Man oh man is Rayman fucking great. While my least favorite of the main series, this is still an ingenius platformer with a ton of style, challenge, and artistry. Rayman's world is ingenius in its design and the storytelling within it is excellent. My only problem with the game is that its platforming isn't that tight and can lead to some really frustrating boss and level scenarios. The 100% Lum requirement for the final boss is a bit odd to, but it forced me to play more Rayman so I can't complain.

This was my second time playing through Sonic Frontiers, this time diving into it on Steam Deck a year after my original play through over on Nintendo Switch. My thoughts on the game have definitely grown more critical since then, although the game now being finished with its bonus content has no real effect on that negativity.

Overall, Sonic Frontiers is a good, solid adventure with that grew to be tiring by the end. The game's emphasis on quantity of collectibles over the quality of them is most definitely the source of the games lethargic finish, something the final update couldn't even fix. If played over time, it probably won't feel so draining after the third island, but the game is overall filled with superfluous tasks that don't really require any skill. Grabbing the collectibles is all way to overly automated, and the traditional Sonic levels in game are bite-sized and unimpressive. The game feels like a slapped together tech demo that has gotten by because of polish, and the fun that comes with piloting Sonic around a fully explorable 3D environment.

The story is an improvement from what the series has provided as of late, as is the general gameplay. While I just ranted on about the pointlessness of the game's main collectible hunts, I do find that everything else that surrounds said hunts to be fun. The boss fights an exploration of this open world is incredibly well done, and if it were structured with less filler then it would've been a much better experience. The best way to fix this, in my opinion, would be to shrink the amount of collectibles needed to progress and then remove said collectibles from the over world map. The game takes so much inspiration from Breath of the Wild and Super Mario Odyssey, and critically misunderstands what made exploration in those games fun versus what makes it such a slog in this.

The music, art direction, and aesthetic hit oh so very hard. Sonic Frontiers is a good step towards making 3D Sonic good again, but it is one that needs to be studied and changed, as opposed to replicated.

What is there to say any more about this game? Sure, there are nitpicks to be had but Breath of the Wild is a 'perfect' adventure game that's always got you on your toes. The world is expansive yet purposeful in design with so many interesting and fun and even emotional points of gameplay that it may just be the best open world in any video game, ever. The story, while subtle and hands-off, is one of my favorites from the series due to its emotional simplicity and the arc that's spelled out for Zelda, who is at her best characterization here in this game, and a suggested arc for Link that's still really effective. I love the combat, and even like the weapon degradation system.

Sonic Superstars is not amazing nor completely new, which by the standards the industry and fans have for Sonic means its going to get a lot of flak even if its baseline quality is pretty decent. The levels are well designed say for a good portion of the boss fights, the characters are all incredibly fun to play as and the soundtrack is pretty banging for the most part. However, it is the 'New Super Sonic the Hedgehog', meaning it's simply more Sonic, but not the best of him. A great game to pick up on sale, and fair warning, the multiplayer is atrocious.

I'm unbelievably mixed on Shovel Knight: Treasure Trove. As a collection for the entire main Shovel Knight series, it's impeccable. The series itself on the other hand, well, I struggle with. Aesthetically, I love it, its world, and the writing. Gameplay wise however Shovel Knight takes too many inspirations from the retro platformers it shares an identity with and winds becoming frustrating, but never difficult. So many deaths and the broken game flow of this series, especially in the second game, Plague of Shadows, comes down to poor level layout and really shoddy platforming physics that torment the first two games. However, the second half of the series is near impeccable with levels that are of perfect length and pretty creative yet still deliciously retro forms of platforming movement. Specter of Torment especially stands out as a 4/5 gem in comparison to a 2/5 slog like Plague of Shadows.

My feelings on Yo-Kai Watch 4 are conflicted. As a sequel, and at this point series finale, it does a lot gameplay wise that is both incredibly fresh yet at some point regressive. On the other hand, it's story and combat are the best to date, nearly bringing me to tears by the end. With two playthroughs under my belt and whole hell of a lot of nostalgia for it, this game remains one of my favorite J-RPGs of all time thus far. Just a fantastic, whimsical, adventure that no matter how jaded I may feel manages to make me feel like a kid again.

Metroid Dread is a near incredible game that, in my opinion, only has one issue and that's in its pacing and the overall effectiveness of its ending. Besides for that, it sports one of the most engaging gameplay systems that I've ever had the luxury of engaging with. The graphics, sound design, and music all blend together so well to create a game that is distractingly atmospheric. The difficulty is something that does frustrate but always satisfies, especially in terms of boss fights. Watching the game world around you evolve with time as you work your way throughout was a special treat as well. Loved this game, and while I don't see myself playing it again anytime soon, I will definitely be investing in games of its ilk.