markfm
2024
Second Persona game down and I really enjoyed this one too, although a little less than 5. I loved the dorm setting and how you live with the team, seeing them every day and doing all sorts of little interactions and things together. It makes the team feel very tight knit, both through the story and as friends who live together. The story itself feels a bit uneven to me, taking a long time to pick up steam, leaving key elements introduced a bit late to be as impactful as they could be. It does come together nicely towards the end though, and is made all the stronger by how well they’ve crafted the party and their bonds. This is matched with a typically great soundtrack, which has an infectious hip-hop, upbeat sound, but does switch to some beautiful, more sad music when things start to get real.
The turn based battling is still very enjoyable to me, although Tartarus is a bit of a sticking point. It almost feels like a group project that the team clock into after hours to whittle away. They banter, grow in their abilities, and there are some cool little features added to Tartarus as you progress. I really enjoy that feeling of your squad being a team in and out of battle. It’s just not memorable at all. Very little of note happens for the most part, you just keep battling and going up. The same can be said for most of the boss battles before a certain point. They’re just bosses, not much to say really. The later bosses are a big improvement, it just takes a long time to get there.
The turn based battling is still very enjoyable to me, although Tartarus is a bit of a sticking point. It almost feels like a group project that the team clock into after hours to whittle away. They banter, grow in their abilities, and there are some cool little features added to Tartarus as you progress. I really enjoy that feeling of your squad being a team in and out of battle. It’s just not memorable at all. Very little of note happens for the most part, you just keep battling and going up. The same can be said for most of the boss battles before a certain point. They’re just bosses, not much to say really. The later bosses are a big improvement, it just takes a long time to get there.
Really fell in love with this game far more than I was expecting to. It has an amazing atmosphere and gorgeous colour palette, lots of dim blues and greens, beautifully lit. I loved how much freedom it gives you to explore, how it buries away secrets and encourages you to find them. There’s a great balance between how cute and funny the characters can be, and how dark and dangerous the setting and plot is. Straight away I fell in love with the Knight, the grubs, Hornet, Greenpath and the City of Tears, and knew I wanted to see more.
The soundtrack took me by surprise with how beautiful and melancholic it is. It adds to the atmosphere and adds to the identity of each area. There’s a great mix of areas that feel like the heart of civilisation, to wilder gardens and further reaches, to others feeling very mysterious and dangerous. The controls also feel superb too. The jumps, dashes, wall climbing, pogo-ing with your nail, it’s all introduced very well until the point it became second nature. It has a bug-like springiness to it, giving you both a sense of overcoming great odds, but also feeling a growing sense of power and expertise in your own character and abilities. I was also impressed by the upgrade charms, which all felt distinct, worthwhile, and fun to experiment with.
This game is BIG, especially if you delve into the optional stuff, which I did after I beat the story. I’ve still got some to do, which I’ll pick up as and when I feel like it. But I’ve done a lot of it and have beaten the Radiance, which felt like a good cut off point. I’m sad that there’s not really much more for me to discover, as that aspect of the game is second to none, but it’s still a lot of fun to jump into and try to beat a challenge. Really I just want to keep playing it, and like many people I will now be waiting eagerly for Silksong to arrive. No pressure!
The soundtrack took me by surprise with how beautiful and melancholic it is. It adds to the atmosphere and adds to the identity of each area. There’s a great mix of areas that feel like the heart of civilisation, to wilder gardens and further reaches, to others feeling very mysterious and dangerous. The controls also feel superb too. The jumps, dashes, wall climbing, pogo-ing with your nail, it’s all introduced very well until the point it became second nature. It has a bug-like springiness to it, giving you both a sense of overcoming great odds, but also feeling a growing sense of power and expertise in your own character and abilities. I was also impressed by the upgrade charms, which all felt distinct, worthwhile, and fun to experiment with.
This game is BIG, especially if you delve into the optional stuff, which I did after I beat the story. I’ve still got some to do, which I’ll pick up as and when I feel like it. But I’ve done a lot of it and have beaten the Radiance, which felt like a good cut off point. I’m sad that there’s not really much more for me to discover, as that aspect of the game is second to none, but it’s still a lot of fun to jump into and try to beat a challenge. Really I just want to keep playing it, and like many people I will now be waiting eagerly for Silksong to arrive. No pressure!
