maximilyun
Neon Splash improves massively upon the original Demon Turf’s structure, and while a few unique quirks from the original fall to the wayside, this is a more rewarding, complete experience. Only the best parts of Beebz’s moveset and the levels she’d navigate are brought to Neon Splash. And while your options for movement can lead to rote paths through each level, there are enough windows for creative expression and sequence breaking that are really fun.
Collectibles are still an issue, often slowing down the pace to crawl if you choose to go for them. And when the speedrun clock, and the amount of lollipops you’ve collected, are given the same real estate in the UI, this sends some mixed messages. I think these collectibles would fare better if the game didn’t track how many you collect or how many are in each level, and if their placements were more closely tied to the main path, maybe tempting players to take a harder route through a segment.
While this game does suffer from some of the same issues as Demon Turf, notably with collectibles and a rigid movement system, steps were taken to improve the flaws of its predecessor, and Neon Splash is a huge improvement on every front because of it, ESPECIALLY structurally. Great rebound!
Collectibles are still an issue, often slowing down the pace to crawl if you choose to go for them. And when the speedrun clock, and the amount of lollipops you’ve collected, are given the same real estate in the UI, this sends some mixed messages. I think these collectibles would fare better if the game didn’t track how many you collect or how many are in each level, and if their placements were more closely tied to the main path, maybe tempting players to take a harder route through a segment.
While this game does suffer from some of the same issues as Demon Turf, notably with collectibles and a rigid movement system, steps were taken to improve the flaws of its predecessor, and Neon Splash is a huge improvement on every front because of it, ESPECIALLY structurally. Great rebound!
2021
If Demon Turf could commit to one idea it’d be all the better for it. Each decision made about this game’s structure has to account for the myriad of styles it goes for. I’d like it a lot more if if it leaned entirely into being a linear puzzle-platformer, or an open-zone collectathon. I cannot meet it on its own terms since I’m not exactly certain what those terms are. The boundless variety in structure and theme just gives me a headache. Platforming setpieces and minigames aren’t THAT bad on their own, but together, they form a chimeric whole, completely shooting down any sense of pacing or rising action the game could’ve had.
Hub worlds, placeable checkpoints that you teleport between, and minigames, all feel suited to a more open-ended kind of level. Unfortunately, the little good these mechanics provide is taken away by how poorly the mesh with the game’s structure. So many levels are linear obstacle courses that can’t build upon the previous level’s ideas since there is usually never a previous level. Each level’s structure is also muddied by having you complete some random minigame or activity. A lot of the levels feel like a linear gauntlet of some of Super Mario Odyssey’s most worthless power moon challenges, with some platforming sprinkled in.
None of these gimmicks and abilities are terrible conceptually. However, when each turf jerks you from the “enter buildings” level to the “open” level to the “linear” level back to the “enter buildings” level; when these levels have as much fluff as they do platforming gauntlets; when the game asks so little of you - I struggle to find any reason to care.
Neither the story nor the presentation grabbed me, though these facets both have their fun moments. Ugly and boring at their worst, nice at their best!
Inconsistency and structural issues haunt every corner of this game. Its uniqueness can’t make up for all of its issues and I’m left with a bad taste in my mouth by the end of it - even with its cute ending. I think with an overhaul in structure, and a few mechanical tweaks, Demon Turf could be a lot better.
Hub worlds, placeable checkpoints that you teleport between, and minigames, all feel suited to a more open-ended kind of level. Unfortunately, the little good these mechanics provide is taken away by how poorly the mesh with the game’s structure. So many levels are linear obstacle courses that can’t build upon the previous level’s ideas since there is usually never a previous level. Each level’s structure is also muddied by having you complete some random minigame or activity. A lot of the levels feel like a linear gauntlet of some of Super Mario Odyssey’s most worthless power moon challenges, with some platforming sprinkled in.
None of these gimmicks and abilities are terrible conceptually. However, when each turf jerks you from the “enter buildings” level to the “open” level to the “linear” level back to the “enter buildings” level; when these levels have as much fluff as they do platforming gauntlets; when the game asks so little of you - I struggle to find any reason to care.
Neither the story nor the presentation grabbed me, though these facets both have their fun moments. Ugly and boring at their worst, nice at their best!
Inconsistency and structural issues haunt every corner of this game. Its uniqueness can’t make up for all of its issues and I’m left with a bad taste in my mouth by the end of it - even with its cute ending. I think with an overhaul in structure, and a few mechanical tweaks, Demon Turf could be a lot better.
2017
Well, a lot of this game’s intent went over my head. I can appreciate it for what it is in hindsight, but a lot of what impresses me the most evaded me on my first playthrough.
