughout much of the game. While her past is mostly shrouded in mystery, we do know she came to Sotenbori to become a singer - a dream that would go unrealized. She would eventually form a relationship with the Sotenbori homeless population and establish the Akame Network, a bustling hub of information and a lifeline for those operating beneath the radar. While not a Yakuza herself, Akame is tangentially related to the Watase Family of the Omi Alliance. It is the relationship that causes her to operate as Kiryu’s ticket into The Castle, a Yakuza run pleasure boat off the coast of Japan. From here the two would form a friendship as Kiryu took on odd jobs for the Akame Network and Akame provided him a place to stay during his time in Sotenbori.
While Akame and the Akame Network mainly serve as substory machines for the player, essentially spitting out one side quest after the other, her inclusion in the story serves a larger purpose. She becomes a confidante to Kiryu, a sounding board for his doubts and anxieties as he grapples with his faked death and the consequences of his choices. Her sharp wit and unwavering loyalty offer him solace and support in a world that has seemingly moved on without him. Throughout the game, Kiryu grows to trust Akame, and the two form a friendship that unravels her past, her aspirations, and the personal struggles she faces. She's not simply a plot device; she's a well-developed character with her own agency and motivations. Kiryu, in turn, plays a critical role in helping her overcome her fear of rejection and spurs her on to once again chase her dream of becoming a singer. By the game's end, Akame's fate remains up in the air, leaving room for a possible future appearance in Infinite Wealth. Her impact on Kiryu's story during Gaiden, however, is undeniable. She reminds him of his humanity, his connection to the people he swore to protect, and the value of forging one's own destiny. In a game that sees Kiryu grappling with the past, Akame represents hope for the future, both for him and for the underbelly of Sotenbori.
Homare Nishitani III, one of two central antagonists in Gaiden, isn't the first of his name to appear in a Yakuza/Like a Dragon title. His namesake, Homare Nishitani, was an antagonist in Yakuza 0 and ultimately influenced the nonchalant semi-sadistic attitude of Goro Majima after the conclusion of that game. Nishitani III, much like Homare Nishitani, is the embodiment of excess and depravity, reveling in cruelty, power, and wealth. As he sits atop The Castle pleasure ship he rules over he indulges in extravagant displays of opulence and surrounds himself with beautiful women, goons, and the most powerful Colosseum fighters.
Nishitani III plays a narrative role throughout the story that I won’t go into here. Still, from a character perspective, he operates as a twisted reflection of Kiryu while also being a stark reminder of the darkness and depravity that lurks beneath the surface of the Yakuza’s pride and ceremony. As a foil to Kiryu, Nishitani III highlights the dangers of unchecked power and the consequences of abandoning one's moral compass. While Kiryu speaks his mind and takes the fight to his enemies, Nishitani III operates in the shadows and sets traps for his advisories. Furthermore, Kiryu is fine to abandon any power or stations of respect he has gained throughout his life, Nistani III on the other hand longs for power, yearns for respect he doesn’t deserve, and has an undeniable unchecked ambition. He represents the corrupting influence of power and the dangers of desire within the criminal underworld. His presence serves as a reminder of the importance of upholding one's moral principles, even in the face of adversity.
Kosei Shishido becomes the ultimate antagonist of Like a Dragon Gaiden by the end of the game. He is a formidable force of nature sculpted by his violent upbringing and relentless ambition to rise above his station. He is a towering figure, nearly dwarfing Kiryu in size, with a face etched with scars and a perpetual scowl. He embodies raw power, relying on brute force and a head-cracking baseball bat to dominate his opponents.
His early life was spent in the brutal coliseums of the Kijin Clan, where he honed his raw physical strength and earned a reputation as a savage and unstoppable fighter. He was forced to kill to survive and eventually became a slave to the whims of Homare Nishitani III. His fighting ability eventually caught the eye of the Watase Family, which he quickly joined and rose to the rank of lieutenant. Shishido's ambitions, however, extended beyond his loyalty to the Watase Family. He craved power, control, and the family he had found when becoming a Yakuza. This culminates in his betrayal of Patriarch Masaru Watase near the end of the game as he attempts to stop the planned dissolution of the Omi Alliance and Tojo Clan by any means necessary - this is ultimately what brings Kiryu and Shishido to blows.