2023
Really well designed game. It never says a word and only gives you one button to interact. But through pure visual language and smart design, I was always able to intuit what the game was asking of me. This really pays off in the last quarter or so of the game, where all of the concepts come together in very fun and satisfying ways. It’s a very mechanical feeling game, lots of moving parts, pipes and buttons. At times very abstract. The sound design and soundtrack also help provide atmosphere, with some synthy sci-fi sounds, and some nice rising, inspirational “you get it” music as you start to solve a puzzle. I’d still place it behind Inside overall, but it’s a more mechanically enjoyable game, just really satisified that part of my brain.
Downloaded AA on a whim amidst all the Suicide Squad discussion. Holds up really well. I do love the Asylum, although it’s hard not to miss gliding over the city and swooping down on enemies. Scarecrow segments are still excellent. I also really enjoyed the characters and performances here more than I used to, especially Mark Hamill’s Joker. Maybe absence has made the heart grow fonder. Not sure if I’ll play through City but I’ll definitely start it and see how I go.
2023
I’ve been absolutely hooked on this. It looks and sounds amazing, and is constantly keeping you guessing with twists and new ideas. There’s a constant sense of suspense and mystery, and can be genuinely scary, particularly early on when you know less. But it retains the personality and endearing humour of Alan Wake and Control. Shooting is still just ok, but I appreciated the perspective shift and focus on storytelling and suspense over waves of enemies.
There’s a lot to unravel, which is fun to ponder on, but also a bit too convoluted for me by the end. Not everything connected or paid off as well as I’d hoped. But a lot of it did, and the promise of a new game plus that reveals further mysteries does appeal to me, if not immediately. I’m also glad I played Alan Wake and Control, as I’d have been lost otherwise. It was easily my favourite of the three, and made up for its imperfections with just how impressive and inventive it is overall.
There’s a lot to unravel, which is fun to ponder on, but also a bit too convoluted for me by the end. Not everything connected or paid off as well as I’d hoped. But a lot of it did, and the promise of a new game plus that reveals further mysteries does appeal to me, if not immediately. I’m also glad I played Alan Wake and Control, as I’d have been lost otherwise. It was easily my favourite of the three, and made up for its imperfections with just how impressive and inventive it is overall.
I came out of this one a little mixed. I loved the Oldest House and it’s weirdness, austere and striking style, and how it hints at depths and strangeness you can only imagine. There are so many cool ideas here, and I loved discovering through its documents, video and audio clips, and terrifying puppet shows. This game is seriously unsettling at times, even when it might not mean to be. The writing and voice acting is great, and like Alan Wake has a tone and style all its own. It respects your intelligence, and isn’t afraid to be weird, abstract and wryly humorous. More than anything that might be what I loved here, a game with a style and tone all its own, that I’d love to see more of.
I enjoyed the slower sections of this game, the exploration, the light puzzle solving. The combat wore me down though. It starts out quite fun, particularly as you gain new abilities. It eventually became a persistent roadblock for me, another tedious wave of enemies to mow down so I could get back to exploring. There was just too much of it, and for the DLC I put on the cheats so I could enjoy it unencumbered. I would’ve preferred if there had been more of the abstract puzzle solving, kinetic movement and exploration than shooting. It felt more appropriate for this game. Still, I’m very interested to see where Alan Wake 2 goes from here, as the final ‘AWE’ DLC was excellent.
I enjoyed the slower sections of this game, the exploration, the light puzzle solving. The combat wore me down though. It starts out quite fun, particularly as you gain new abilities. It eventually became a persistent roadblock for me, another tedious wave of enemies to mow down so I could get back to exploring. There was just too much of it, and for the DLC I put on the cheats so I could enjoy it unencumbered. I would’ve preferred if there had been more of the abstract puzzle solving, kinetic movement and exploration than shooting. It felt more appropriate for this game. Still, I’m very interested to see where Alan Wake 2 goes from here, as the final ‘AWE’ DLC was excellent.
2019
I played this off and on for a year and loved it. It was a relaxing game and a source of comfort for me. I loved the balance of the story, the day to day life stuff, and going to the palace. I felt very drawn into the world as everything is so well integrated. The turn based combat is excellent, consistently stylish, fun, and dynamic. The palaces and personas are a great way to reveal things about the characters and villains, and allow for some pretty wild, fun and heartfelt encounters. The fourth palace in particular is superb for how everything comes together.
The characters are great. My favourites were Sojiro and Futaba, but I liked most of them - Ryuji, Ann, Makoto, and the Royal characters Kasumi and Maruki stand out. The story does sag at times, and there are perhaps one or two too many characters and storylines. Think I was dragging half the school around those palaces eventually. But the story is great overall, particularly around the first, fourth, sixth and final palace. There’s a great balance of humour, darker storylines, character growth and light social commentary. I was properly hooked at times. I’ll miss this game a lot, and I don’t think it’ll be long before I come back to it, or give one of the spin offs a try (Strikers is calling my name). Persona 3 Reload around the corner too….