Its themes on mental health and capitalism are apparent yet the overal message is a little abstract. I’m fine with this, but it certainly impacted my first playthrough and made the ending fall kinda flat for me. Delving deeper (thinking more about the game and reading what some people have had to say about it), I really like what Night in the Woods has to say, and how it has to say it.
By far its greatest strength is its worldbuilding, and how its world is presented.. The game looks like I’m playing a children’s story book, which fits perfectly with Mae’s idealistic, forever-young view of her life. She seems to hallucinate as the changing views of her childhood friends and dying town contrast her own immature view of things. Childhood friends, who have matured more than Mae in her 2 years off to college, are navigating their feelings through their disparate, desperate situations. Greg can’t goof off as he wants to move to the big city with his boyfriend and Bea’s responsibilities continue to pile as her depressed father grows older. Possum Springs can no longer live up to its legacy as a mining town and opportunities are scarce.
It isn’t all bleak in Possum Springs, there are plenty of things to do and keep track of. Night in the Woods controls well enough and animates fluidly enough for a mechanically and tactilely fun game, despite its simple loop. There’s also enough varied content you can explore to find and miss out on day by day. I find that Mae’s gameplay of platforming across a makeshift jungle gym of telephone poles and rooftops; talking and listening to people; maybe partaking in some activity they’re doing, is fun! Specifically, jumping around the town like its a playground, with its storybook art-style, makes for a fascinating atmosphere, reflecting and adding to our understanding of Mae’s plight.
And yeah, perhaps some of the finer details went over my head, but Night in the Woods has a phenomenal atmosphere, one that is felt in its story, regardless of how deep you dive. Where its more abstract ideas fall by the wayside is towards the end of the game, which seems understated - and is! But this understated ending sat better in my mind with time. And certain moments that I felt led nowhere, I now see the point of.
Overall, I had a good time with Night in the Woods. I appreciate both its smaller moments and broad strokes. Its use of capitalism and religion in metaphors is a real strong point, even if I couldn’t immediately see what it was going for. And in hindsight, through a little bit of digging (I am not the smartest), I really do love how its themes come together in the end.
Its themes on mental health and capitalism are apparent yet the overal message is a little abstract. I’m fine with this, but it certainly impacted my first playthrough and made the ending fall kinda flat for me. Delving deeper (thinking more about the game and reading what some people have had to say about it), I really like what Night in the Woods has to say, and how it has to say it.
By far its greatest strength is its worldbuilding, and how its world is presented.. The game looks like I’m playing a children’s story book, which fits perfectly with Mae’s idealistic, forever-young view of her life. She seems to hallucinate as the changing views of her childhood friends and dying town contrast her own immature view of things. Childhood friends, who have matured more than Mae in her 2 years off to college, are navigating their feelings through their disparate, desperate situations. Greg can’t goof off as he wants to move to the big city with his boyfriend and Bea’s responsibilities continue to pile as her depressed father grows older. Possum Springs can no longer live up to its legacy as a mining town and opportunities are scarce.
It isn’t all bleak in Possum Springs, there are plenty of things to do and keep track of. Night in the Woods controls well enough and animates fluidly enough for a mechanically and tactilely fun game, despite its simple loop. There’s also enough varied content you can explore to find and miss out on day by day. I find that Mae’s gameplay of platforming across a makeshift jungle gym of telephone poles and rooftops; talking and listening to people; maybe partaking in some activity they’re doing, is fun! Specifically, jumping around the town like its a playground, with its storybook art-style, makes for a fascinating atmosphere, reflecting and adding to our understanding of Mae’s plight.
And yeah, perhaps some of the finer details went over my head, but Night in the Woods has a phenomenal atmosphere, one that is felt in its story, regardless of how deep you dive. Where its more abstract ideas fall by the wayside is towards the end of the game, which seems understated - and is! But this understated ending sat better in my mind with time. And certain moments that I felt led nowhere, I now see the point of.
Overall, I had a good time with Night in the Woods. I appreciate both its smaller moments and broad strokes. Its use of capitalism and religion in metaphors is a real strong point, even if I couldn’t immediately see what it was going for. And in hindsight, through a little bit of digging (I am not the smartest), I really do love how its themes come together in the end.
Metroid Prime 2: Echoes is a worthwhile sequel to the original Metroid Prime. It’s great in all aspects. But in all aspects, there’s always something holding it back.
