silverbackmonky
2009
I’m happy I finally played one of these games, the combat is a ton of fun once you get the hang of it. I just wish that the game did a better job of introducing you to its ideas because stuff like dodge offsetting not even getting a quick explanation is inexcusable
it feels like the type of game you NEED to do a little research on if you aren’t into smashing your head into a brick wall until something clicks by chance, was worth it though because it’s a lotta fun
it feels like the type of game you NEED to do a little research on if you aren’t into smashing your head into a brick wall until something clicks by chance, was worth it though because it’s a lotta fun
this is not a bad game but it didn’t click with me at all, honestly
the storytelling and music still hold up but nothing else really held my attention, definitely feels like this was a game you had to be there to fully get and I think I’d like it a lot more if I’d played it when I was younger
the storytelling and music still hold up but nothing else really held my attention, definitely feels like this was a game you had to be there to fully get and I think I’d like it a lot more if I’d played it when I was younger
the story isn’t as crazy as the zero escape games (though it is quite good) but the characters and writing were a lot more enjoyable for me
it felt like they harnessed the power of those crazy fucking lines that come out of nowhere in the zero escape games and packed an entire game’s worth of scenarios and jokes with them, it’s one of the most laugh out loud games I have ever played and its lighter tone better suits them
you might hate the characters and humor depending on what kinda person you are, I loved them both a lot but it’s all extremely wacky
it felt like they harnessed the power of those crazy fucking lines that come out of nowhere in the zero escape games and packed an entire game’s worth of scenarios and jokes with them, it’s one of the most laugh out loud games I have ever played and its lighter tone better suits them
you might hate the characters and humor depending on what kinda person you are, I loved them both a lot but it’s all extremely wacky
2016
on my first playthrough I got my shit pushed in and kind of hated a lot of the game, replayed it with a strength build and whooped the game’s ass.
much more enjoyable : - )
much more enjoyable : - )
2021
It’s fine but if I’m already playing on PC I’d rather play something with more going on. More power to those who enjoy it though, I get the appeal.
1993
really good for its time but the NES holds it back, play it on 3DS
shockingly good atmosphere, they nailed the look and feel of Dreamland here and it’s a shame some of the more fantastical parts of it don’t get explored more often like Rainbow Resort and the Fountain of Dreams
shockingly good atmosphere, they nailed the look and feel of Dreamland here and it’s a shame some of the more fantastical parts of it don’t get explored more often like Rainbow Resort and the Fountain of Dreams
2017
I loved this game on my first go so much but every time I’ve gone back to replay the game or even just a portion of it, it gets worse.
The game feels like it was built for short bursts of play over long sessions. For a game with such an in-depth movement system they sure do have you performing the most basic of tasks a lot of the time. It just sucks that the game was structured this way because a lot of the magic has been lost on me over the years. I hope the next game is structured more like Bowser’s Fury which is paced a lot better in comparison.
The game feels like it was built for short bursts of play over long sessions. For a game with such an in-depth movement system they sure do have you performing the most basic of tasks a lot of the time. It just sucks that the game was structured this way because a lot of the magic has been lost on me over the years. I hope the next game is structured more like Bowser’s Fury which is paced a lot better in comparison.
It's the best Pokemon game since Sun and Moon but that's an incredibly low bar to pass. It's really messy in a lot of areas and clearly rushed but there are also portions of it that feel shockingly competent for Gamefreak like the overhauls to menu-ing and structure. Battles and menus are paced far better than they ever have been which is a godsend with the miserable pacing the games have been plagued with recently. It feels like every Pokemon on your team can potentially be useful in battle while also simultaneously making wild battles way more interesting and threatening than they were before.
2019
This review contains spoilers
This game structures its story and nonlinear progression in a way I’ve never seen done in a game before. Your knowledge of the world and the way it functions is by far your most powerful tool, it all just clicks together so satisfyingly and you can tell this game has had years and years of thought put into the way it functions. It’s unbelievably ahead of the curve and I think it’ll be a very long game until the industry as a whole catches up to this incredible game’s structure.
