this game helped soothe and relax me during an absolutely horrible and scarring breakup, so I will forever love its beautiful world, delightful characters and dreamlike atmosphere. for a few weeks I was embroiled in pretty traumatic arguments and manipulation, and being able to play this before bed really helped me relax, and reminded me what home was supposed to feel like. bc there's something in this game that harkens back to novels from childhood, or hot cocoa, or the music my grandparents would put on. and I really needed that kind of care during that horrible month. So I'm forever grateful to the Curious Village. Love you Layton.

Simply one of the best video games of all time. An elaborate Rube Goldberg system of toybox indulgences, splayed out in two luxurious maps of fetishistic detail. But also, the game balances its triple A, open world 'play excess' with a bizarre, dreamlike story that feels drowsy and sun-stroked. Nearly wordless, surreally slow motion, unshaply and fascinating. Yeah yeah yeah there's room for discussion on its meta-commentary about killing in media- but at the end of the day, this is a world class action game and an exquisite surreal pastiche, stuffed into a franchise-closer shell, and all the mayhem and insane video game design you could imagine ensues.