The characters are great. My favourites were Sojiro and Futaba, but I liked most of them - Ryuji, Ann, Makoto, and the Royal characters Kasumi and Maruki stand out. The story does sag at times, and there are perhaps one or two too many characters and storylines. Think I was dragging half the school around those palaces eventually. But the story is great overall, particularly around the first, fourth, sixth and final palace. There’s a great balance of humour, darker storylines, character growth and light social commentary. I was properly hooked at times. I’ll miss this game a lot, and I don’t think it’ll be long before I come back to it, or give one of the spin offs a try (Strikers is calling my name). Persona 3 Reload around the corner too….
Managed to squeeze one more in before the end of the year! I loved this game. It controls perfectly and each level is paced well. There’s a great balance between precision, quick jumps, climbs, swings. Checkpoints are perfectly placed and lives are generous enough to feel fair, but still make items worth collecting. Vehicle sections and faster levels are exhilarating and (mostly) fair in giving you time to react and look ahead. Both levels and bosses have this wonderful feeling of ending right when they should, and are excellent at introducing and expanding upon concepts both within levels and across each island.
The difficulty curve is spot on, with only a few of the last levels feeling a bit too nasty for me to want to try them again. The bosses are excellent. I particularly loved the polar bear, tough but satisfying. The final boss is a bit more tedious than fun, which is a shame but not the end of the world. The music is typically excellent, atmospheric and uplifting. The art direction is bouncy and fun, lots of fun little animations and bright, colourful trees, sands and hills.
Grassland Groove is easily my favourite level, a joyful delight of African rhythms, wonderful jumps and climbs, as trees and giraffes bounce along to the music with you. Amiss Abyss also stands out for its gorgeous dark underwater swimming, lit up intermittently by sea life below. But there are so many to choose from. Overall a great end to the year for me.
The difficulty curve is spot on, with only a few of the last levels feeling a bit too nasty for me to want to try them again. The bosses are excellent. I particularly loved the polar bear, tough but satisfying. The final boss is a bit more tedious than fun, which is a shame but not the end of the world. The music is typically excellent, atmospheric and uplifting. The art direction is bouncy and fun, lots of fun little animations and bright, colourful trees, sands and hills.
Grassland Groove is easily my favourite level, a joyful delight of African rhythms, wonderful jumps and climbs, as trees and giraffes bounce along to the music with you. Amiss Abyss also stands out for its gorgeous dark underwater swimming, lit up intermittently by sea life below. But there are so many to choose from. Overall a great end to the year for me.
2018
Think I’ll have to give this one up, despite making it quite far. It’s a shame as there was plenty to like. The music is excellent, and the story and characters are charming. I just found as the game increased in difficulty it was often fiddly and frustrating. I had real issues with the controls, often dashing diagonally when I wanted to go horizontal, and vice versa. I ended up getting too fed up to continue. A real shame but better to cut my losses.
2021
This game’s been sitting unfinished for me since…. 2010 possibly. The praise around AW2 has motivated me to give this and Control a go before I try it, since they’re both on PS Plus. I love the setting and tone of this game, a good balance of mystery, spookiness and just the right amount of cheesiness and humour. The atmosphere is great, and the fog covered trees and flares look fantastic.
Gameplay is ok, but I quickly got bored of it. It’s very samey and not particularly satisfying. The story does help carry it as there are some memorable moments and the allure of solving the mystery. Overall I enjoyed it, but I think it could be improved in the execution. I can understand why it’s taken me this long to finish it. I’m hoping for a little more in Control and AW2.
Gameplay is ok, but I quickly got bored of it. It’s very samey and not particularly satisfying. The story does help carry it as there are some memorable moments and the allure of solving the mystery. Overall I enjoyed it, but I think it could be improved in the execution. I can understand why it’s taken me this long to finish it. I’m hoping for a little more in Control and AW2.
More of an expansion to Second Son than a separate game. I finished the story and the open world activities in five hours. There's a battle arena too but didn't delve into that.
I enjoyed racing after and leaping for upgrade 'lumens' in hard to reach spots over a lot of the filler in Second Son. The movement is so fun in these games it's nice to have more challenges. I also didn't miss the morality system. Fetch is a more interesting and likeable character than Delsin, but the story itself is so small and filled with busywork that it only really gets good in the third act.
I think both games work well together, Second Son the more complete package, First Light a focused side story. I enjoyed them both but don't think either of them reach their full potential.