All of this is achieved on top of fantastic atmosphere, music, and planets to explore that ignite a fascination with space I always had as a kid. The way it actively pokes and prods your imagination with these aspects is such a perfect fit to the knowledge based progression as you experiment to see what works.
The time loop on its own means the world is always changing and lends itself well to a lot of really great puzzles but another aspect of it that I love is how it actively tries to reel you back in and check out other planets every once in a while. Your answer to a problem or obstacle on one planet can often be found within another and so the time loop often prevents you from tunnel visioning on one single thing.
All of this is achieved on top of fantastic atmosphere, music, and planets to explore that ignite a fascination with space I always had as a kid. The way it actively pokes and prods your imagination with these aspects is such a perfect fit to the knowledge based progression as you experiment to see what works.
The time loop on its own means the world is always changing and lends itself well to a lot of really great puzzles but another aspect of it that I love is how it actively tries to reel you back in and check out other planets every once in a while. Your answer to a problem or obstacle on one planet can often be found within another and so the time loop often prevents you from tunnel visioning on one single thing.
2014
I’ve played this game a lot of times over the years and I think it’s just because it hits a lot of my interests in games. The visuals and music are both gorgeous and instantly bring me into the world. The story itself is fairly vague but it’s enjoyable to just experience the ride and piece it together with the information you gather.
The combat really lets you experiment by giving you the ability to augment your attacks and abilities with one another, giving you tons of possible combinations to try out. The problem with this freedom is that it leads to a lot of combinations that are completely busted and practically destroy the game’s balance. Thankfully I have fun just creating new combinations whenever I hit a station that lets you do so but some might find that it ruins the combat. There’s also an element of freezing time to plan out your moves which lets you plan out some really nasty combos, it suits the combat well enough.
The fairly short length is actually nice, the game wraps up just before you’d probably begin to grow tired of the combat and the story wraps up without feeling rushed to the finish line.
You can find it on the cheap easily and it’s on a ton of platforms so I’d say give it a go if you’ve got a bit of cash and some spare time. If you like the game then definitely check out Supergiant’s other games as well. All of them play similarly (outside of Pyre) and share the beautiful music and visuals.
The combat really lets you experiment by giving you the ability to augment your attacks and abilities with one another, giving you tons of possible combinations to try out. The problem with this freedom is that it leads to a lot of combinations that are completely busted and practically destroy the game’s balance. Thankfully I have fun just creating new combinations whenever I hit a station that lets you do so but some might find that it ruins the combat. There’s also an element of freezing time to plan out your moves which lets you plan out some really nasty combos, it suits the combat well enough.
The fairly short length is actually nice, the game wraps up just before you’d probably begin to grow tired of the combat and the story wraps up without feeling rushed to the finish line.
You can find it on the cheap easily and it’s on a ton of platforms so I’d say give it a go if you’ve got a bit of cash and some spare time. If you like the game then definitely check out Supergiant’s other games as well. All of them play similarly (outside of Pyre) and share the beautiful music and visuals.
2019
Despite its issues I have a ton of respect for this game, it attempts to bring the best things from both of the games preceding it while adding some new stuff on top. It’s not perfect but the fact that they actively listened and responded to most feedback kinda feels like a miracle for a Nintendo game.
It brings back the idea of portrait ghosts from the first game and while they aren’t quite the same, they’re really special in their own way and come with a lot of personality. Their fights are also quite fun too with one on each floor. Most of the time they feel more like extended flashy puzzles than fights which is a perfect match to the game’s strengths.
Dark Moon’s additions come in the form of the game’s toolset and variety in settings. This game feels much more cohesive due to the dropped mission structure but sections of the game are still split into separate floors outside of the first handful.
There was clearly a ton of time and love put into this game, there’s so many cool little details and secrets to dig for through levels and it’s by far my favorite part of the game. Every single level no matter how big or small is densely packed with cleverly hidden collectibles and money to find and it’s always fun to find it all. The toolset you’re given let’s the developers hide stuff in a lot of clever ways and it leads to a lot of fun “aha!” moments as you’re exploring.
