roxannejaneway
2019
Telling Lies felt like a good spiritual successor to Her Story, although I would argue it does not entirely live up to its spirit.
The narrative is interesting and I had quite a bit of fun trying to understand the various plotlines intertwined. The acting is good, although you do need to fast forward through many entries, especially since a lot of them are conversations between two people and you can only watch one interlocutor at a time, which sometimes results in very, very long silences.
The intrigue was compelling, although I think the ending is a bit strange and feels rushed... Or lacks context, maybe? I would have liked a bit more direction, a bit more of a sense of purpose. I didn't understand why I was doing what I was doing until the very end of the game. Which did not preclude me from enjoying the unfolding mystery, but slightly more context would have been interesting.
Overall, if you liked Her Story, this might be an enjoyable game to try! Wait until it's on sale!
The narrative is interesting and I had quite a bit of fun trying to understand the various plotlines intertwined. The acting is good, although you do need to fast forward through many entries, especially since a lot of them are conversations between two people and you can only watch one interlocutor at a time, which sometimes results in very, very long silences.
The intrigue was compelling, although I think the ending is a bit strange and feels rushed... Or lacks context, maybe? I would have liked a bit more direction, a bit more of a sense of purpose. I didn't understand why I was doing what I was doing until the very end of the game. Which did not preclude me from enjoying the unfolding mystery, but slightly more context would have been interesting.
Overall, if you liked Her Story, this might be an enjoyable game to try! Wait until it's on sale!
This review contains spoilers
Very mild spoilers ahead
The Cosmic Wheel Sisterhood is a fun game with both visual novel and deckbuilding components. I had a lot of fun composing beautiful tarot cards for my deck and giving readings to my visitors.
The music is absolutely wonderful, it's visually stunning and the characters are compelling. My only complaint would be that the second arc arrives a bit too quickly: I wanted to continue giving chill readings to visitors, and the "political campaign" aspect took over everything quite suddenly. It was interesting too, but I would have enjoyed being able to continue building my deck slowly, enjoying readings and creating relationships with visitors.
That being said, I played through the game twice and enjoyed it both times. I would definitely take a second game in that universe, leaning all the way towards a contemplative experience and lore building.
The Cosmic Wheel Sisterhood is a fun game with both visual novel and deckbuilding components. I had a lot of fun composing beautiful tarot cards for my deck and giving readings to my visitors.
The music is absolutely wonderful, it's visually stunning and the characters are compelling. My only complaint would be that the second arc arrives a bit too quickly: I wanted to continue giving chill readings to visitors, and the "political campaign" aspect took over everything quite suddenly. It was interesting too, but I would have enjoyed being able to continue building my deck slowly, enjoying readings and creating relationships with visitors.
That being said, I played through the game twice and enjoyed it both times. I would definitely take a second game in that universe, leaning all the way towards a contemplative experience and lore building.
2020
Yes Your Grace was a fun game. The first playthrough is definitely a bit challenging, since the different resources seem to be dwinlding really quickly and the player, playing as King Eryk, seems to have to make difficult decisions balancing their own interests, that of their subjects, and the kingdom's well-being almost constantly. The narrative is compelling and most of the characters are really endearing.
That being said, it's a game that suffers from its replayability: since there are multiple endings, one might feel compelled to play it more than once, but I discovered quite rapidly that the choices that feel important during the first playthrough are more often than not semi-inconsequential. Now, whether or not it matters to you as a player, I believe, is entirely personal. For me, this did not spoil my initial enjoyment of the game: I had a really lovely time playing and went in for a second playthrough thinking I had finished the game when I really hadn't - there was a whole other half to play!
I would recommend this game. It's a compelling narrative experience.
That being said, it's a game that suffers from its replayability: since there are multiple endings, one might feel compelled to play it more than once, but I discovered quite rapidly that the choices that feel important during the first playthrough are more often than not semi-inconsequential. Now, whether or not it matters to you as a player, I believe, is entirely personal. For me, this did not spoil my initial enjoyment of the game: I had a really lovely time playing and went in for a second playthrough thinking I had finished the game when I really hadn't - there was a whole other half to play!