I enjoyed racing after and leaping for upgrade 'lumens' in hard to reach spots over a lot of the filler in Second Son. The movement is so fun in these games it's nice to have more challenges. I also didn't miss the morality system. Fetch is a more interesting and likeable character than Delsin, but the story itself is so small and filled with busywork that it only really gets good in the third act.
I think both games work well together, Second Son the more complete package, First Light a focused side story. I enjoyed them both but don't think either of them reach their full potential.
2014
Pretty fun game. It looks and runs great on PS5. The lighting, effects and reflections are all gorgeous, and the city looks really nice. I also liked the graffiti theming and how that weaves into the story. You can tell it's an early gen game for how much they try to use the touchpad and motion controls, as if to say 'look what we can do now!'
Movement is great and the city is designed very well with plenty of launching off points for your powers. It's fun to zoom around picking up activities as you find them. The story is ok, but felt like it ended before it really began. I'd have liked more of that and less open world checkboxy stuff.
Movement is great and the city is designed very well with plenty of launching off points for your powers. It's fun to zoom around picking up activities as you find them. The story is ok, but felt like it ended before it really began. I'd have liked more of that and less open world checkboxy stuff.
2015
Beautiful game with a cool premise. Gameplay is very stiff and basic, mostly shaped around fitting into the cinematics. The story and characters are pretty interesting but ultimately fell flat for me. Not a bad game overall but very underwhelming considering how promising it seems at first.
Really fascinating game. Definitely as well written as people say. I loved the psychological aspect to it and how it breaks down the experience of the world into different psychological phenomenons, ‘shivers’, ‘inland empire’ etc. It’s such a multilayered and intriguing way to tie in your character’s choices with their experiences. It’s a fascinating gameplay system as it ties into real dimensions of how we experience the world.
I also loved the freedom you get to explore this game’s small but densely packed island. I think I experienced the story in the most roundabout way possible because of my need to poke my head in every corner before I move forward. I love that it let me do that too, allowing me to stumble back on things I missed long before, while also locking some off. I liked how the people of the world and its history all inform each other, told through conversation, investigation and inference.
The story it tells is frequently gripping, an excellent murder mystery with depth, sadness and heart. I loved how it made my story feel like my own, and how my choices shaped my character as much as I attempted to shape my choices. Which ended up being a very intelligent, slightly deluded wannabe-communist ‘sorry cop’ with no authority or empathy, trying his best to kick the habit and do honest police work. There were some very satisfying payoffs, and enjoyment to not really knowing or caring what I missed along the way.
There were aspects of the game that I didn’t like. The humour was hit and miss. I’m glad they embraced it as I did frequently laugh out loud, but other times it irritated me. Same with the characters, some I really liked, others felt like grating caricatures. At times I got a bit fed up schlepping around this island while everybody called me a sadsack loser or waffled on at me. Sometimes the game feels a little bit too much like being hungover. As time went on I found myself skipping past some of the goofier options and less interesting trains of thought. I did appreciate that the game let me do that though. It made the more sincere and heartfelt moments worth it, as I felt glad that I pursued them.
I also loved the freedom you get to explore this game’s small but densely packed island. I think I experienced the story in the most roundabout way possible because of my need to poke my head in every corner before I move forward. I love that it let me do that too, allowing me to stumble back on things I missed long before, while also locking some off. I liked how the people of the world and its history all inform each other, told through conversation, investigation and inference.
The story it tells is frequently gripping, an excellent murder mystery with depth, sadness and heart. I loved how it made my story feel like my own, and how my choices shaped my character as much as I attempted to shape my choices. Which ended up being a very intelligent, slightly deluded wannabe-communist ‘sorry cop’ with no authority or empathy, trying his best to kick the habit and do honest police work. There were some very satisfying payoffs, and enjoyment to not really knowing or caring what I missed along the way.
There were aspects of the game that I didn’t like. The humour was hit and miss. I’m glad they embraced it as I did frequently laugh out loud, but other times it irritated me. Same with the characters, some I really liked, others felt like grating caricatures. At times I got a bit fed up schlepping around this island while everybody called me a sadsack loser or waffled on at me. Sometimes the game feels a little bit too much like being hungover. As time went on I found myself skipping past some of the goofier options and less interesting trains of thought. I did appreciate that the game let me do that though. It made the more sincere and heartfelt moments worth it, as I felt glad that I pursued them.