There’s so many visual gags and awesome details no matter which floor you’re on, just walking through them and taking in the atmosphere of each one is a joy and the way Luigi and other characters animate during gameplay and cutscenes brings it all together so perfectly. It feels like a living breathing world more than either of the games did before it.
For as awesome as the exploration and attention to detail in this game is, the combat feels super underdeveloped in comparison. Before I rip into the combat I should note that it’s deemphasized compared to the first two games, with enemy encounters taking up less time and boss ghosts utilizing puzzle solving skills over what little depth there is to fighting. With that said, there’s only three main enemy types which is bad in and of itself since you’ll be fighting them the entire game but what kills the combat more than anything else is the slam mechanic. The entire system feels like it was reworked from the ground up just to implement this move and while there is some novelty to it at first, you’ll quickly realize it trivializes combat by stunning enemies over and over allowing you to infinitely chain them. No matter what cute little tools the ghosts are given to try and counter your moveset, the slam is too powerful to ever put you in a situation where you could actually come close to dying or even challenge you a bit. It’s honestly bad enough to destroy the appeal of this game’s combat all on its own and it’s a modern Paper Mario tier battle system suicide.
The first two games were far more thought out in this respect. The first game’s intense tug of war chain is always challenging and satisfying to pull off and Dark Moon’s charge mechanic really encourages you to play risky and combo as many ghosts at once with a flashlight stun. They’re both appealing in their own way and reward you for challenging chains, I really hope the developers recognize this flaw and rework the combat into something more enjoyable next time around.
Outside of the combat I’m not a fan of the backtracking and the ending sequence feels rushed (the score ranking based on your money is also way worse than before which is a shame when the exploration is so fun) but those issues feel pretty minor in comparison.
I’ve been hard on the game here but I wanna emphasize that this is a quality game that’s absolutely worth your time if you like digging through every nook and cranny for cool secrets and collectibles or expressively animated games with beautifully stylized visuals. There’s a lot of really cool details I didn’t even get into like how certain themed floors in the game are still incorporated into the hotel setting despite being really crazy ideas, it’s hilarious seeing how they actually made some of these ideas work within the building. Before I spoil too much I’ll just say Next Level Games did a great job here and I think they’re super close to perfecting this formula. Just polish up that combat, cut the filler, fix the scoring system, and you’ve got an incredible game.
It brings back the idea of portrait ghosts from the first game and while they aren’t quite the same, they’re really special in their own way and come with a lot of personality. Their fights are also quite fun too with one on each floor. Most of the time they feel more like extended flashy puzzles than fights which is a perfect match to the game’s strengths.
Dark Moon’s additions come in the form of the game’s toolset and variety in settings. This game feels much more cohesive due to the dropped mission structure but sections of the game are still split into separate floors outside of the first handful.
There was clearly a ton of time and love put into this game, there’s so many cool little details and secrets to dig for through levels and it’s by far my favorite part of the game. Every single level no matter how big or small is densely packed with cleverly hidden collectibles and money to find and it’s always fun to find it all. The toolset you’re given let’s the developers hide stuff in a lot of clever ways and it leads to a lot of fun “aha!” moments as you’re exploring.
There’s so many visual gags and awesome details no matter which floor you’re on, just walking through them and taking in the atmosphere of each one is a joy and the way Luigi and other characters animate during gameplay and cutscenes brings it all together so perfectly. It feels like a living breathing world more than either of the games did before it.
For as awesome as the exploration and attention to detail in this game is, the combat feels super underdeveloped in comparison. Before I rip into the combat I should note that it’s deemphasized compared to the first two games, with enemy encounters taking up less time and boss ghosts utilizing puzzle solving skills over what little depth there is to fighting. With that said, there’s only three main enemy types which is bad in and of itself since you’ll be fighting them the entire game but what kills the combat more than anything else is the slam mechanic. The entire system feels like it was reworked from the ground up just to implement this move and while there is some novelty to it at first, you’ll quickly realize it trivializes combat by stunning enemies over and over allowing you to infinitely chain them. No matter what cute little tools the ghosts are given to try and counter your moveset, the slam is too powerful to ever put you in a situation where you could actually come close to dying or even challenge you a bit. It’s honestly bad enough to destroy the appeal of this game’s combat all on its own and it’s a modern Paper Mario tier battle system suicide.