The level design benefits from an “open-zone” approach. Its an element I never minded from the original Metroid Prime, but the lack of backtracking in Echoes allows each main area to linearly build tension - whereas at its worst, Prime 1 could feel meandering rather than awe-some. Each area is more complex, not only in how you solve puzzles and traverse them, but also in the fact that we have a parallel “Dark Aether” to traverse, with its own unique challenges, mostly based on traversal (physical and dimensional). This is all quite good, but I think leaning into this structure would have benefited the game. The open-zones are great. Like I said, they build tension and awe moreso than the original Prime did. In nearly all three main areas, I had to leave midway through my excursion. I found that I’d get halfway through an area, get stuck, then the hint system would guide me to an upgrade in the Temple Grounds hub area. In the latter two of three areas, this happened, and the hint system is not nearly quick enough to activate. I would have much rather had the game send me on a hunt for this upgrade in order to unlock the area’s they’re first used in, so I hadn’t made progress, only to be whisked away from an area’s self-contained narrative. I like these new areas for how invested you get in them, but Echoes takes you out of that experience when you really start to get going.
As for the story, it starts with a lot of intrigue, and throughout, it’s a great motivator to explore the world. It is very repetitive, though. The Space Pirate and Luminoth Warrior Logs are well-written, but they failed to capture the same kind of awe I had for Tallon IV in this game’s predecessor. A war between forces of light and darkness, a world caught in “transdimensional flux” - that’s cool! I’d be quicker to forgive how quickly the Space Pirates get written off if the Ing were explored more. How I see it, For the latter two-thirds of Echoes, the Space Pirates are radio silent, which I think was done to show how the Ing are a big threat. I like this idea, but I think the Ing aren’t explored enough, and their presence is to dull. They can certainly be threatening though, even if most of their physical appearances are through the posession and mutation of other enemies. They’re very similar to Phazon in that regard - which I think is by design, they seem related to or made from the substance. Ultimately, I just wish the narrative had better payoff, because it sets up an intriguing mystery, and lots of different parties in the conflict. Its contemplative tone is similar to Prime 1 however, which I think is to its detriment. I’m shown great potential, but left disappointed by these aspects by the end of the game, which is never good.
The combat is unique! It controls similarly to its predecessor, but this time I found it spellbindingly clunky. The moments where its clunkyness is most obvious are the main area boss fights, but those moments are also the game’s most intricate mechanically and cinematic. The new enemies make good use of Samus’ abilities; the different takes on resource management made me play a little more cautiously; and overall I’d say has very little sore-spots. My beloved scan visor got a facelift I didn’t know it needed until now, it’s so much more convenient to use. The enemies don’t require these beams and visors as much as the first Prime did, and while I love the first Prime’s combat, I certainly didn’t mind this new approach - especially when there’s still plenty incentive to switch your mode of combat.
Overall, I liked Metroid Prime 2: Echoes, a lot. More than things that take me out of the experience, things that fail to get me invested in the first place are what hurt it the most. I wanted more moments like every appearance of Dark Samus; I wanted to see Space Pirates get decked in real time; I wanted to see the Ing as a bigger threat than I did; I wanted a more active story. The commonalities between Metroid Prime and Metroid Prime 2, are where Metroid Prime 2 fails. It experiments with the Metroid Prime formula, but I think it needed to stray further away from it than it did, to truly stand out as a riveting, unforgettable experience. As it stands though, I had a lot of fun with its increasingly complex environments, and encounters.
The level design benefits from an “open-zone” approach. Its an element I never minded from the original Metroid Prime, but the lack of backtracking in Echoes allows each main area to linearly build tension - whereas at its worst, Prime 1 could feel meandering rather than awe-some. Each area is more complex, not only in how you solve puzzles and traverse them, but also in the fact that we have a parallel “Dark Aether” to traverse, with its own unique challenges, mostly based on traversal (physical and dimensional). This is all quite good, but I think leaning into this structure would have benefited the game. The open-zones are great. Like I said, they build tension and awe moreso than the original Prime did. In nearly all three main areas, I had to leave midway through my excursion. I found that I’d get halfway through an area, get stuck, then the hint system would guide me to an upgrade in the Temple Grounds hub area. In the latter two of three areas, this happened, and the hint system is not nearly quick enough to activate. I would have much rather had the game send me on a hunt for this upgrade in order to unlock the area’s they’re first used in, so I hadn’t made progress, only to be whisked away from an area’s self-contained narrative. I like these new areas for how invested you get in them, but Echoes takes you out of that experience when you really start to get going.
As for the story, it starts with a lot of intrigue, and throughout, it’s a great motivator to explore the world. It is very repetitive, though. The Space Pirate and Luminoth Warrior Logs are well-written, but they failed to capture the same kind of awe I had for Tallon IV in this game’s predecessor. A war between forces of light and darkness, a world caught in “transdimensional flux” - that’s cool! I’d be quicker to forgive how quickly the Space Pirates get written off if the Ing were explored more. How I see it, For the latter two-thirds of Echoes, the Space Pirates are radio silent, which I think was done to show how the Ing are a big threat. I like this idea, but I think the Ing aren’t explored enough, and their presence is to dull. They can certainly be threatening though, even if most of their physical appearances are through the posession and mutation of other enemies. They’re very similar to Phazon in that regard - which I think is by design, they seem related to or made from the substance. Ultimately, I just wish the narrative had better payoff, because it sets up an intriguing mystery, and lots of different parties in the conflict. Its contemplative tone is similar to Prime 1 however, which I think is to its detriment. I’m shown great potential, but left disappointed by these aspects by the end of the game, which is never good.