2023
This review contains spoilers
Although I wasn’t initially planning to, I did a complete playthrough. It took a while to grow on me but I ended up enjoying it more than I was expecting. I liked how the Eikons, dominants and crystals were handled, giving you these memorable conflicts, characters and inflection points in the story. The presentation and soundtrack is wonderful throughout, and each feels very distinct and well suited to the character and their story. I loved Dion and his Ascension theme, the vicious and tragic feel of Benedikta’s fight, but Kupka was probably my favourite overall. Big, dumb fun that made me laugh out loud more than once.
The seemingly inevitable ‘kill the god that represents the themes of the story’ ending was fine, fun and cheesy in parts, and Clive’s sacrifice is quite moving. But I think I would’ve preferred Barnabas positioned as the main villain, with Clive returning to the hideaway to help rebuild the world. I enjoyed that aspect of Clive’s character, growing into the role of Cid the Outlaw. I loved wandering around the hideaway and seeing what was new, helping others with their problems. Gave me that Normandy, ‘home away from home’ feeling. It meant that a lot of the final sidequests and the ‘say goodbye to everyone’ moment worked really well, and I would’ve loved to have seen an ending where Clive returns and is able to fulfill his promises.
The sidequests go some way to grounding the story and giving you a connection to the world’s characters and their problems. But there are far too many and a lot of them aren’t worth the effort. They feel constrained by the ‘talk to person - go and grab something/fight something - talk to person’ format that they ALL follow, or thereabouts. Some of these should’ve been prioritised, particularly those around characters, and the rest removed. Jill and Joshua in particular feel underdeveloped considering their significance in the story - I’d much rather do something with Jill than pick up soil or help my uncle’s butler. More personal time spent with characters would’ve gone a long way, hopefully something DLC could explore.
I loved the action gameplay. There’s a nice versatility between each Eikon’s abilities, and I really enjoyed mixing and matching and trying to get the best out of them. Each one looks, sounds and feels satisfying to execute. I would’ve loved to have seen a fixed set of genuinely different weapons with their own abilities, maybe some combo moves for higher level play, rather than just upgrading to another sword with higher damage. Boss, mini boss and hunts were a lot of fun, but other fights became less engaging. The Eikon trials show how fun the combat can be when you’re actually put under pressure and forced to engage with the abilities, deal with restrictions and play to a faster, higher level. I wish there were more fights like that.
Overall I wish the game was a little less rigid. Fewer fast travel points and waypoints, more to engage with in combat. At its worst this game is very staid and unchallenging, almost like its on autopilot. There’s just not enough game here for the length of this game. Despite my criticism, I did enjoy this game a lot though, and grew fond of its characters, music, warmth and sentimentality, action and bombast.
The seemingly inevitable ‘kill the god that represents the themes of the story’ ending was fine, fun and cheesy in parts, and Clive’s sacrifice is quite moving. But I think I would’ve preferred Barnabas positioned as the main villain, with Clive returning to the hideaway to help rebuild the world. I enjoyed that aspect of Clive’s character, growing into the role of Cid the Outlaw. I loved wandering around the hideaway and seeing what was new, helping others with their problems. Gave me that Normandy, ‘home away from home’ feeling. It meant that a lot of the final sidequests and the ‘say goodbye to everyone’ moment worked really well, and I would’ve loved to have seen an ending where Clive returns and is able to fulfill his promises.
The sidequests go some way to grounding the story and giving you a connection to the world’s characters and their problems. But there are far too many and a lot of them aren’t worth the effort. They feel constrained by the ‘talk to person - go and grab something/fight something - talk to person’ format that they ALL follow, or thereabouts. Some of these should’ve been prioritised, particularly those around characters, and the rest removed. Jill and Joshua in particular feel underdeveloped considering their significance in the story - I’d much rather do something with Jill than pick up soil or help my uncle’s butler. More personal time spent with characters would’ve gone a long way, hopefully something DLC could explore.
I loved the action gameplay. There’s a nice versatility between each Eikon’s abilities, and I really enjoyed mixing and matching and trying to get the best out of them. Each one looks, sounds and feels satisfying to execute. I would’ve loved to have seen a fixed set of genuinely different weapons with their own abilities, maybe some combo moves for higher level play, rather than just upgrading to another sword with higher damage. Boss, mini boss and hunts were a lot of fun, but other fights became less engaging. The Eikon trials show how fun the combat can be when you’re actually put under pressure and forced to engage with the abilities, deal with restrictions and play to a faster, higher level. I wish there were more fights like that.
Overall I wish the game was a little less rigid. Fewer fast travel points and waypoints, more to engage with in combat. At its worst this game is very staid and unchallenging, almost like its on autopilot. There’s just not enough game here for the length of this game. Despite my criticism, I did enjoy this game a lot though, and grew fond of its characters, music, warmth and sentimentality, action and bombast.