The first two games were far more thought out in this respect. The first game’s intense tug of war chain is always challenging and satisfying to pull off and Dark Moon’s charge mechanic really encourages you to play risky and combo as many ghosts at once with a flashlight stun. They’re both appealing in their own way and reward you for challenging chains, I really hope the developers recognize this flaw and rework the combat into something more enjoyable next time around.
Outside of the combat I’m not a fan of the backtracking and the ending sequence feels rushed (the score ranking based on your money is also way worse than before which is a shame when the exploration is so fun) but those issues feel pretty minor in comparison.
I’ve been hard on the game here but I wanna emphasize that this is a quality game that’s absolutely worth your time if you like digging through every nook and cranny for cool secrets and collectibles or expressively animated games with beautifully stylized visuals. There’s a lot of really cool details I didn’t even get into like how certain themed floors in the game are still incorporated into the hotel setting despite being really crazy ideas, it’s hilarious seeing how they actually made some of these ideas work within the building. Before I spoil too much I’ll just say Next Level Games did a great job here and I think they’re super close to perfecting this formula. Just polish up that combat, cut the filler, fix the scoring system, and you’ve got an incredible game.
2020
This is one of very few games where the visuals and background noise enhance the game so hard that they’re practically carrying the experience. The world is stunningly beautiful, it’s full of colors that pop, beautiful foliage flowing through the wind, and all sorts of serene vistas to climb around and hang out in. It was enjoyable to just walk around and observe the scenery, something that’s usually really hard to achieve in a game for me.
Outside of that the game’s got some really big issues but it does have some fixes to the stock standard open world formula that I’ve grown more and more tired of over time.
For one, traveling to a location of interest through various background elements instead of a waypoint telling you where to go does a lot more for me than I expected going in. The way you’re being nudged in a direction is still pretty artificial but I vastly prefer it over a waypoint or a map filled with tons of filler garbage I don’t want anything to do with.
Another idea I appreciate are some of the goofy tasks you’re given for the game’s various points of interest. They’re still pretty repetitive and leave a lot to be desired but writing a haiku or taking a leisurely stroll through an ancient shrine is a nice break from the blood-soaked encampments and feels a bit more fresh than other open world side objectives.
The combat is a little shallow but it’s still satisfying enough. It really needed some more enemy types to keep you on your toes or more wacky tools to mess around with, open world games usually struggle with enemy types but it would’ve went a long way if there were more tools to manipulate and confuse enemies with.
The story didn’t do much for me and honestly felt really phoned in at points but there were a few fairly entertaining chunks here and there.
By the game’s third act the game’s flaws really begin to weigh down on the experience (mainly just the regular open world shtick, boring ass enemy encampments and extremely repetitive missions) but thankfully it’s the shortest act by far.
Outside of that the game’s got some really big issues but it does have some fixes to the stock standard open world formula that I’ve grown more and more tired of over time.
For one, traveling to a location of interest through various background elements instead of a waypoint telling you where to go does a lot more for me than I expected going in. The way you’re being nudged in a direction is still pretty artificial but I vastly prefer it over a waypoint or a map filled with tons of filler garbage I don’t want anything to do with.
Another idea I appreciate are some of the goofy tasks you’re given for the game’s various points of interest. They’re still pretty repetitive and leave a lot to be desired but writing a haiku or taking a leisurely stroll through an ancient shrine is a nice break from the blood-soaked encampments and feels a bit more fresh than other open world side objectives.
The combat is a little shallow but it’s still satisfying enough. It really needed some more enemy types to keep you on your toes or more wacky tools to mess around with, open world games usually struggle with enemy types but it would’ve went a long way if there were more tools to manipulate and confuse enemies with.
The story didn’t do much for me and honestly felt really phoned in at points but there were a few fairly entertaining chunks here and there.
