silvergin
8 reviews liked by silvergin
Sin and Punishment
2000
Accidentally deleted all my saves after trying to go back to a stage 2 - 9 credit, wasn't too far, just wasn't gonna 1 credit an entire screen where the 1st of two bosses drains ur health automatically so you have to walk in with basically perfect health to make it through, and then there's another boss that has a health bar with length the size of a full school day (and is 1 + 1 levels of design and boring af)
If I could've reloaded on the 2nd level with the 9 credits I would've done it again but my own mistake really reminded me of how valuable my time is, I just don't wanna replay this shit over and over for no reason cuz of bullshit design. It might get better but that one screen was cringe
Maybe I'll come back to this one day with my friends as a challenge thing, it was pretty enjoyable and had a lot going on, catchy music, but having to replay something I felt like I pretty much mastered pissed me off. Don't wanna spend time just mastering every stage and inevitably failing in the next or one after until I 1-credit (or at least ig 1 set of credits) all of it. Not on my own at least
If I could've reloaded on the 2nd level with the 9 credits I would've done it again but my own mistake really reminded me of how valuable my time is, I just don't wanna replay this shit over and over for no reason cuz of bullshit design. It might get better but that one screen was cringe
Maybe I'll come back to this one day with my friends as a challenge thing, it was pretty enjoyable and had a lot going on, catchy music, but having to replay something I felt like I pretty much mastered pissed me off. Don't wanna spend time just mastering every stage and inevitably failing in the next or one after until I 1-credit (or at least ig 1 set of credits) all of it. Not on my own at least
SuperHot
2016
This review contains spoilers
The ego of escapism and control in videogames. The text isn't too great most of the time, but the presentation and way the gameplay is developed and shared with us over time is definitely solid, especially the ending which says just enough more by saying "Endless mode unlocked". Of all the reds that have been gotten, that little bit of meta got this red the most, even if I never come back. Even more Ironic though, I wish the game gave more control.
6/10
6/10
This review contains spoilers
Raiden was good, probably one of the best in gaming. Still I can help but feel that he could have been better. His character is pretty much about how in the grand scheme of things his own thoughts and feelings are what truly matter, his own subjective reality. It's not about right or wrong, objective truth, but our faith in what we believe in and what matters to us. The problem is that we don't get much of his thoughts and feelings which is kinda annoying. I guess his conversations with Rose (whether she's objectively real or not his love for her and his memories with her are real to him and that's what should truly matter to him), and how much he wanted to succeed in the mission/fighting Solidus to save the baby (again, whether it's real or not it was real for him, he wanted to succeed/save the baby and his experience throughout the mission is real for him, for the AI of the patriots it's just a simulation, everything was made up, but for him it was a meaningful mission where he saved lives. Who's to say whos right or wrong? it's subjective. I also like how it correlate to art's subjectivity) these are probably the main building blocks for his development that help validate it, but I think it could have been elaborated upon a bit more.
I could replay this game. But I have little reason to believe this game is better than the soundtrack on it's own, and the game itself really mostly feels like it only clutters a pretty alike experience with it's gameplay. Walking around and puzzles is most of the game, there's unique events and atmospheres in the game for sequences, but mostly it's walking around and puzzles, and they were A to B tasks in the first place, but after playing it once- that A to Bness is even more the case when you know where to go- or even knowing you Have To go somewhere. And that is really the gameplay, you have to go to places and do stuff, and sometimes cool moments and story happen. But that's more rare than what I'd call average in the game.
I don't think the mystery reveal at the end is dynamic enough either to fix what the game is, I don't know if that ever could be the case, but if anything there's even a little less nuance to get out of the road to the end.
5/10, 6/10 at best in my estimations.
I don't think the mystery reveal at the end is dynamic enough either to fix what the game is, I don't know if that ever could be the case, but if anything there's even a little less nuance to get out of the road to the end.
5/10, 6/10 at best in my estimations.
Celeste
2018
I played this on a keyboard. This review is only about Chapters 1-7, the main content really.
