phantomheart
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a fun puzzle platformer that still holds up well. visually it looks horrible; the graphics aren't stylized at all and the character sprites are completely blurry. but this game proves that looks aren't everything, because the gameplay and puzzle solving are top-notch.
When going through the Kingdom Hearts series for the first time, I knew about the various spinoffs that add additional plot points. I was told to skip this entry and go straight to KH2, so I watched a cutscene compilation to get up to speed. It wasn't until a year later that I gave the game a shot, and after playing it I don't think it's too bad!
The game takes place right after the events of the first game; Sora, Donald, and Goofy continue to look for Mickey, when they end up at a mysterious castle. This castle is run by a group called Organization XIII, a group of Nobodies (entities created when a strong hearted person becomes a heartless). The castle takes away all of Sora's abilities, replacing them with cards that tie into the gameplay.
The gameplay has this weird card mechanic: your attacks, spells, etc. take the form of cards. The same applies to your enemies attacks. You have to use these cards to attack, but the number of the card has to be higher than the enemies. You can create different combos and spells by combining 3 similar cards. The card gameplay seems incredibly confusing at first, but after a while you get the hang of it and it's quite fun to play.
The worlds in the game are the exact same as the first game (except the Tarzan world which is absent) although they take the form of randomly generated dungeons. You open doors in the dungeon with door cards that determine the layout of the next room. Going through these dungeons gets a little repetitive after a while, but I understand why it's like this as the game is on an inferior handheld.
The music of this game is of slightly lower quality compared to the first game, but they did the best they could in adapting them for the GBA's sound system. There's also some new songs in the castle that are pretty good.
Once you beat the main story, you unlock Riku's campaign. It's mostly the same as Sora's, but it's a neat little bonus that gives the game good replay value.
Overall, Chain of Memories is a fun handheld adventure that's a strange but welcome addition to the Kingdom Hearts series.
The game takes place right after the events of the first game; Sora, Donald, and Goofy continue to look for Mickey, when they end up at a mysterious castle. This castle is run by a group called Organization XIII, a group of Nobodies (entities created when a strong hearted person becomes a heartless). The castle takes away all of Sora's abilities, replacing them with cards that tie into the gameplay.
The gameplay has this weird card mechanic: your attacks, spells, etc. take the form of cards. The same applies to your enemies attacks. You have to use these cards to attack, but the number of the card has to be higher than the enemies. You can create different combos and spells by combining 3 similar cards. The card gameplay seems incredibly confusing at first, but after a while you get the hang of it and it's quite fun to play.
The worlds in the game are the exact same as the first game (except the Tarzan world which is absent) although they take the form of randomly generated dungeons. You open doors in the dungeon with door cards that determine the layout of the next room. Going through these dungeons gets a little repetitive after a while, but I understand why it's like this as the game is on an inferior handheld.
The music of this game is of slightly lower quality compared to the first game, but they did the best they could in adapting them for the GBA's sound system. There's also some new songs in the castle that are pretty good.
Once you beat the main story, you unlock Riku's campaign. It's mostly the same as Sora's, but it's a neat little bonus that gives the game good replay value.
Overall, Chain of Memories is a fun handheld adventure that's a strange but welcome addition to the Kingdom Hearts series.
Ace Attorney is a series that I've known about for years and have wanted to get into for a long time, but I wouldn't get around to it until a few months ago. I can say with confidence that it's everything I expected and so much more.
Phoenix Wright Ace Attorney has you take on the role of Phoenix Wright, a rookie defense attorney who's main goal is to prove the innocence of his clients. The game is split into 5 episodes/cases, with the 5th case being a bonus one added to the DS port. Each episode in this game is super interesting in terms of writing and gameplay.
The main courtroom gameplay has you listening to witness' testimonies, looking for contradictions in their statements and presenting evidence to object. Each time you hear Wright yell "objection" "take that" or "hold it" which helps add to the excitement of the courtroom gameplay, as well as the music changing depending on how close you are to solving the case. Ace Attorney excels in its sound design.
Outside of court, you move around the crime scene to look for clues and talk to other characters. It's nothing too deep, but it's quite engaging and the interesting character interactions make it all the more worthwhile. My personal favorite is Miles Edgeworth, the prosecutor in the game who's never lost a case. The back and forth between him and Wright is super enticing and always had me on the edge of my seat.
The only reason I don't five it a full 5 stars is the episode Rise from the Ashes, which adds some incredibly awkward forensics gameplay mechanics that make it a pain to go back to. I get that they wanted to experiment with the DS hardware, but it doesn't work on rereleases of the game.
Overall, Phoenix Wright Ace Attorney is a fun first entry in the series that leaves you wanting more. If you haven't played it yet, I'd highly recommend doing so.
Phoenix Wright Ace Attorney has you take on the role of Phoenix Wright, a rookie defense attorney who's main goal is to prove the innocence of his clients. The game is split into 5 episodes/cases, with the 5th case being a bonus one added to the DS port. Each episode in this game is super interesting in terms of writing and gameplay.
The main courtroom gameplay has you listening to witness' testimonies, looking for contradictions in their statements and presenting evidence to object. Each time you hear Wright yell "objection" "take that" or "hold it" which helps add to the excitement of the courtroom gameplay, as well as the music changing depending on how close you are to solving the case. Ace Attorney excels in its sound design.
Outside of court, you move around the crime scene to look for clues and talk to other characters. It's nothing too deep, but it's quite engaging and the interesting character interactions make it all the more worthwhile. My personal favorite is Miles Edgeworth, the prosecutor in the game who's never lost a case. The back and forth between him and Wright is super enticing and always had me on the edge of my seat.
The only reason I don't five it a full 5 stars is the episode Rise from the Ashes, which adds some incredibly awkward forensics gameplay mechanics that make it a pain to go back to. I get that they wanted to experiment with the DS hardware, but it doesn't work on rereleases of the game.
Overall, Phoenix Wright Ace Attorney is a fun first entry in the series that leaves you wanting more. If you haven't played it yet, I'd highly recommend doing so.