Genuinely one of the most fun and charming games i have ever played. The overworld is fantastic, with a bunch of interesting areas and characters in a way that both makes it a joy to explore, but also makes you feel at home in a number of the areas. Mabe Village is of course the highlight here, but there's also Animal Village and a handful of other fun and charming characters throughout the island. This is of course crucial to the story since the island is a dream, a dream that you must end. This completely different angle on the traditional quest is really interesting and gives the story, particularly the ending a really beautiful and melancholic tone. I also think that the game is able to do this because it was a handheld game, coming out only 2 years after a Link to the Past it would be pretty boring to just rehash the same story in the same setting. The quote from director Takashi Tezuka that it was like they were making a parody of Zelda. On top of all that, this game actually features some of the most creative design in the series. There are only 8 dungeons here which is on the short side compared to the in A Link to the Past, but I actually think that's beneficial, since Link's awakening really doesn't outstay its welcome with it's shorter length, making for a more impactful finale. It also makes you much less likely to be burnt out as you get to the last two, much more complicated dungeons as well.

I said in my Bloodlines review that it was the "quintessential Castlevania" and i was wrong abt that cuz it's this one.

Bloodlines had a much faster pace than all of the original Classicvanias, as well as a huge variety of locations that most of the others don't have. This one however is so clearly descended from the '86 original, from the iconography and music, to the slower paced, stiff gameplay. if ur a big castlevania fan you are like guaranteed to love this one, which is awesome!

However, i wouldn't necessarily describe myself as a "Big castlevania fan" and have had a somewhat mixed relationship with the Classivanias, and this one is no exception because of its obvious lineage. I was kinda hoping this would be the one where it all clicked and i grew to love the early entries in the series, but i now realise that isn't entirely possible. Unfortunately , the classicvanias have too many archaisms for me. I dont have any shame in admitting that im really bad at games, and that's been a consistent hinderance on my enjoyment because dying to the stage 7 boss 15 times and having to re-do the entire stage just gets kinda boring after a while. What i mean to say is that this game does so many things so well; fantastic enemies, moody gothic atmosphere, constantly switching things up, UNBELIEVABLE music, that i cant help but be disappointed i can't appreciate that as much as others can. there is a part of the archaic limited-resets-a-stage that i could never "get" with the Classicvanias. Im saying it here, because if was just a teeny bit more forgiving im sure i would love love this game, instead of like it (and also respect it), where i dont feel that abt the NES titles and IV. Bloodlines came close with its faster combat and only having 6 stages (instead of 9), but yeah im bad at games and that can suck sometimes. I should also reiterate because this all seems so negative, but i really did enjoy this game i just wish i enjoyed it more.

ok i really like this game. I could go into all the ways about how it creatively innovates on the design of 90’s shooters, like how the arsenal is basically an improvement on Quake’s where all the weapons are actually useful here, and how the enemy design and encounters are routinely fantastic, but not only do i not have the knowledge to properly do that, that also wasn't what even appealed to me the most.

Instead the thing that stuck out to me as the most evocative of the 90s shooter era is how excellent it was tonally. Whether it's DOOMs Heavy metal soundtrack and satanic imagery, or Duke Nukem’s 80s action movie pastiche, or Quake's fantasy angst set to a moody score by Trent Reznor every one of these shooters had a tone that made it unique. And Dusk arguably does that better than all of them. From rural cornfields and timber mills under a blood red sky, to the crawlspaces of industrial machines, to a giant cityscape hidden deep beneath the earth, DUSK utilises this phantasmagorical imagery in a way that I've seen few games do. It gives that game an otherworldly vibe that i just absolutely fuck with, and it's this story-light, tone-heavy genre that allowed Szymanski and co to be able to achieve that so well

This is not a good game to serve as a meditation and swan song on the series as this game positioned itself to be. The game obviously takes itself more seriously than the previous games, and takes the hint at a broader thematic message that was touched on in the third game, and tries to expand on it. The only problem is that the thematic content is ultimately pretty shallow. Perhaps the biggest issue with the first 3 games is the Orientalism that defines them. From using locations in the global south as playgrounds for violence, to the tired trope of the 'East' being a mystical and impenetrable place right down to long lost cities, and supernatural creatures, ideas that captivated much of the European Colonial mindset. All this happens with very little appearances from people indigenous to the regions of each of the games. You would expect the 4th game, positioning itself as a more serious entry, to actually address this sort of stuff in any meaningful way, especially since the core theme of the game is how the thrill of adventure is an often destructive one. However, this theme is exclusively reserved for Nathan's interpersonal relationships, most importantly, the relationship with his wife. This part is all done very well, with each of the characters feeling more real and there being a genuine emotional heart to this game that is conveyed in incredibly subtle ways. However, none of that is reserved for the inherently Orientalist nature of these stories. Sure Nathan can have an emotional car ride with his wife as reflective music plays, but he still drives through Kings Bay Madagascar, quipping with 2 other white guys about how many global south cities they've gunned their ways through.


This is essentially where the problem lies, there is a huge amount of nuance when it comes to the self-destructive nature of 'adventure' but none for when it comes to the actual physical destructive nature of 'adventure.' Really, all this blowing stuff up and fighting is just used as a vehicle for the characters to emotionally understand one another better.


A microcosm of this is how the Pirate Henry Every is used in the story. He is the trademark old figure that Nathan follows in this story, as he tries to find his hidden treasure. This treasure, in real life, was acquired in the Ganj-i-Sawai heist, an event known for its brutality. However, of course none of this is touched on, the only point made about the treasure is that it drove Every to self destruction as it is pointed out that his skeleton still remains amongst the riches. It is also not pointed out that Every was heavily involved with the transatlantic slave trade, as was Nathan Drakes hero, Francis Drake, someone who it is revealed in this game the Drake brothers actually named themselves after. It seems almost too on the nose that the guys that Nathan keeps relating to and following in the footsteps of, were slave trading bastards. You'd think an writer trying to make a more introspective story with this in mind, might think that this says something about the person who uncritically worships a slave trader, and how that might reveal his attitudes to the global south as simply a playground for destruction no? No, of course not, how would we have any time from that when Nathan has to stop his wife leaving him for the fourth time.


Keeping this in mind, it’s funny that the right wing gamers see Naughtydog, (and Druckmann) as ultra ‘woke’ blah blah blah, because the Uncharted series has an obviously conservative outlook, but hey they gave a woman big muscles or something.

i honestly think that this is better than Doom 1. More interesting enemy variety goes a long way to making that the case for me. I replayed Knee deep in the dead just to get some perspective on how the two games differ, and i was surprised to find out there isn't even a cacodemon in there at all, and only two Barons of Hell at the end. Now don't get me wrong, Knee Deep in the Dead is fantastic, but i think the complexity that is afforded to Doom 2 makes it the more interesting, and the better game

BORN TO DIE
WORLD IS A FUCK
KILL EM ALL 1961
I AM BJ BLAZKOWICZ
41085786430 DEAD NAZIS