stradiwhovius
2023
I want to love this. I really do. But it's so pervasively mediocre. The reward for exploration is a weapon or armour upgrade you'll find in the next dungeon. And then be able to buy in the next village. And it falls into that trap where if you enable any of the 'easy mode' relics the game becomes mindless but if you're not using them it's tedious and unplayable. If you can access on gamepass/PS+ give it a look but DO NOT PAY for this game.
2023
N.B.: 8 hours logged, just beat the 4th major (has big cutscenes) boss. I have been told it gets worse.
If, like me, you're a huge fan of From Software's soulslike games, this is by some distance the best attempt at recreating their energy. It broadly avoids most of their imitators pitfalls: It has its own aesthetic perspective, feels sincerely concerned about creating a coherent world, and a few exception aside it understands that the appeal of soulsborne was never "it's hard lol".
However, it is mechanically a bit rough around the edges. Certain builds and playstyles are a bit too objectively better than others. Some enemy attack animations are a bit too trolling for the parry system the game operates. And this might be muscle memory from other games talking but I don't think it really articulates when you should be guarding vs trying to perfect guard vs just dodging very well. This may not bother you, and it didn't necessarily bother me either I found it quite funny, but there are several set pieces and even entire areas which wear their influences a bit too on the sleeve.
I can see myself falling off this if what I've been told about a certain status effect is true, and I would recommend playing on game pass or renting if you have that service available to you, but I wouldn't play full retail price for this game. Having said that I'm glad I have played it and I'm very excited for what this team come out with next.
Edit: Ultimately shelved at the first major boss of the final area. Glad I persevered to the point I did.
If, like me, you're a huge fan of From Software's soulslike games, this is by some distance the best attempt at recreating their energy. It broadly avoids most of their imitators pitfalls: It has its own aesthetic perspective, feels sincerely concerned about creating a coherent world, and a few exception aside it understands that the appeal of soulsborne was never "it's hard lol".
However, it is mechanically a bit rough around the edges. Certain builds and playstyles are a bit too objectively better than others. Some enemy attack animations are a bit too trolling for the parry system the game operates. And this might be muscle memory from other games talking but I don't think it really articulates when you should be guarding vs trying to perfect guard vs just dodging very well. This may not bother you, and it didn't necessarily bother me either I found it quite funny, but there are several set pieces and even entire areas which wear their influences a bit too on the sleeve.
I can see myself falling off this if what I've been told about a certain status effect is true, and I would recommend playing on game pass or renting if you have that service available to you, but I wouldn't play full retail price for this game. Having said that I'm glad I have played it and I'm very excited for what this team come out with next.
Edit: Ultimately shelved at the first major boss of the final area. Glad I persevered to the point I did.
2023
Imagine if Sonic 4 was a good game but didn't understand Sonic like Mania did. That's this game. It's fine. Bosses in the back half suck. Like, last at least 3 minutes long with instant death attacks level suck.
A good but overrated game.
Super Mario Bros Wonder has the ambition I have been hungry for from 2D Mario for the past 15 years. However. while the quality is never sub-par, the creativity shown in the trailers which I was sold on rarely hits expectations. The way the game was advertised, as having no deadline, having countless ideas fed into it... this is the same game they've been relitigating since 2006 but mostly good and with a dozen or so good ideas and a couple of lazy ones. Wonder felt sold to me as a way of reinventing a stage. In practice it means a lot of the time an extra act to it. Or everything moves fast. Or slow.
I'm writing this review now because I've just beaten Bowser for the first time and, while I've enjoyed the game plenty, from the 95/100 reviews I was honestly expecting a rug pull. Maybe I'm Zelda-style only HALFWAY through! Maybe there's so much more content.
There isn't.
This is a good game. It's a 7, maybe 8, out of 10. Not a 10.
Super Mario Bros Wonder has the ambition I have been hungry for from 2D Mario for the past 15 years. However. while the quality is never sub-par, the creativity shown in the trailers which I was sold on rarely hits expectations. The way the game was advertised, as having no deadline, having countless ideas fed into it... this is the same game they've been relitigating since 2006 but mostly good and with a dozen or so good ideas and a couple of lazy ones. Wonder felt sold to me as a way of reinventing a stage. In practice it means a lot of the time an extra act to it. Or everything moves fast. Or slow.