Shishido's true purpose in the story, however, goes beyond mere muscle. Much like Nishitani III, he acts as a mirror for Kiryu throughout Gaiden and serves as another testament to the consequences of unchecked ambition. Shishido, more than any other antagonist in the series, provides Kiryu a glimpse of what he could have become if he had chosen a different path or lacked the upbringing given to him by Shintaro Kazama. Furthermore, Shishido provides a different perspective on the Yakuza that neither Kiryu nor any other Yakuza/Like a Dragon protagonist can provide. Instead of viewing the Yakuza as a criminal organization, a group of men hellbent on control, or an organization past its prime and usefulness in Japanese society, Shishido sees the Yakuza, and particularly the Omi Alliance, as a family he never had. This provides an understandable reason as to why Shishido and several of the members of the Omi refused to disband after the dissolution order was given at the end of Gaiden. These men have nowhere else to turn and no one else to go home to. The Yakuza, regardless of their criminal activities, are their family and they will do anything to protect that. This is what drives Shishido to fight Kiryu at the end of the game and what gives him the strength to keep getting up after being knocked down.
After the combat hiccups I experienced in Yakuza 6 and the dislike some fans harbor for the combat in Yakuza Kiwami 2, Kiryu's return in Like a Dragon Gaiden brought excitement and apprehension. Fans were excited to see the Dragon of Dojima as a playable character once again but were afraid the combat shortcomings seen in his prior two adventures would continue. Fortunately, Gaiden brings a fresh take on the series' combat and seamlessly blends the familiar street brawling of Kiryu’s past with the quick, precise, and agile fighting style he’s mastered as an agent of the Daidoji. This creates a combat system that is both rewarding to play and satisfying to watch as punches, kicks, and Tiger Drops are once again as snappy, responsive, and bone-crunching as they were when Kiryu walked the streets of Kamurocho.
For the first time since Yakuza 0, Kiryu has access to more than one fighting style in Gaiden: Yakuza Style and Agent Style. Yakuza Style, as the name suggests, channels the classic brawling Kiryu is known for, letting the player pummel enemies with devastating punches and kicks with the full force of the Dragon of Dojima. Since this combat style is present in nearly every iteration of Kiryu’s character, it’s fair to compare its implementation here to the previous games in the series. With that said, Kiryu has never felt better to control, and long gone are the problems present in Kiwami 2 and Yakuza 6. Agent Style, a brand new combat style created specifically for Gaiden, was taught to Kiryu by the Daidoji to help carry out any mission he is given. brings the finesse. This secret fighting style combines martial arts techniques from different countries and time periods with what are essentially spy gadgets to bring down opponents. Exploding cigarettes, jet-propelled shoes, and attack drones are some of the gadgets present in the game and each adds a layer of depth to the typical beat ‘em combat present in Yakuza/Like a Dragon titles.
Overall, Gaiden's combat is a breath of fresh air and a successful evolution of what came before. It's faster, more dynamic, and more rewarding than Kiryu’s prior outings and, while the heavy punches of older titles might be missed by some, the overall experience is undeniably satisfying. It's Kiryu at his most strategic, weaving a dance of dodges, counters, and well-placed gadgets to prove that even the Dragon of Dojima has a few more tricks up his sleeve.
In conclusion, Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name delivers a satisfying dose of classic Yakuza action. The repetitive mission structure of the Akame Network, rushed character development, and ultimately inconsequential plot aside, Gaiden is worth playing. While it doesn’t hold a candle to the satisfying conclusion for Kiryu’s story in Yakuza 6, it doesn’t tarnish that conclusion either. It isn’t my favorite Yakuza/Like a Dragon title by a long shot, but it is a fun side game that leaves me longing for Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth’s release in January 2024.