A fun puzzle adventure game with magnificent audio design. I especially love the little music cue that informs you that you have solved the puzzle before you actually see it done. The traveling in and out of worlds is mind-bending, but all the puzzles have an innate logic to them, and players are never left without any idea on ow to proceed. The only frustrating puzzles are the ones involving shooting orbiting objects which require timing precision more than creative thinking. 20 minutes in, I gave up on making sense of the narrative. I assume there is a story told through environment, but I did not catch on to it.

It's a very personal game, and not the kind of experience I can relate to. On one hand, my childhood was quite uneventful, fortunately. On the other hand, my grandparents passed when I was little, so I didn't have this kind of bonding memories. When I did need a little space and time, it was videogame that provided me. Cheers to videogame! This game does present the beautiful outdoor in autumn, sadly, another thing I never quite experienced myself. At least I can make mushroom risotto for myself.

Very clunky shooing sections will surely frustrate people. On the other hand, it does have some kind of metaphorical value in the narrative. The story doesn't really spark until the twist in the end, which some might already guess it as the game is not stingy with hints. Maybe it's because it started out as a student project, the way the game implement its Cowboy Bebop references is rather ...inelegant. They are completely out of place and too on the nose. I wonder if the lobby of Hibiscus Highrise is a reference to Chef John.

An astounding accomplishment of game development. Games with the same amount of content or level of polish are not unheard of, but to achieve such a standard in both is truly incredible, especially given the hardware it is running on.

One standout improvement over Breath of the Wild is the main story campaign. Given the open structure, a less evolved story was forgiven, but with the addition of several dungeons and key scripted events, Tears of the Kingdom tells a concise yet elaborated story with emotion payoff.

Exploration is the most important part of the new Zelda formula, and the sky islands open up a whole new dimension of exploration. The seamless transition between sky and ground is both a technical marvel and an ingenious game design. The abyss, on the other hand, suffers from monotone presentation and overall lack of variety, and is the weakest part of the game. In terms of interactivity, the new abilities are mostly upgrade over the old ones with the addition of crafting. While crafting system does open up a new venue of creativity, the interface is cumbersome, and the end products are more novelty rather than something that offers significant gameplay advantage (in terms of the time and resource needed to craft them, and their usability), in other words, they are great for TikTok content creators, but not so much for someone just trying to play the game.

There is one design contradiction in the game. TotK brands itself as a direct sequel, and as such, it gets away with the huge amount of reused assets and lack of new assets (music, map, enemy variety, etc). From the narrative standpoint, however, the game has almost no ties to BotW. Most NPCs don't recognize Link, and his actions in BotW seem to have zero impact in the world of Totk. It is, at the same time, too familiar yet too distant, with very few surprises.

Feels like a psychedelic trip, with a hint of conservationism theme. LucasArts games all have a degree of zaniness with them, but none as deconstructive, as whimsical as this one. In that regard, if it gets rid of some of the obtuse puzzles, it can pass for a modern "artsy" indie adventure game. On the other hand, some content is culturally insensitive to say the least, a modern "artsy" videogame journalist might call it downright racist. It's a game that is both ahead of its time, and a product of its time.

New engine, new graphics, new mechanics. Pretty ambitious game in a series known for its conservatism. The biggest improvement, without a doubt, is the elimination of loading screen. Every time I enter a new building without being greeted with a black screen, a warm feeling fizzled in my heart. But Falcom took it even further. Switching between exploration and combat is now instant. With one push of a bottom, you are in turn-based combat, with the position of your team and the enemies retained. I wish more RPGs adapt this feature. Reverie already showed how the new engine enables more sophisticated cutscene direction, but the new found cinematic capability really shines through in Kuro. Better direction and whole new level of details in character models elevate the presentation to stand toe-to-toe with contemporary anime JRPGs. We all know how much Kondo loves dancing scene in his game. This time we finally have legitimate dance performance.

The new cast is a breath of fresh air that blows away the staunch of harem bullshit that had been plaguing the series for a decade. All of them, including the main protagonist, are likeable and seem to have further part to play in the saga. Usually each arch starts slow, but this one dumps the kitchen sink in your face right from the start. Some of the characters feel like they should be reserved for act 2. As a result, the game is bigger than it should be. I guess it's better than stretching it into two games, but seriously, a bit over the top for a mafia shakedown.