I would recommend this game. It's a compelling narrative experience.
2017
Very simple game with an interesting political message. The issue is that it's meant to be replayed to see how the news you choose to publish will affect the political climate and, thus, the ending... But replaying it is very, very dull. Maybe the sequels go a bit further?
2017
For some reason, after being a big fan of Transistor and Bastion, I totally skipped playing Pyre. I guess I heard that it was more of a sports game than a RPG, and thought it wasn't for me.
Oh boy, was I wrong. The game is divided in essentially 3 phases: travelling to encounters, interacting with party members in a visual-novel style, and tactical "combat" which is really just fantasy 3-player basketball. And all of these phases are lovely in their own way. Travelling is visually beautiful, the NPCs are wonderful and masterfully written, and the tactical combat is original and really, really fun. There is a bit of a learning curve, especially in the later-game combats, if you tend to be more of a tank than a tactician, like I am, but overall it's just a blast.
I did not give the game 5 stars because I feel like it's lacking something I can't quite put my finger on. Maybe more meaningful interactions with the NPCs? But really, it's a lovely game.
Oh boy, was I wrong. The game is divided in essentially 3 phases: travelling to encounters, interacting with party members in a visual-novel style, and tactical "combat" which is really just fantasy 3-player basketball. And all of these phases are lovely in their own way. Travelling is visually beautiful, the NPCs are wonderful and masterfully written, and the tactical combat is original and really, really fun. There is a bit of a learning curve, especially in the later-game combats, if you tend to be more of a tank than a tactician, like I am, but overall it's just a blast.
I did not give the game 5 stars because I feel like it's lacking something I can't quite put my finger on. Maybe more meaningful interactions with the NPCs? But really, it's a lovely game.
This review contains spoilers
My feelings about this game are rather mixed, hence my middle of the road rating. This feels like the Breath of the Wild Nintendo wanted to make originally, but didn't have the time to make (or the resources, or wanted to test the market before going all in). They improved on some of the mechanics, especially the abilities. The possibility to combine arrows with objects, or to fuse weapons/shields, is very fun and increases the possible interactions with the world.
That being said, I think the game has a few big flaws: whereas I revelled in exploring Hyrule in the BOTW, I did not have as much fun doing so in this one. Nintendo's choice of making this "sequel" happen only a few years after the end of BOTW is, in my opinion, problematic: sure, they tried to make the mainland slightly different in order to make the exploration a bit more fun, but it's just a bit boring: everything looks the same and it doesn't feel as rewarding to explore for the sake of it like it did in BOTW. As for the Sky Island, the main Central Island is fun, but most of the other smaller islands feel like they're copy/pasted with a few different resources scattered around, and it doesn't really feel like they tell the story of the Zonai - and environmental storytelling is something that BOTW did masterfully, so it's even more disappointing. The Depths would be a wonderful addition... if they weren't so boring to explore after the first few minutes. They're empty! Sure, there are bosses and a few Yiga hideouts, but... what else? What do they tell us about the world, their construction? Exploration, in BOTW, was rewarded, not necessarily with gear or with achievements, but with aesthetic moments, with beautiful environmental storytelling... and Nintendo did not manage to achieve that again with the Depths OR with the Sky Islands, in my opinion.