By the game’s third act the game’s flaws really begin to weigh down on the experience (mainly just the regular open world shtick, boring ass enemy encampments and extremely repetitive missions) but thankfully it’s the shortest act by far.
I thought this game was a breath of fresh air after Minish Cap. I’m not in love with the seasons mechanic but the focus on combat was much cooler than I was expecting. Out of the 2D Zelda games I’ve played this one has the best combat by far, there’s some genuinely great and tough fights in here and a creative set of dungeon items to go with them. The dungeons are also solid with some later dungeons really impressing me despite the game not focusing on puzzles.
Subrosia’s pretty neat. Never overstays its welcome and every time you have to visit it there’s usually something fresh to find. It’d be interesting to see a 2D Zelda where you travel between two equally sized overworlds that are structurally and visually alien to one another. Even the games that get close still share a lot of parallels between the two worlds.
Not a fan of the three minute trek to the final boss, I had a shocking amount of trouble taking it down (which was nice coming from the other games) but having to slowly make your way back wasn’t.
Subrosia’s pretty neat. Never overstays its welcome and every time you have to visit it there’s usually something fresh to find. It’d be interesting to see a 2D Zelda where you travel between two equally sized overworlds that are structurally and visually alien to one another. Even the games that get close still share a lot of parallels between the two worlds.
Not a fan of the three minute trek to the final boss, I had a shocking amount of trouble taking it down (which was nice coming from the other games) but having to slowly make your way back wasn’t.
Nearly five years later and it’s still easily the best game on Switch. It has a lot of big issues I can’t deny but it does so much more stuff right that I can’t help but love it anyways. It manages to slip by a lot of common open world problems by letting you solve every obstacle and puzzle the game throws at you in your own way, making every encounter potentially fresh even if it’s an enemy you’ve fought and killed hundreds of times before. It also helps that there’s zero railroading whatsoever outside of the first hour or so, you can go in any direction you want and the game never bombards you with information and waypoints you never asked for. It feels like an adventure that you carve out for yourself in a world you can choose to interpret in your own way.
Not a lot of people seem to like this remake but I think that outside of some scuffed sprites it’s strictly better. The framerate is buttery smooth and the backgrounds are downright gorgeous. It’s one of the best looking games on the 3DS and it looks better than most Switch games do to be frank.
Disregarding the remaster’s changes and improvements though Superstar Saga is a wonderful game. The pacing is just perfect and the combat intertwines with overworld exploration and movement in such a genius way. Gaining new abilities is super exciting, way more fun than in most games. Not only does it let you get to new places in the overworld but it also means you’ll get a new attack to try out in battle and an upgraded version later on that doesn’t invalidate the original move.
Combat is very simple but incredibly satisfying, the bros attacks are really fun to pull off and never feel like they’re breaking the pace. You have a lot of options at your disposal too, and it feels nice to take advantage of enemy weaknesses as you gain new ways to attack.
The game’s characters and story are super charming but I think it’s best to just go in without spoiling any of that, it’s never really the emphasis of the game anyways.
I used to resent the game because of all the praise it got compared to later Mario and Luigi games. I do still think the later games deserve way more credit than they receive but this game is so beloved for a reason, it’s impressive just how well this game got it right on the first go.
Disregarding the remaster’s changes and improvements though Superstar Saga is a wonderful game. The pacing is just perfect and the combat intertwines with overworld exploration and movement in such a genius way. Gaining new abilities is super exciting, way more fun than in most games. Not only does it let you get to new places in the overworld but it also means you’ll get a new attack to try out in battle and an upgraded version later on that doesn’t invalidate the original move.
Combat is very simple but incredibly satisfying, the bros attacks are really fun to pull off and never feel like they’re breaking the pace. You have a lot of options at your disposal too, and it feels nice to take advantage of enemy weaknesses as you gain new ways to attack.
The game’s characters and story are super charming but I think it’s best to just go in without spoiling any of that, it’s never really the emphasis of the game anyways.
I used to resent the game because of all the praise it got compared to later Mario and Luigi games. I do still think the later games deserve way more credit than they receive but this game is so beloved for a reason, it’s impressive just how well this game got it right on the first go.