I could stew on a chapter more which would be to the betterment of the rating, namely 5, which I thought had a decent bit of exploration sections that weren't very dynamic and wouldn't be on return, and also a decent bit of dialogue (which I'll get to overall soon)
What makes this game great for me:
I think this game succeeds mostly by outrewarding the pain of failure, to me this is done by a dynamic design that provides the challenge with proper room for tangible steps to victory, wherein being given the path and tools to allow for innovating with each failed attempt, toward grasping each one of these micro steps, we get the feeling that even when we fail and don't clear a stage- we feel closer and we feel like we learned something new about what we can do, which is wonderful in of itself. It's what encourages us to the current end goal.
The style of this game and the osts are also quite charming and complement the stage designs, which can make for cool sets and atmosphere, and really electric sequences when the game flows rewardingly. The anxious chase, and peace and motivation both are represented well here.
What makes it not as great for me:
The overwhelming majority of dialogue in this game to put it simply. It feels like it comes from a good place, most of the people in this game seem like cool people, but not necessarily characters that make music between different instruments, it feels a lot like one song or instrument in one key, and when it's not the same song the dichotomy is comprised of: people that are kind and anxious vs people that are meanies- for the most part. Overall, text can be quite predictable / general, on the nose, and even tacky at times as it attempts to evoke a perspective of optimism and conflict of it's era. I think what I see as the positives of its gameplay is what really fills in most of the story, the text is more so an attempt at an outline to perceive and define the gameplay's contributions in, which clutters things a bit for me. It's not responsible for much of the intimate or evocative quality that the gameplay boasts, it's often redundant even, and dilutes quality.
I reference the first paragraph of the positives when I say that- the other times this game doesn't work is when the level designs regress to stuff that provides very undynamic pieces for us to execute upon towards victory; effectively puzzle stages where we know the few steps we have to take, the steps are so few yet so challenging and requiring tight execution- asking not to innovate our ability for success one step at a time towards the stars, but to invent an entire rocket out of nothing to get there, which is hard to do and usually results in massive amounts of unrewarded failure. I don't think any philosophy of "you can do anything if you keep trying" when you have infinite attempts is fulfilling or respectful to the player that suffers through these tedious high execution puzzle stages, and I don't think it even comes from any founded place. It's like slamming your head into a wall hoping to find the answer, it's jumping into a void, it's a leap of empty faith. This game is never a void tho, it's full, and it's beauty is founded by it's and our progressive innovation and the courage and drive we gain from that. It's great for embodying that spirit, it would not be great to me if it was just some game that was an agony to get through, and then once overcome destructively, be used as a 2 minute ego stroke that "I did it".
Sections:
Idk if I could rank my favorite chapters in order, but the ones I thought were great are 1, 2, 4, 6, and 7. My least favorites are 3 and 5 as of rn.
7.5/10
I could stew on a chapter more which would be to the betterment of the rating, namely 5, which I thought had a decent bit of exploration sections that weren't very dynamic and wouldn't be on return, and also a decent bit of dialogue (which I'll get to overall soon)
What makes this game great for me:
I think this game succeeds mostly by outrewarding the pain of failure, to me this is done by a dynamic design that provides the challenge with proper room for tangible steps to victory, wherein being given the path and tools to allow for innovating with each failed attempt, toward grasping each one of these micro steps, we get the feeling that even when we fail and don't clear a stage- we feel closer and we feel like we learned something new about what we can do, which is wonderful in of itself. It's what encourages us to the current end goal.
The style of this game and the osts are also quite charming and complement the stage designs, which can make for cool sets and atmosphere, and really electric sequences when the game flows rewardingly. The anxious chase, and peace and motivation both are represented well here.
What makes it not as great for me:
The overwhelming majority of dialogue in this game to put it simply. It feels like it comes from a good place, most of the people in this game seem like cool people, but not necessarily characters that make music between different instruments, it feels a lot like one song or instrument in one key, and when it's not the same song the dichotomy is comprised of: people that are kind and anxious vs people that are meanies- for the most part. Overall, text can be quite predictable / general, on the nose, and even tacky at times as it attempts to evoke a perspective of optimism and conflict of it's era. I think what I see as the positives of its gameplay is what really fills in most of the story, the text is more so an attempt at an outline to perceive and define the gameplay's contributions in, which clutters things a bit for me. It's not responsible for much of the intimate or evocative quality that the gameplay boasts, it's often redundant even, and dilutes quality.
