okidokidev
My favorite JRPG ever and it's not even close. Loved the characters, the gameplay, the environments, the music, all of it. It got a bit frustrating towards the end, but it did not detract from what I had played prior nor did it prevent me from enjoying what came after.
The pros of this game are that it's an Uchikoshi game, so it has great character writing and a story filled with intrigue that kept me invested the whole way through. The cons of this game are that it's an Uchikoshi game, so it got neither the time nor money it needed in order to polish it to a shine. A lot of janky animation and unnecessary QTE segments that truly detract from the overall experience more than they do add. The ending pissed me off.
2022
I now understand why the Super Famicom original is as revered as a cult-classic as it is. A fantastic JRPG that I enjoyed from beginning to end.
I heard for years that the unlocalized sequel to Ace Attorney Investigations, which I regard as one of the worst games in the series, is against all odds one of debeste- er, the best. I didn't believe them! Why would I?
Turns out I was wrong! There's a first time for everything. Investigations 2 is a fantastic game that stands toe-to-toe with some of the best games in the series. I'll try to keep as much of this review on this game as I can but I gotta get this off my chest. It's my personal opinion that if you haven't played either Investigations games and are looking to start: Do not pass go, skip directly to Investigations 2. You are free to ignore this advice and I won't judge you for it, but I truly believe just about every character in that game is better for just pretending the first game didn't happen.
Moving on, Investigations 2 proved to me that Ace Attorney can live on without Shu Takumi at the helm. Of course I'd love for him to be, but they did just fine on their own here. It has most of the sauce that separates the Turnabout Academies from the Rise from the Ashes. You of course have your "case from [x] years ago" and the internal struggle that the protagonist goes through as a result of their morals and personal connections to events unfolding, except unlike the first game they're actually worth a damn here. Sorry, I know I promised. All of the arcs that the characters go through here are compelling and the resolutions feel earned. Edgeworth, especially. With Edgeworth's character already being pretty well defined by the arc he goes through over the course of the main trilogy, it's a tall order to then put him in the protagonist's seat of a new set of games and expect anything they come up with to approach that same level of impact. To my surprise they actually do a good job!
The newcomers to this game are all extremely fun and likeable, too. Raymond Shields is a great level-headed mentor figure to Edgeworth, which the game cleverly contrasts by showing him in his early years as Gregory Edgeworth's weird little girl/ assistant. Justine Courtney is a stoic, formidable foe who manages to maintain her status as an intimidating figure for as long as she stands opposed to Edgeworth's actions and ethics. Sebastian Debeste is a character that I really did not expect to like at all when he was first introduced, but he quickly grew to be my favorite.
I have a couple of nitpicks though. Firstly, good LORD those cases are long. For transparency's sake, there were multiple instances of me taking several month-long breaks during cases, but by the 4th case I was playing it quite regularly and even still it felt incredibly long. There's good reason for it, as that game has a lot of ground to cover for that story to move, but at the same time I'm sure the amount of extra time spent actually having to move the characters around in cutscenes and walk around the environments adds some time that wouldn't be there in the more visual novel-esque main series. If a third entry in the series were to do away with this mode of play I would certainly not complain, but I'm sure this is marketed as a key defining feature of the spin-offs so I doubt it would.
My last gripe lies with the reveal in the finale case. I won't spoil it here, if you know you know, but the more I think about it the more I really don't know if I find any of that earned. The angle they were setting up was quite interesting, and from an overall story perspective I think was written well, but like... them? I dunno. Plus that last set of cross-examinations -rebuttals, whatever- really were dragging on by the end. It didn't feel like making holes in impenetrable armor but rather arguing in circles for so long you sanded the soles off your shoes. A weird misstep in momentum but otherwise not one that dampened my enjoyment that much.
Ace Attorney Investigations: Miles Edgeworth - Prosecutor's Path is a ray of light that shines in my personal darkness that is "Almost Every Ace Attorney After 4." I'm glad that I got to play it, and doubly so that I enjoyed it. I would honestly love to see some of these characters show up in a mainline or """official""" Ace Attorney game, but then I would have to deal with the concept of anything in Investigations 1 actually taking place and not being anything more than a fever dream. So, sorry Kay, Tyrell, Sebastian, Raymond, and Courtney. Back in your hole you go, forevermore.
Turns out I was wrong! There's a first time for everything. Investigations 2 is a fantastic game that stands toe-to-toe with some of the best games in the series. I'll try to keep as much of this review on this game as I can but I gotta get this off my chest. It's my personal opinion that if you haven't played either Investigations games and are looking to start: Do not pass go, skip directly to Investigations 2. You are free to ignore this advice and I won't judge you for it, but I truly believe just about every character in that game is better for just pretending the first game didn't happen.
Moving on, Investigations 2 proved to me that Ace Attorney can live on without Shu Takumi at the helm. Of course I'd love for him to be, but they did just fine on their own here. It has most of the sauce that separates the Turnabout Academies from the Rise from the Ashes. You of course have your "case from [x] years ago" and the internal struggle that the protagonist goes through as a result of their morals and personal connections to events unfolding, except unlike the first game they're actually worth a damn here. Sorry, I know I promised. All of the arcs that the characters go through here are compelling and the resolutions feel earned. Edgeworth, especially. With Edgeworth's character already being pretty well defined by the arc he goes through over the course of the main trilogy, it's a tall order to then put him in the protagonist's seat of a new set of games and expect anything they come up with to approach that same level of impact. To my surprise they actually do a good job!