The combat is unique! It controls similarly to its predecessor, but this time I found it spellbindingly clunky. The moments where its clunkyness is most obvious are the main area boss fights, but those moments are also the game’s most intricate mechanically and cinematic. The new enemies make good use of Samus’ abilities; the different takes on resource management made me play a little more cautiously; and overall I’d say has very little sore-spots. My beloved scan visor got a facelift I didn’t know it needed until now, it’s so much more convenient to use. The enemies don’t require these beams and visors as much as the first Prime did, and while I love the first Prime’s combat, I certainly didn’t mind this new approach - especially when there’s still plenty incentive to switch your mode of combat.
Overall, I liked Metroid Prime 2: Echoes, a lot. More than things that take me out of the experience, things that fail to get me invested in the first place are what hurt it the most. I wanted more moments like every appearance of Dark Samus; I wanted to see Space Pirates get decked in real time; I wanted to see the Ing as a bigger threat than I did; I wanted a more active story. The commonalities between Metroid Prime and Metroid Prime 2, are where Metroid Prime 2 fails. It experiments with the Metroid Prime formula, but I think it needed to stray further away from it than it did, to truly stand out as a riveting, unforgettable experience. As it stands though, I had a lot of fun with its increasingly complex environments, and encounters.
2002
This review contains spoilers
When playing Metroid Prime, I found myself not only curious about its world and mechanics, but I found myself curious about our world. It's the kind of game that inspires me to learn more. There are some intense moments and some cinematic moments, but some of the best moments in the story exist in the fallout of that tension - clearing out a room of Space Pirates and spending time in silence reading their research logs, understanding more and more about them. On the complete opposite side of this example, loved returning to to the Chozo Ruins, being able to explore more of its catacombs and finding more writings the Chozo civilisation left behind in their struggle. How the story is being told, is just as important as the story being told.
The scan visor is a smart way to get you to learn about the world. Through it, you learn more about the creatures you’ll face in battle, swapping beams and visors to get a better hold of many combat encounters. You learn about how you can destroy and traverse the world, and you can read scripts left behind by the two dominating races on the planet of Tallon IV. The combat isn’t particularly deep, but the visors and beams give each encounter a unique quirk. When using the wave beam against the final boss, I found myself acting more acrobatically to weave around its attacks, due to the wave beam’s homing properties. In other encounters, the wave beam made me act more aggressively, because it stuns smaller enemies. The other three beams have this same kind of situational variety. At the bare minimum, for the more superfluous applications of each beam and each visor, they add that kind of frenzied panic to the combat which I appreciated a lot in Super Metroid. The scan visor often contextualizes how you’ll be using each beam/visor. Sometimes you’ll reason out to use certain beams against certain enemies, like the plasma beam against ice enemies. Other times, the scan visor will aid you in understanding what beams, visors, and by extension, strategies, to use.
Mechanically, the world is a pretty good translation of the 2D Metroid formula. Get an upgrade, find the path the game’s unseen hand is guiding you towards, repeat - with a few optional upgrades and artifacts to find for observant or replaying players. The last half of the game challenged me into thinking critically - I found it very fun to plan my route on the fly to maximize the amount of upgrades and artifacts I could find in the shortest amount of time possible. I think because of the third dimension, Prime can’t get away with as many well kept secrets as its 2D siblings, without them being impossible to find. Thankfully, I find that there are a lot more puzzles and activities that test your spatial awareness - even then, they can be a little simplistic and boring. In a game with a literal added dimension to it, the hint system is a welcome addition, and an even more welcome addition is being able to disable it. The physical world isn’t the most interesting visually or mechanically, but it has some fantastic setpieces, and uses Samus’ available movement well. Samus’ main visor, the one you’ll have equipped for most of the game, has a lot of impressive details to it, further grounding the user interface and “video-game-y” mechanics into the world’s canon, which I appreciate.
Metroid Prime, for me, more than anything, is about the environment and knowledge, and life. Every facet of it feels deliberate, and in service of its greater experience. The Space Pirates are insistent on their believed place in the hierarchy of the cosmos, taking all that they can from the Metroid Prime, augmenting themselves beyond health and sentience. Then, the Metroid Prime, subtextually, represents not a poison, but knowledge itself. Knowledge the Chozo knew to keep at bay, and knowledge the Space Pirates believed they could harness. Samus then, is a kind of succession, who drives away the last sentient beings from Tallon IV, and kills the memory of the knowledge they tried to control, like an empty earth burying the last remaining memory of a nuclear war that wiped out humanity - nuclear energy and waste, comparisons I think are inevitable to Phazon.