Narratively, its establishment as a "sequel" to BOTW is dodgy at best : why do some characters not recognize Link? Where are all the Shrines from BOTW? Where are the Divine Beasts? Why does Zelda not recognize the "gloom" as a very similar material to Malice from BOTW? Where were the Sky Islands before they appeared in the Sky? Why did all of the wells and caves SUDDENLY open? Where were they before? I had so many questions during gameplay and kept hoping for some kind of an explanation, but it never came. Now, don't get me wrong: I absolutely do not mind that Zelda games seem to exist in a timeline of their own, that each Link seems to be its own facet of a parallel dimension. The fact that the Zelda in Wind Waker and the Zelda in Twilight Princess are so dramatically different doesn't bother me at all, I quite enjoy it, in fact. My issue is the fact that they purposefully presented this as a sequel, changed barely nothing in the world (including the NPCs!), but still didn't bother making it make sense in the continuity. If they had made this further in the future, or even in the past, or if they made it clear that it was a parallel dimension, I would be okay with it. But they're really blurring the lines in such a way that just feels like very lazy storytelling. And if you're going to do a "direct" sequel, that seems to happen maybe.... 2-3 years at max after the first installment... Then make it make sense. Give us clues. Reward the exploration of the new areas with little fragments of explanation. Just... Don't ignore the problem just to do some cheap fan service at the detriment of the global storytelling.
Now, let me be clear: I had fun playing! I think the dungeons, although a bit repetitive, are more interesting than the Divine Beasts in BOTW. The different approach sequences and the way you need to use your abilities to solve unique environmental problems are really honed. I would have enjoyed more diversity in the dungeons themselves, because the "go active 5 things, then come activate the main thing, then fight the boss" became boring very quickly... But I still had fun doing it. I also enjoyed that the game was slightly more narratively-driven, even if I disliked the global narrative approach.
Ultimately, I feel like it's a fun game without a doubt, but it's not as good as Breath of the Wild was. I don't feel like they were able to make me feel what I felt playing the first game: wonder, awe, and the sheer joy of exploring for the sake of discovering the world itself, without waiting for a reward.
That being said, I think the game has a few big flaws: whereas I revelled in exploring Hyrule in the BOTW, I did not have as much fun doing so in this one. Nintendo's choice of making this "sequel" happen only a few years after the end of BOTW is, in my opinion, problematic: sure, they tried to make the mainland slightly different in order to make the exploration a bit more fun, but it's just a bit boring: everything looks the same and it doesn't feel as rewarding to explore for the sake of it like it did in BOTW. As for the Sky Island, the main Central Island is fun, but most of the other smaller islands feel like they're copy/pasted with a few different resources scattered around, and it doesn't really feel like they tell the story of the Zonai - and environmental storytelling is something that BOTW did masterfully, so it's even more disappointing. The Depths would be a wonderful addition... if they weren't so boring to explore after the first few minutes. They're empty! Sure, there are bosses and a few Yiga hideouts, but... what else? What do they tell us about the world, their construction? Exploration, in BOTW, was rewarded, not necessarily with gear or with achievements, but with aesthetic moments, with beautiful environmental storytelling... and Nintendo did not manage to achieve that again with the Depths OR with the Sky Islands, in my opinion.
Narratively, its establishment as a "sequel" to BOTW is dodgy at best : why do some characters not recognize Link? Where are all the Shrines from BOTW? Where are the Divine Beasts? Why does Zelda not recognize the "gloom" as a very similar material to Malice from BOTW? Where were the Sky Islands before they appeared in the Sky? Why did all of the wells and caves SUDDENLY open? Where were they before? I had so many questions during gameplay and kept hoping for some kind of an explanation, but it never came. Now, don't get me wrong: I absolutely do not mind that Zelda games seem to exist in a timeline of their own, that each Link seems to be its own facet of a parallel dimension. The fact that the Zelda in Wind Waker and the Zelda in Twilight Princess are so dramatically different doesn't bother me at all, I quite enjoy it, in fact. My issue is the fact that they purposefully presented this as a sequel, changed barely nothing in the world (including the NPCs!), but still didn't bother making it make sense in the continuity. If they had made this further in the future, or even in the past, or if they made it clear that it was a parallel dimension, I would be okay with it. But they're really blurring the lines in such a way that just feels like very lazy storytelling. And if you're going to do a "direct" sequel, that seems to happen maybe.... 2-3 years at max after the first installment... Then make it make sense. Give us clues. Reward the exploration of the new areas with little fragments of explanation. Just... Don't ignore the problem just to do some cheap fan service at the detriment of the global storytelling.