I'm writing this review now because I've just beaten Bowser for the first time and, while I've enjoyed the game plenty, from the 95/100 reviews I was honestly expecting a rug pull. Maybe I'm Zelda-style only HALFWAY through! Maybe there's so much more content.
There isn't.
This is a good game. It's a 7, maybe 8, out of 10. Not a 10.
This review contains spoilers
A great game but I have notes...
Gameplay wise, a mostly direct improvement on the first game. There's a few things I've missed - some of the old web gadgets lack functional replacements and some of the new ones feel rather naff - but that pales to... actually being able to complete a stealth challenge without being forced into combat! What a concept!
The side content is also way more focused. You will not be spending hours post-story mopping up every inciting group's 20 crimes or whatever. Mechanically, we're looking at surge modes for both spideys which are entertainingly broken once you master them, and the web wings are fun after they're upgraded and inessential before. Some of the puzzle elements like determining chemicals etc. felt either simplified or relegated more to side quests. Your mileage might vary on whether that's good or not.
The story is... a mixed bag. The most important one is the relationships between Peter and MJ, Harry, and Miles. And they're all done justice. Peter's arc of realising his responsibility isn't just to New York but to himself and the people around him, and toxic obsession towards the former enabled by the symbiote is well realised. Harry becoming Venom is similarly a genius move: taking that same single-mindedness and warping it with an obession with Spider-Man was an excellent way to keep the conflict personal. Unfortunately there are significant pacing issues here. The story hinges on Kraven the Hunter shouldering main villain status for well over half of the game and he is - frankly - neither interesting nor credible as an ultimate enemy. The black suit simply enters the fray too late, and delays the act 3 shift with it.
Some final stray positives: The side missions are very sweet and capture the heart of Spider-Man even if they are lacking in bringing in the iconic rogues gallery, Miles continues to be a very rich and well-realised character, and when the character beats do final hit in the final act I cried several times.
Gameplay wise, a mostly direct improvement on the first game. There's a few things I've missed - some of the old web gadgets lack functional replacements and some of the new ones feel rather naff - but that pales to... actually being able to complete a stealth challenge without being forced into combat! What a concept!
The side content is also way more focused. You will not be spending hours post-story mopping up every inciting group's 20 crimes or whatever. Mechanically, we're looking at surge modes for both spideys which are entertainingly broken once you master them, and the web wings are fun after they're upgraded and inessential before. Some of the puzzle elements like determining chemicals etc. felt either simplified or relegated more to side quests. Your mileage might vary on whether that's good or not.
The story is... a mixed bag. The most important one is the relationships between Peter and MJ, Harry, and Miles. And they're all done justice. Peter's arc of realising his responsibility isn't just to New York but to himself and the people around him, and toxic obsession towards the former enabled by the symbiote is well realised. Harry becoming Venom is similarly a genius move: taking that same single-mindedness and warping it with an obession with Spider-Man was an excellent way to keep the conflict personal. Unfortunately there are significant pacing issues here. The story hinges on Kraven the Hunter shouldering main villain status for well over half of the game and he is - frankly - neither interesting nor credible as an ultimate enemy. The black suit simply enters the fray too late, and delays the act 3 shift with it.
Some final stray positives: The side missions are very sweet and capture the heart of Spider-Man even if they are lacking in bringing in the iconic rogues gallery, Miles continues to be a very rich and well-realised character, and when the character beats do final hit in the final act I cried several times.
2014
Doesn't quite get its difficulty curve right in my opinion and it can sometimes be a bit frustrating when you feel like you have the correct solution to the puzzle... and you do! But one object wasn't quite in the right place. All the same, it has left me very excited to play the second game, which looks like a step up in every possible way.
An excellent game that won't be for everyone.
I have just beat the main story of the game. Still need to do optional puzzles and haven't even touched the gold gate ones yet. This is an extremely compelling puzzle game which encourages lateral thinking to the extent I think it has genuine educational utility. I had to work my brain hard for some of the later puzzles but only found myself finding them too obtuse and unfair maybe once or twice.
The story is secondary but also delivers. The limited cast, including the interactions you have on the games 'social media', are well used to explore a number of perspectives on philosophy and meaning. Every character, even the most minor, has a consistent personality and I felt rewarded for remembering them. Your own character is well served also: notably there was never a case where I felt none of the dialogue options suited me.