There’s a lot more to think about when it comes to Metroid Prime’s story. I think its told organically and does a wonderful job of building tension in the game’s narrative. I think it’s very thought provoking.
I think everything about it is great! The gameplay is not slacking by any means but the story truly elevates it. What I see as its overarching theme, it succeeds at conveying - delivering one of the most focused and immersive games I have had the pleasure to learn more about.
The scan visor is a smart way to get you to learn about the world. Through it, you learn more about the creatures you’ll face in battle, swapping beams and visors to get a better hold of many combat encounters. You learn about how you can destroy and traverse the world, and you can read scripts left behind by the two dominating races on the planet of Tallon IV. The combat isn’t particularly deep, but the visors and beams give each encounter a unique quirk. When using the wave beam against the final boss, I found myself acting more acrobatically to weave around its attacks, due to the wave beam’s homing properties. In other encounters, the wave beam made me act more aggressively, because it stuns smaller enemies. The other three beams have this same kind of situational variety. At the bare minimum, for the more superfluous applications of each beam and each visor, they add that kind of frenzied panic to the combat which I appreciated a lot in Super Metroid. The scan visor often contextualizes how you’ll be using each beam/visor. Sometimes you’ll reason out to use certain beams against certain enemies, like the plasma beam against ice enemies. Other times, the scan visor will aid you in understanding what beams, visors, and by extension, strategies, to use.
Mechanically, the world is a pretty good translation of the 2D Metroid formula. Get an upgrade, find the path the game’s unseen hand is guiding you towards, repeat - with a few optional upgrades and artifacts to find for observant or replaying players. The last half of the game challenged me into thinking critically - I found it very fun to plan my route on the fly to maximize the amount of upgrades and artifacts I could find in the shortest amount of time possible. I think because of the third dimension, Prime can’t get away with as many well kept secrets as its 2D siblings, without them being impossible to find. Thankfully, I find that there are a lot more puzzles and activities that test your spatial awareness - even then, they can be a little simplistic and boring. In a game with a literal added dimension to it, the hint system is a welcome addition, and an even more welcome addition is being able to disable it. The physical world isn’t the most interesting visually or mechanically, but it has some fantastic setpieces, and uses Samus’ available movement well. Samus’ main visor, the one you’ll have equipped for most of the game, has a lot of impressive details to it, further grounding the user interface and “video-game-y” mechanics into the world’s canon, which I appreciate.
Metroid Prime, for me, more than anything, is about the environment and knowledge, and life. Every facet of it feels deliberate, and in service of its greater experience. The Space Pirates are insistent on their believed place in the hierarchy of the cosmos, taking all that they can from the Metroid Prime, augmenting themselves beyond health and sentience. Then, the Metroid Prime, subtextually, represents not a poison, but knowledge itself. Knowledge the Chozo knew to keep at bay, and knowledge the Space Pirates believed they could harness. Samus then, is a kind of succession, who drives away the last sentient beings from Tallon IV, and kills the memory of the knowledge they tried to control, like an empty earth burying the last remaining memory of a nuclear war that wiped out humanity - nuclear energy and waste, comparisons I think are inevitable to Phazon.
There’s a lot more to think about when it comes to Metroid Prime’s story. I think its told organically and does a wonderful job of building tension in the game’s narrative. I think it’s very thought provoking.
I think everything about it is great! The gameplay is not slacking by any means but the story truly elevates it. What I see as its overarching theme, it succeeds at conveying - delivering one of the most focused and immersive games I have had the pleasure to learn more about.
A short and sweet 3D platformer with DNA you can trace back to the more open-ended 3D Mario games. It's a fun return to the themes and mechanics of Celeste but in 3D. At only a little more than an hour long to 100% it, it manages to ground itself in the world of Celeste and explore most of its mechanics with finesse in that short time. I particularly liked how B-Sides from the original Celeste were integrated in this game (they’re like the FLUDD-less levels from Super Mario Sunshine!). Just about the only issue I had with the game is that the camera and depth-perception could've been a little more fine-tuned, but bleehhh they made it in a week and it works perfectly fine. It's free on itch dot io, and a no-brainer download for fans of Celeste. A very nice treat to start the new year!
I’ve built this game up to be a monolith in the 4 years I’ve had it borrowed, and the 4 years it’s been rotting on my backlog. I finally beat it, and what a ride it was!
In all systems, Bowser’s Inside Story boasts a happy medium between the other two games I’ve played in the Mario & Luigi series - not too monotonous (Superstar Saga), not too convoluted (Paper Jam).
