For real though, The Finals has lots of promise. I haven't had this much fun with an fps in a long time, and I'm sure it'll be in the rotation for the rest of 2024.

The gunplay is good; everything feels fluid and dynamic (with a destructible, manipulative environment). I also dig the emphasis on objective-based modes. It give's me Battlefield vibes but with pacier gameplay. I'm excited to see this game grow!

pew pew aghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh rpg heavy build <3

The game is structured through non-linear episodes and follows ten year old boy, Sohta, who recently moved into a new town with his mom and dad (circa 1971). Every Friday monsters appear in town, and it just so happens that TODAY is Friday.. it’s a cute little experience and gives “coming of age” vibes. The plot is very lighthearted.

The gameplay is simple, featuring a card-based rock paper scissors minigame of sorts as well as “glim” collecting that funnels into the minigame. You spend the entirety of the game navigating the town, talking to townsfolk and classmates, and challenging peers to “Monster Cards”.

As far as its presentation, others have described it as “Ghibli-esque”, and I think that’s an apt comparison. It’s extremely charming. The pre-rendered backdrops are pretty. The writing and localization feels a bit off, and the voice acting just kind of “exists”…

It’s extremely short (took me ~3 hours to complete), but for the price, it was a pleasant little game to split up and knock out over a couple of sessions. It didn’t necessarily resonate with me like I was hoping, but for what it’s worth, it gave me a little insight into the Japanese culture and the era represented that I was otherwise unfamiliar with.

RIP 3DS ESHOP 🪦