I found this experience enjoyable but I can understand why people would find it frustrating. It demands a certain tolerance, an enjoyment of being toyed with. Which is valid, I wish the game were a bit more flexible about how its hint system worked. But worst case scenario if you were to find yourself disagreeing firmly on the game's difficulty I would recommend playing anyway and looking up a guide. Its thematic exploration is worth it, I think.
I have just beat the main story of the game. Still need to do optional puzzles and haven't even touched the gold gate ones yet. This is an extremely compelling puzzle game which encourages lateral thinking to the extent I think it has genuine educational utility. I had to work my brain hard for some of the later puzzles but only found myself finding them too obtuse and unfair maybe once or twice.
The story is secondary but also delivers. The limited cast, including the interactions you have on the games 'social media', are well used to explore a number of perspectives on philosophy and meaning. Every character, even the most minor, has a consistent personality and I felt rewarded for remembering them. Your own character is well served also: notably there was never a case where I felt none of the dialogue options suited me.
I found this experience enjoyable but I can understand why people would find it frustrating. It demands a certain tolerance, an enjoyment of being toyed with. Which is valid, I wish the game were a bit more flexible about how its hint system worked. But worst case scenario if you were to find yourself disagreeing firmly on the game's difficulty I would recommend playing anyway and looking up a guide. Its thematic exploration is worth it, I think.
2024
Don't support plagiarism.
Full disclosure that I have not finished the game. I am renting and at time of writing have played half of the third 'world'.
And what really jumped out at me is how many other reviews have said that the game is charming but loses its appeal and becomes repetitive and tiresome over time. And I have already felt that over 8-12 levels. I dread how much worse it must get. A bunch of half-baked ideas for other games.
Brutally, it is reminding me of Balan Wonderworld.
And what really jumped out at me is how many other reviews have said that the game is charming but loses its appeal and becomes repetitive and tiresome over time. And I have already felt that over 8-12 levels. I dread how much worse it must get. A bunch of half-baked ideas for other games.
Brutally, it is reminding me of Balan Wonderworld.
Imagine Hades but if it didn't understand how Hades managed to transcend the frustration of a failed run.
I never played Thousand Year Door (TTYD), my intro to the Paper Mario series was Super Paper Mario. And TTYD has always felt like a bit like a sacred cow. The peak of the franchise from which the series never captured again.
And it's alright. It's a charming and thoroughly enjoyable RPG. But it's clear to me how the sensibilities of this game ended up being split with the Mario and Luigi series, especially comparing to Super Paper Mario. Both have mechanics where if there's mechanics where you can not take damage, you should be able to do it consistently, and this doesn't really (don't raise superguard or whatever it's called in the comments, thats for speedrunners and other nerds). I think with such low numbers of health and ability points in the grand scheme of things I could have done with more scope to experiment with characters or badge sets I didn't really vibe with. It's a kids game after all, I shouldn't have to feel like I'm strategising as hard as I have to in Baldur's Gate. I actually think Origami King hit a sweet spot in this regard, it has the numbers inflation of most RPGs but actually does have increasingly complex mechanics to keep your brain whirring.
Anyway, after renting before, this playthrough inspired me to actually buy a copy of Origami King, take that however you want.
Oh and another thing. Apparently this remake IMPROVED the amount of backtracking that you have to do and I really am left wondering how bad the original must have been for it. Like Je-SUS.
And it's alright. It's a charming and thoroughly enjoyable RPG. But it's clear to me how the sensibilities of this game ended up being split with the Mario and Luigi series, especially comparing to Super Paper Mario. Both have mechanics where if there's mechanics where you can not take damage, you should be able to do it consistently, and this doesn't really (don't raise superguard or whatever it's called in the comments, thats for speedrunners and other nerds). I think with such low numbers of health and ability points in the grand scheme of things I could have done with more scope to experiment with characters or badge sets I didn't really vibe with. It's a kids game after all, I shouldn't have to feel like I'm strategising as hard as I have to in Baldur's Gate. I actually think Origami King hit a sweet spot in this regard, it has the numbers inflation of most RPGs but actually does have increasingly complex mechanics to keep your brain whirring.
Anyway, after renting before, this playthrough inspired me to actually buy a copy of Origami King, take that however you want.
Oh and another thing. Apparently this remake IMPROVED the amount of backtracking that you have to do and I really am left wondering how bad the original must have been for it. Like Je-SUS.