Exploration in the overworld is a little lacking for both parties. I wasn’t compelled to explore too much as Bowser, mostly compelled by the combat. As the brothers, you spend most of your time in the overworld exploring places you’ve already seen as Bowser. That’s not to say there aren’t good elements here though, some areas for the brothers are fun, like the optional content in Plack Beach and the depths of Dimble Woods. This game’s journey is at its best when real progression and environmental change is felt. I disliked having a useful fast travel system gated by having it hidden in one of a hundred breakable stage elements; I liked the unique ways for Bowser to change his environment - sneezing to blow the sails of ships by playing a minigame as the brothers, et cetera.
Combat serves all other elements of this game. It compels me to explore, find upgrades for my party, and endears me more to our protagonists and their story. Bowser is a lumbering beast who is at times a bit bratty and childish, but also quite dominative and intimidating. He’s one character, but is controlled with two buttons ala Mario and Luigi - not sacrificing complexity between both styles of combat, and painting Bowser as a more complex being himself through gameplay. His special attacks also show this, using touch-controls to make a less acrobatic Bowser still have a variety of cool, character-relevant moves to unleash on his enemies.
Enemies highlight the differences between both parties quite well. For example, the Crawfuls who need jumps and hammers to evade are easily countered by a punch from Bowser - his vacuum ability especially highlights the sheer difference in power between him and the brothers - for its use in this encounter, and many more. There are few enemies, but none of them are as simple as they let on, and are shown a lot of care through their charming animations.
Mario and Luigi boast their most interesting swathe of special attacks yet - they don’t ask too much of you, but manage to be a fun, increasingly-difficult test of a lot of things you’ve come to expect from the series - memorization, timing, button-presses, positioning, sometimes all at once. I can hardly choose a favourite because so many of them are fantastic - I really loved the ‘Jump Helmet,’ ‘You Hoo Cannon,’ ‘Spin Pipe,’ and ‘Magic Window.’ Interplay between Bowser and bros in battle is a little underwhelming, especially with how few Bowser boss-fights are co-requisite with the bros. A few more enemies acting this way, and one or two more bosses like this would have gone a long way - but overall, every encounter is really fun - as brief and as difficult as necessary. This aspect of the game is (deservedly) the most polished.
The first part of Bowser’s Inside Story focuses on Bowser’s struggles and ambitions, which later culminate in Mario and Luigi unceremoniously escaping his body. Then the game shifts to a search for three “Star Cures,” each found in a mix of settings. Finally, the game shifts to the final act with no fanfare. This is a problem, but it thankfully didn’t bother me too much when I enjoyed the journey through these acts a lot. Specifically, I love Bowser. He is depicted in such a sympathetic way, I felt his triumph and I felt his rage, I loved seeing where he’d go next and what he’d have to say about it. The kaiju-battles are particularly great at making me invested in his character - there’s a fantastic scale, weight, and motivation to them.
It’s hard to not get attached to the narrative this game weaves together. While this narrative is very meandering, it’s also a tightly paced game because of that, rarely suffering from fatigue because of its breadth of varied content. The two types of main combat + the kaiju-battles, the minigames, and the two explorable worlds, all influence each other in some way, and paired with such charming protagonists (and a great antagonist!) make for an incredibly enjoyable time from beginning to end. And it ends on a very high note, the final act is the my favourite in the game, and synthesizes all of the aforementioned content better than at any other point.
Where Bowser wanted to go, I wanted to go, who he wanted to fight, I wanted to fight, and ultimately, he stands tall as the main reason I have fallen in love with this game, through its many flaws, and its even greater amount of triumphs, having finally played it.
In all systems, Bowser’s Inside Story boasts a happy medium between the other two games I’ve played in the Mario & Luigi series - not too monotonous (Superstar Saga), not too convoluted (Paper Jam).
Exploration in the overworld is a little lacking for both parties. I wasn’t compelled to explore too much as Bowser, mostly compelled by the combat. As the brothers, you spend most of your time in the overworld exploring places you’ve already seen as Bowser. That’s not to say there aren’t good elements here though, some areas for the brothers are fun, like the optional content in Plack Beach and the depths of Dimble Woods. This game’s journey is at its best when real progression and environmental change is felt. I disliked having a useful fast travel system gated by having it hidden in one of a hundred breakable stage elements; I liked the unique ways for Bowser to change his environment - sneezing to blow the sails of ships by playing a minigame as the brothers, et cetera.
Combat serves all other elements of this game. It compels me to explore, find upgrades for my party, and endears me more to our protagonists and their story. Bowser is a lumbering beast who is at times a bit bratty and childish, but also quite dominative and intimidating. He’s one character, but is controlled with two buttons ala Mario and Luigi - not sacrificing complexity between both styles of combat, and painting Bowser as a more complex being himself through gameplay. His special attacks also show this, using touch-controls to make a less acrobatic Bowser still have a variety of cool, character-relevant moves to unleash on his enemies.