Now, let me be clear: I had fun playing! I think the dungeons, although a bit repetitive, are more interesting than the Divine Beasts in BOTW. The different approach sequences and the way you need to use your abilities to solve unique environmental problems are really honed. I would have enjoyed more diversity in the dungeons themselves, because the "go active 5 things, then come activate the main thing, then fight the boss" became boring very quickly... But I still had fun doing it. I also enjoyed that the game was slightly more narratively-driven, even if I disliked the global narrative approach.
Ultimately, I feel like it's a fun game without a doubt, but it's not as good as Breath of the Wild was. I don't feel like they were able to make me feel what I felt playing the first game: wonder, awe, and the sheer joy of exploring for the sake of discovering the world itself, without waiting for a reward.
If you enjoyed the first game, Do Not Feed the Monkeys, you will enjoy this new version. Narratively speaking, this happens a few years after the first game, but the mechanics are essentially the same. The new cages (observation feeds) contain fun stories and you will have to replay the game a few times to figure out all the endings and discover all cages which is fun. That being said, I don't know why I expected... something more. A longer game than the first? More complexity in the possible interactions with the cages? More information on the Club to be revealed? Although I had fun, I feel like the game just left me a bit disappointed. That being said, it's a really fun few hours of gameplay and scratches the stalker itch very well, so I definitely recommend it.
2023
Beautiful little point and click based on Chinese proverbs. Visually, it's adorable, and the poems that punctuate the experience were interesting. As someone who isn't familiar with the Chinese culture, the references to Chinese myths went over my head a little. Honestly, I would have liked to enjoy it more than I did. The puzzles are simple but sometimes hard for no reason: trying to find some objects on the map is sometimes too hard, sometimes too easy. More of a "Where's Waldo" type of situation, which makes it rapidly a little boring. Beautiful nonetheless, it just didn't really grab my attention.
2023
This was a fun little puzzle game with an original premise: with an array of predetermined classic storytelling tropes and characters, you must "write" (arrange the scenes and characters on the board) a story that fits the title prompt. Some of the prompts are pretty convoluted, based on Shakespearean or Greek mythology texts, and it's fun to figure out how to make it work. That being said, it's a very short game and I would have enjoyed some more content and maybe even original works that let the player express a bit more creativity.
One of my favorite games in a long time. Although I heard raving reviews, I did not expected to enjoy it as much as I did.
I have to say I played it with my husband, so we had two brains to solve the mystery of the Obra Dinn. On my own, I probably would have abandonned about halfway through the game, as some bodies and stories are VERY hard to identify.
That being said, it's such a satisfying, well-written game. Visually speaking, the use of an original non-photorealistic aesthetic really appealed to me. I'm really sad this is not a game you can replay, or else I would!
I have to say I played it with my husband, so we had two brains to solve the mystery of the Obra Dinn. On my own, I probably would have abandonned about halfway through the game, as some bodies and stories are VERY hard to identify.
That being said, it's such a satisfying, well-written game. Visually speaking, the use of an original non-photorealistic aesthetic really appealed to me. I'm really sad this is not a game you can replay, or else I would!
I honestly had a really fun time with the game, but the ending is just unsatisfactory. Also, I was frustrated several times that I could not question some inconsistencies in some of the suspects' responses, even though it would have been a great contradiction... Nevertheless, I think it's worth a play if it's on sale.
2021
Fun little game which helps pass the time. I did not complete everything, but I still play occasionally when I have some time to kill. The game mechanics are interesting, limited exploration, resource management and crafting. It's fun, but becomes a bit repetitive so I stopped playing for more than 15-30 minutes at a time after a few days.
Not sure I would have enjoyed the backtracking as much if my husband wasn't playing with me and telling me where to go when I was fed up... But it's a gorgeous game, beautiful environmental storytelling, the soundtrack is wonderful... Really happy I played this for the first time!