I reference the first paragraph of the positives when I say that- the other times this game doesn't work is when the level designs regress to stuff that provides very undynamic pieces for us to execute upon towards victory; effectively puzzle stages where we know the few steps we have to take, the steps are so few yet so challenging and requiring tight execution- asking not to innovate our ability for success one step at a time towards the stars, but to invent an entire rocket out of nothing to get there, which is hard to do and usually results in massive amounts of unrewarded failure. I don't think any philosophy of "you can do anything if you keep trying" when you have infinite attempts is fulfilling or respectful to the player that suffers through these tedious high execution puzzle stages, and I don't think it even comes from any founded place. It's like slamming your head into a wall hoping to find the answer, it's jumping into a void, it's a leap of empty faith. This game is never a void tho, it's full, and it's beauty is founded by it's and our progressive innovation and the courage and drive we gain from that. It's great for embodying that spirit, it would not be great to me if it was just some game that was an agony to get through, and then once overcome destructively, be used as a 2 minute ego stroke that "I did it".
Sections:
Idk if I could rank my favorite chapters in order, but the ones I thought were great are 1, 2, 4, 6, and 7. My least favorites are 3 and 5 as of rn.
7.5/10
Omori
2020
Hauntingly nostalgic and blissful, harrowingly intimate and ultimately holistically hopeful, OMORI is an experience like nothing else. This game is, to me, unfiltered and unadulterated emotion weaved into a game in the most elegant manner possible as to convey these feelings with such intense memorability and longing. I don't know if a video game can ever top such a work for me ; brimming with atmosphere, style, emotion, intimacy and laden with meaning, I quite literally cried my eyes out for the last 3 hours of this game and it lingers on my mind to this day. Everything about this game, especially the ambience, soundtrack and visual design, create intense feelings to immerse you in an already intensely emotional narrative about a boy learning the importance of opening yourself up to grief, sorrow and your own wrongdoings, despite how painful it is. A complete masterpiece, one that uses the medium of gaming as a means of expression in a manner that nearly none have achieved before. The most impactful game I have ever played.
Inside
2016
This review contains spoilers
I had read very recently about a scientific experiment in the 80s from a man called Benjamin Libet. The study showed that the participants of the project were asked to make a spontaneous hand movement while the ones researching were measuring their brain activity. It was revealed that the brain exhibited activity related to the movement before the participants reported a conscious intention to move. This result lead to many questions about one's illusion of free will and the timing of conscious decisions.
The game 'Inside' lets you explore this 'new' world where apparently you are a little boy, who is distinguished the most out of everyone else, wearing a bright coloured shirt, while everyone else seem to be wearing grey, black, mostly dark colours to maybe portray the erasure of one's individual identity or suppression.
Besides that, it should be noted that the protagonist is faceless. No specific facial features that really make him diverse from the people being controlled and moved around the place like they're products about to be released in the market. However, he seems to be the only one to be acting on his own accord.
'Inside' is also a game which uses it's background a lot as some sort of visual storytelling. We see many times, hundreds of things happen in the background such as 'The Workers' (at least that's how I call the one's who seem to be lacking intelligence and don't act on their own) being shipped away in trucks, or where they walk in line, following specific orders, to walk, stop, jump or turn around then turn around again. I think the game does a spectacular job at showcasing this world that the protagonist finds himself in, where he seems to head to the right. The place where 'everything' goes down. Which only leads to more and more questions.
Now the ending of the game. At least the original ending, is probably one of the few endings in my experience of gaming that made my addled brain shut down completely. The final section of the game is an intense sequence of the protagonist merging with the giant mass of 'people' (I don't even know if they were people anymore) and escaping the containment cell it was held in and waddle across the entire facility spreading chaos and fear. What was the most peculiar thing though wasn't the fact that a giant mass was being held inside the facility as if it was some kind of 'Monster'. But the fact that it is seen later one that the people working there, were helping it. Helping it to move forward. To solve the puzzles. Only to later on, betray it. They baited it to a trap, finally capturing it. Their own creation. Or maybe... this wasn't 'their' creation? Maybe this was all something 'The Workers' themselves planned to do. As their final means to escape from this controlling society, now being their reality. Now I haven't seen the alternate ending yet, but I will definitely check it out in my second playthrourgh.