Enemies highlight the differences between both parties quite well. For example, the Crawfuls who need jumps and hammers to evade are easily countered by a punch from Bowser - his vacuum ability especially highlights the sheer difference in power between him and the brothers - for its use in this encounter, and many more. There are few enemies, but none of them are as simple as they let on, and are shown a lot of care through their charming animations.
Mario and Luigi boast their most interesting swathe of special attacks yet - they don’t ask too much of you, but manage to be a fun, increasingly-difficult test of a lot of things you’ve come to expect from the series - memorization, timing, button-presses, positioning, sometimes all at once. I can hardly choose a favourite because so many of them are fantastic - I really loved the ‘Jump Helmet,’ ‘You Hoo Cannon,’ ‘Spin Pipe,’ and ‘Magic Window.’ Interplay between Bowser and bros in battle is a little underwhelming, especially with how few Bowser boss-fights are co-requisite with the bros. A few more enemies acting this way, and one or two more bosses like this would have gone a long way - but overall, every encounter is really fun - as brief and as difficult as necessary. This aspect of the game is (deservedly) the most polished.
The first part of Bowser’s Inside Story focuses on Bowser’s struggles and ambitions, which later culminate in Mario and Luigi unceremoniously escaping his body. Then the game shifts to a search for three “Star Cures,” each found in a mix of settings. Finally, the game shifts to the final act with no fanfare. This is a problem, but it thankfully didn’t bother me too much when I enjoyed the journey through these acts a lot. Specifically, I love Bowser. He is depicted in such a sympathetic way, I felt his triumph and I felt his rage, I loved seeing where he’d go next and what he’d have to say about it. The kaiju-battles are particularly great at making me invested in his character - there’s a fantastic scale, weight, and motivation to them.
It’s hard to not get attached to the narrative this game weaves together. While this narrative is very meandering, it’s also a tightly paced game because of that, rarely suffering from fatigue because of its breadth of varied content. The two types of main combat + the kaiju-battles, the minigames, and the two explorable worlds, all influence each other in some way, and paired with such charming protagonists (and a great antagonist!) make for an incredibly enjoyable time from beginning to end. And it ends on a very high note, the final act is the my favourite in the game, and synthesizes all of the aforementioned content better than at any other point.
Where Bowser wanted to go, I wanted to go, who he wanted to fight, I wanted to fight, and ultimately, he stands tall as the main reason I have fallen in love with this game, through its many flaws, and its even greater amount of triumphs, having finally played it.
2023
The most underwhelming Mario RPG I've played.
Outside of the main cast, I can count on no hands how many characters I found charming. I'd rather not talk about Booster, and I think the closest thing to a side character I did feel compelled by was Dodo.
And even when I was compelled, I felt like things didn't go anywhere. I feel like the recurrence of certain characters, like Croco appearing a stoic while selling you items in the final act of the game, is supposed to make me feel much more strongly than it actually does. Valentina just leaves the premises after you defeat her with zero fanfare. And while I like the pacing of this game, I don't think adding a few elements to flesh out the various story arcs in this game would have hurt. Bosses fall limply and lifelessly over when you defeat them, the combat is easy & monotonous, and I'm just left feeling this dissonance between how whimsical the game looks at a standstill, and how utterly lifeless it is in motion.
(I audibly laughed when Speardovich's battle took place in a completely different location at a completely different time from what was showing in the overworld)
Super Mario RPG is FAR from all bad, the remastered soundtrack is fantastic; the visuals look nice; the main cast is a fun bunch; while the game is easy, and monotonous as hell, the pacing rarely suffers at any point; and there's certainly charm here - but these moments of awe and enjoyment can often feel few and far between!
Even the visuals, which look nice, have a very lifeless look, and at times I yearn to have experienced a remake that took a better job translating the essence of the original, one that took a few more risks, and was maybe less faithful / exact.
I can say I had fun! I enjoyed some character moments. And since the Mario RPG I played before this was Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam, I can definitely appreciate the more subtle writing in this game (save for how rushed certain moments can feel).
I love you Mallow <3
Outside of the main cast, I can count on no hands how many characters I found charming. I'd rather not talk about Booster, and I think the closest thing to a side character I did feel compelled by was Dodo.
And even when I was compelled, I felt like things didn't go anywhere. I feel like the recurrence of certain characters, like Croco appearing a stoic while selling you items in the final act of the game, is supposed to make me feel much more strongly than it actually does. Valentina just leaves the premises after you defeat her with zero fanfare. And while I like the pacing of this game, I don't think adding a few elements to flesh out the various story arcs in this game would have hurt. Bosses fall limply and lifelessly over when you defeat them, the combat is easy & monotonous, and I'm just left feeling this dissonance between how whimsical the game looks at a standstill, and how utterly lifeless it is in motion.