The newcomers to this game are all extremely fun and likeable, too. Raymond Shields is a great level-headed mentor figure to Edgeworth, which the game cleverly contrasts by showing him in his early years as Gregory Edgeworth's weird little girl/ assistant. Justine Courtney is a stoic, formidable foe who manages to maintain her status as an intimidating figure for as long as she stands opposed to Edgeworth's actions and ethics. Sebastian Debeste is a character that I really did not expect to like at all when he was first introduced, but he quickly grew to be my favorite.
I have a couple of nitpicks though. Firstly, good LORD those cases are long. For transparency's sake, there were multiple instances of me taking several month-long breaks during cases, but by the 4th case I was playing it quite regularly and even still it felt incredibly long. There's good reason for it, as that game has a lot of ground to cover for that story to move, but at the same time I'm sure the amount of extra time spent actually having to move the characters around in cutscenes and walk around the environments adds some time that wouldn't be there in the more visual novel-esque main series. If a third entry in the series were to do away with this mode of play I would certainly not complain, but I'm sure this is marketed as a key defining feature of the spin-offs so I doubt it would.
My last gripe lies with the reveal in the finale case. I won't spoil it here, if you know you know, but the more I think about it the more I really don't know if I find any of that earned. The angle they were setting up was quite interesting, and from an overall story perspective I think was written well, but like... them? I dunno. Plus that last set of cross-examinations -rebuttals, whatever- really were dragging on by the end. It didn't feel like making holes in impenetrable armor but rather arguing in circles for so long you sanded the soles off your shoes. A weird misstep in momentum but otherwise not one that dampened my enjoyment that much.
Ace Attorney Investigations: Miles Edgeworth - Prosecutor's Path is a ray of light that shines in my personal darkness that is "Almost Every Ace Attorney After 4." I'm glad that I got to play it, and doubly so that I enjoyed it. I would honestly love to see some of these characters show up in a mainline or """official""" Ace Attorney game, but then I would have to deal with the concept of anything in Investigations 1 actually taking place and not being anything more than a fever dream. So, sorry Kay, Tyrell, Sebastian, Raymond, and Courtney. Back in your hole you go, forevermore.
2022
Franken is a great RPG. I beat it in under two hours.
Love is a very important aspect of the game making process. It's not something you can or should give a numbered score, but you know when it's there and you especially know when it isn't. You don't need to take your game seriously to love it, but you do need to respect it.
Franken, in more ways than one, is a game about love. It's a game that loves the fact that it exists. With simple and entertaining combat, vibrant and beautiful artwork, equally hilarious and engaging writing, it loves that it is an RPG. It has its fair share of satire on the genre yet it never feels like an admonishment of these aspects, but rather quirks that it wears proudly on its sleeve. It takes everything you love about RPGs and compresses them down into their most concentrated forms. Love is in its themes as well, from wanting love and wanting to be loved, grief, and pirated anime music during the big climactic boss fight. Okay maybe that last part doesn't fit, but *I* loved it. It brought back feelings of a bygone era of fangames and early game dev in general. I only wish that it didn't cost the developer the ability to make any money off of the game directly. (btw you should definitely give her money for it indirectly https://twitter.com/splendidland)
Is this a lot to say about a game that's only a couple hours long? Maybe! It truly did touch me in a way that I was not prepared for, though. Once I started I didn't want to put it down, and once it ended I was truly a different person for having played it. It was much-needed reminder, as silly as it sounds, that games are as much or as little as what you make them. If the game in your head is only and hour or two long, or even 30 minutes, make it. As long as you're loving making it, because that love and excitement will shine brightest above all else. Thank you, Splendidland. Thank you, Franken.
Love is a very important aspect of the game making process. It's not something you can or should give a numbered score, but you know when it's there and you especially know when it isn't. You don't need to take your game seriously to love it, but you do need to respect it.
Franken, in more ways than one, is a game about love. It's a game that loves the fact that it exists. With simple and entertaining combat, vibrant and beautiful artwork, equally hilarious and engaging writing, it loves that it is an RPG. It has its fair share of satire on the genre yet it never feels like an admonishment of these aspects, but rather quirks that it wears proudly on its sleeve. It takes everything you love about RPGs and compresses them down into their most concentrated forms. Love is in its themes as well, from wanting love and wanting to be loved, grief, and pirated anime music during the big climactic boss fight. Okay maybe that last part doesn't fit, but *I* loved it. It brought back feelings of a bygone era of fangames and early game dev in general. I only wish that it didn't cost the developer the ability to make any money off of the game directly. (btw you should definitely give her money for it indirectly https://twitter.com/splendidland)
Is this a lot to say about a game that's only a couple hours long? Maybe! It truly did touch me in a way that I was not prepared for, though. Once I started I didn't want to put it down, and once it ended I was truly a different person for having played it. It was much-needed reminder, as silly as it sounds, that games are as much or as little as what you make them. If the game in your head is only and hour or two long, or even 30 minutes, make it. As long as you're loving making it, because that love and excitement will shine brightest above all else. Thank you, Splendidland. Thank you, Franken.