This is probably some of the most unique videogame experience I've had in recent years, especially from an indie game. A game which makes you look deeper and deeper, to find more secrets and uncover the truth. Only to find out that it's something much worse. Leaving you with a feeling of oppression. Dread. Speechlessness. All because you looked too deep... Inside.
The game 'Inside' lets you explore this 'new' world where apparently you are a little boy, who is distinguished the most out of everyone else, wearing a bright coloured shirt, while everyone else seem to be wearing grey, black, mostly dark colours to maybe portray the erasure of one's individual identity or suppression.
Besides that, it should be noted that the protagonist is faceless. No specific facial features that really make him diverse from the people being controlled and moved around the place like they're products about to be released in the market. However, he seems to be the only one to be acting on his own accord.
'Inside' is also a game which uses it's background a lot as some sort of visual storytelling. We see many times, hundreds of things happen in the background such as 'The Workers' (at least that's how I call the one's who seem to be lacking intelligence and don't act on their own) being shipped away in trucks, or where they walk in line, following specific orders, to walk, stop, jump or turn around then turn around again. I think the game does a spectacular job at showcasing this world that the protagonist finds himself in, where he seems to head to the right. The place where 'everything' goes down. Which only leads to more and more questions.
Now the ending of the game. At least the original ending, is probably one of the few endings in my experience of gaming that made my addled brain shut down completely. The final section of the game is an intense sequence of the protagonist merging with the giant mass of 'people' (I don't even know if they were people anymore) and escaping the containment cell it was held in and waddle across the entire facility spreading chaos and fear. What was the most peculiar thing though wasn't the fact that a giant mass was being held inside the facility as if it was some kind of 'Monster'. But the fact that it is seen later one that the people working there, were helping it. Helping it to move forward. To solve the puzzles. Only to later on, betray it. They baited it to a trap, finally capturing it. Their own creation. Or maybe... this wasn't 'their' creation? Maybe this was all something 'The Workers' themselves planned to do. As their final means to escape from this controlling society, now being their reality. Now I haven't seen the alternate ending yet, but I will definitely check it out in my second playthrourgh.
This is probably some of the most unique videogame experience I've had in recent years, especially from an indie game. A game which makes you look deeper and deeper, to find more secrets and uncover the truth. Only to find out that it's something much worse. Leaving you with a feeling of oppression. Dread. Speechlessness. All because you looked too deep... Inside.
I don't think I can say anything unique about this game that hasn't been said by anyone else. It is a really good game with a great story and probably the best gameplay out of the first three Solid games.
However, I do have some personal gripes against this game that makes me disagree with people who say MGS3 is the best Metal Gear. While the ending of this game is brilliant, I do find it a bit of a downgrade from MGS2 plotwise overall. A lot of people like the Cobra Unit, but I personally felt most of them were not that as compelling as they could have been. I also have issues with the way this game handles its callbacks to MGS2. I know the way they mock Raiden is definitely a product of its time, considering the fan backlash to the character when the game released, but it rubs me the wrong way sometimes.
Still, despite my gripes with certain aspects, I highly enjoyed my time with this game. They just do not make games like this anymore, man.
However, I do have some personal gripes against this game that makes me disagree with people who say MGS3 is the best Metal Gear. While the ending of this game is brilliant, I do find it a bit of a downgrade from MGS2 plotwise overall. A lot of people like the Cobra Unit, but I personally felt most of them were not that as compelling as they could have been. I also have issues with the way this game handles its callbacks to MGS2. I know the way they mock Raiden is definitely a product of its time, considering the fan backlash to the character when the game released, but it rubs me the wrong way sometimes.
Still, despite my gripes with certain aspects, I highly enjoyed my time with this game. They just do not make games like this anymore, man.