(I audibly laughed when Speardovich's battle took place in a completely different location at a completely different time from what was showing in the overworld)
Super Mario RPG is FAR from all bad, the remastered soundtrack is fantastic; the visuals look nice; the main cast is a fun bunch; while the game is easy, and monotonous as hell, the pacing rarely suffers at any point; and there's certainly charm here - but these moments of awe and enjoyment can often feel few and far between!
Even the visuals, which look nice, have a very lifeless look, and at times I yearn to have experienced a remake that took a better job translating the essence of the original, one that took a few more risks, and was maybe less faithful / exact.
I can say I had fun! I enjoyed some character moments. And since the Mario RPG I played before this was Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam, I can definitely appreciate the more subtle writing in this game (save for how rushed certain moments can feel).
I love you Mallow <3
2019
I missed my subway stop going downtown because I was in such a trance. I wasn’t staring at my phone - I was thinking of Persona 5!
Specifically, I was thinking of the moments in the game where you’ve just spent a few hours going through the remainder of an oppressive dungeon (oppressive in an audiovisual sense) and finding a route to the end, you arrive back at Café Leblanc, the song ‘Beneath The Mask’ plays in the background, and Sojiro remarks that you’ve arrived home.
This moment is perhaps my favourite moment of the many moments in Persona 5 that make me grateful for video games as an art form. It’s this kind of experience I think can’t be conveyed in other art forms with quite the same level of potency as a video game.
It’s a moment that reminds me of taking the subway to its terminal stop and waiting for a ride to pick my friends and I up, listening to jazz in an empty outdoor apartment exterior after almost missing the last ferry back to mainland in downtown Toronto.
It’s a moment that reminds me of simply seeing a friend for the first time in a while during a busy semester.
It’s a moment that, for the last 3 years since I first played Persona 5, that has instilled a sort of nostalgia for the simple act of “coming home.”
It’s a moment that makes the rest of Persona 5’s flaws worth it, and makes all of its strengths that much stronger.
The rest of it is irrelevant, this one moment, singlehandedly solidified Persona 5 (Royal) as one of my favourite games of all time, and a piece of art worth remembering.
Specifically, I was thinking of the moments in the game where you’ve just spent a few hours going through the remainder of an oppressive dungeon (oppressive in an audiovisual sense) and finding a route to the end, you arrive back at Café Leblanc, the song ‘Beneath The Mask’ plays in the background, and Sojiro remarks that you’ve arrived home.
This moment is perhaps my favourite moment of the many moments in Persona 5 that make me grateful for video games as an art form. It’s this kind of experience I think can’t be conveyed in other art forms with quite the same level of potency as a video game.
It’s a moment that reminds me of taking the subway to its terminal stop and waiting for a ride to pick my friends and I up, listening to jazz in an empty outdoor apartment exterior after almost missing the last ferry back to mainland in downtown Toronto.
It’s a moment that reminds me of simply seeing a friend for the first time in a while during a busy semester.
It’s a moment that, for the last 3 years since I first played Persona 5, that has instilled a sort of nostalgia for the simple act of “coming home.”
It’s a moment that makes the rest of Persona 5’s flaws worth it, and makes all of its strengths that much stronger.
The rest of it is irrelevant, this one moment, singlehandedly solidified Persona 5 (Royal) as one of my favourite games of all time, and a piece of art worth remembering.
2011
Portal's Wario-Pilled cousin
"It's too late Link, this The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild!"
2021
I need him so bad.
2015
This is my Joker (2019)
It's a fun enough romp with a decent metagame. Coins add a surprising incentive to play levels just a little bit differently. There are even some creatively presented themes here like that one spider level in world 3.
Unfortunately it doesn't distinguish itself enough from the other "New Super" games. The focus on coins isn't the most well thought out when a lot of the levels are autoscrollers, ghost houses, and underwater.
Better than Wii, but not by much. I just want one more 2D Mario that reaches the same aesthetic quality as Super Mario World all that time ago, and after finally beating the last game I had to get to in this series, I'm close to giving up hope.
Unfortunately it doesn't distinguish itself enough from the other "New Super" games. The focus on coins isn't the most well thought out when a lot of the levels are autoscrollers, ghost houses, and underwater.
Better than Wii, but not by much. I just want one more 2D Mario that reaches the same aesthetic quality as Super Mario World all that time ago, and after finally beating the last game I had to get to in this series, I'm close to giving up hope.
1994
Nintendo’s best game by a long shot. A game that does so much with so little. Genre-defining title. It boggles my mind that a game this good released in 1994