penguin
Messy translation aside, this is fun until it starts to feel grindy. The clothes are great too, I just wanna play dress up with everything available dammit!
not even close to finishing the game yet but i can say this: very bare-bones version of the atelier formula. wouldn't recommend unless you're learning japanese, then it's great. it's all very simple language so if you're looking to play a somewhat text-heavy game but find yourself out of your depth with a typical visual novel, give this a shot.
this goes for the other atelier games too, but this one is even easier for some reason. I suppose limited screen space on the ds necessitates concise sentences.
this goes for the other atelier games too, but this one is even easier for some reason. I suppose limited screen space on the ds necessitates concise sentences.
at the start of the game the old lady who sets you up with the stable says she has to go to into town, and starts walking there when you're done talking to her. you're meant to see to your horse at this point, but there's nothing stopping you from following her. at the first bridge she clips straight through it, walks into the river and then through the ground.
1999
this game's soundtrack has to be one of the biggest formative pieces for my music taste after i found out about it via the caddicarus video when i was like 14, though somehow it took me until yesterday to actually go and play the game. i think it must have settled in the "fact of life" section in my brain rather than the "games i want to play" section just from the soundtrack being so outstanding.
Anyway, goated game. classic easy to learn hard to master, and finally another good use case for me having a CD collection in 2023.
Anyway, goated game. classic easy to learn hard to master, and finally another good use case for me having a CD collection in 2023.
1996
Baby sensory videos
Really enjoyed this, especially the middle chunk where the suspense builds as you're constantly finding more pieces of the puzzle. Those skungy original sprites and the dated (positive connotation) photoshop filter photographic backgrounds are really charming too. Although I think I've had my fill with this one, can't say I'll be playing all 7 of the next chapters anytime soon tbh.
edit: i lied. couldn't stop thinking about it so i'm playing chapter 2 now
edit 2: finished all 8 chapters and some of the bonus content. one of the most exciting pieces of fiction I've been lucky enough to experience, a real rollercoaster
edit: i lied. couldn't stop thinking about it so i'm playing chapter 2 now
edit 2: finished all 8 chapters and some of the bonus content. one of the most exciting pieces of fiction I've been lucky enough to experience, a real rollercoaster
2019
Has to be a contender for best fashion in video games. LN may have more clothes but Shining Nikki being 3D makes the details really stand out and sets off the "ooh shiny, must collect" instinct. For better or worse.
2020
Another one of those games that despite being shallow and rough around the edges, struck a chord with me far more than many "better" games have, for a reason I don't really understand. Completed it in a day during a time where I can't seem to conjure up the energy to play a game without bouncing off of it like rain on an umbrella after 15 minutes. I think I probably have baby instincts and the pretty colours drew me in.
If you like funny little animals and are partial to half-baked simulators like I am, this may be worth it for you.
If you like funny little animals and are partial to half-baked simulators like I am, this may be worth it for you.
TBD
Mysterious LSD-like. Could probably be better optimised, being graphically a PSX throwback but still somehow making my computer louder than when I play Yakuza 0. It's still in beta as of writing so I'm interested to see where it goes.
2007
it's nothing special but the average rating would without a doubt be at least .3 points higher if pbg never talked about it
A gacha game but without the game. I was a huge SIF fan so I'm really disappointed.
2019
Kind of a budget-type kusoge but it's actually quite fun. Sell a few steam trading cards and wait till it's on sale and you can practically get it for free.
Writing this review after I remembered this game exists and that I completed it like a year and a half ago. An on-rails VS platformer I guess? Very silly and a fun enough afternoon, takes maybe like an hour or two to finish depending on how good you are. I haven't seen the show this is based on btw.
2001
One of those instances of a simple series game getting localised into English. The mall pizza of Japanese video games. Incredibly scuffed translation (positive connotation, it's pretty amusing), everyone speaks super bluntly and in totally unrelated one-sentence statements like that one Britney Spears tweet. There were also a few quirks with the dialog not being quite right in some instances like a woman saying she had to go home to her wife (cool, but they probably didn't mean to do that), or a 15 year old talking about their kid learning to read? Overall not a bad afternoon if you're like me and have an affinity for janky budget sim games.
2021
this and other minecraft modpacks are like fucking crack for my brain. I actually have to be careful and set timers when I play them or my whole day will be gone. and when I exit the game I have a lingering desire to start it back up that I have to supress, even if I rage quit. Do not play this if you're like me, you have been warned