valvaris
2016
This review contains spoilers
very cute! nice lil walking sim that i thematically adore but have some definite problems with
the first 2 or 3 chapters of this are actually pretty perfect. i really love delilah and henry's budding friendship which is the real focal point here; everything else that's brought up really grips you and it sets up a story that leaves you questioning so much and incredibly interested in finding out about henry's life before his new job and what's been happening while he's there. exploring is super fun and contains a lot of secrets and optional dialogue that, if you like henry and delilah as much as i do, makes this exploration outside of where you need to go super compelling and something you actually want to do
unfortunately the story doesn't really stick the landing nearly as well as it could have and it makes for an ending that finishes the game considerably weaker than how it started; certain aspects of the story (julia, the two girls at the lake) either end up not really being integral to the story or just end up being wrapped up in a way that makes its inclusion seemingly unnecessary. why was there so much talk about the two girls being missing if you learn in some offhandedly-said line that they just end up being found and none of their threats really ended up mattering? it almost feels like ironic foreshadowing that henry mentions feeling like everything feels like it should be connected somehow when that just simply doesn't happen. the stuff that is given a proper conclusion (basically anything introduced from chapter 3 onward) is also not too satisfying since you uncover a lot so slowly and then just stumble into the magic "this area contains the story" area (ned's bunker and the moments preceding it). it really feels lazy to end the story that has been building up with so much anticipation in a way that feels so cheap. it feels like they were given 2 weeks to end the game out of nowhere and they had to work with what they had and tie up loose ends that should have been fleshed out in another chapter or two.
aside from having a weak ending though this game was a very fun, cute experience that i'd recommend anyone play (it took me about 4-5 hours so why not) and i crave more content with these two characters carnally
the first 2 or 3 chapters of this are actually pretty perfect. i really love delilah and henry's budding friendship which is the real focal point here; everything else that's brought up really grips you and it sets up a story that leaves you questioning so much and incredibly interested in finding out about henry's life before his new job and what's been happening while he's there. exploring is super fun and contains a lot of secrets and optional dialogue that, if you like henry and delilah as much as i do, makes this exploration outside of where you need to go super compelling and something you actually want to do
unfortunately the story doesn't really stick the landing nearly as well as it could have and it makes for an ending that finishes the game considerably weaker than how it started; certain aspects of the story (julia, the two girls at the lake) either end up not really being integral to the story or just end up being wrapped up in a way that makes its inclusion seemingly unnecessary. why was there so much talk about the two girls being missing if you learn in some offhandedly-said line that they just end up being found and none of their threats really ended up mattering? it almost feels like ironic foreshadowing that henry mentions feeling like everything feels like it should be connected somehow when that just simply doesn't happen. the stuff that is given a proper conclusion (basically anything introduced from chapter 3 onward) is also not too satisfying since you uncover a lot so slowly and then just stumble into the magic "this area contains the story" area (ned's bunker and the moments preceding it). it really feels lazy to end the story that has been building up with so much anticipation in a way that feels so cheap. it feels like they were given 2 weeks to end the game out of nowhere and they had to work with what they had and tie up loose ends that should have been fleshed out in another chapter or two.
aside from having a weak ending though this game was a very fun, cute experience that i'd recommend anyone play (it took me about 4-5 hours so why not) and i crave more content with these two characters carnally
2020
still in the process of 100%-ing this game at the time of writing this but this game is near perfect in every single way. so stylistically badass and does open-world better than any other game i've ever played. there's so much to engage you in jin's journey that isn't just the main quest storyline; from the quests that deepen his sentiment of detesting the mongols to the quests that deepen his relationships with other characters to the hot springs and haikus for him to reflect on what he has seen thus far. the amount of ways you can liberate a mongol camp makes this game impossible to get bored with. the soundtrack is minimalist in the best way in a botw-esque fashion. hell even the smallest bits of this game like the menus and wind directing you to your next quest are so full of style it's insane. just a pleasure to sink your time into. finishing up getting a platinum in this game and playing the dlc but when i decide to play a new game+ on lethal difficulty (i played in hard which admittedly felt easy at times) i only expect to love this game more
what a cute lil passion project from the celeste devs -- it may be imprecise to control at times but who cares this was made in a week and not only is absolutely adorable but clearly had so much heart put into it that it's just a joy to play
2020
god i wish i loved playing this as much as i love its aesthetic
this game is super fun and interesting for the first 10/15 or so hours and i really like getting to know the area and the premise of being a traveler among the dead. everything looks nice and is honestly animated beautifully with a unique style that initially drew me towards this. stella controls and moves very nicely and above all else a ship building/management sim is a great idea! i can see someone sinking a hundred hours into this game if they click with it! i just really wish that hypothetical person was me
unfortunately the gameplay loop here doesn't grab me and leave me wanting to play for more than an hour at a time. going from place to place is a drag ESPECIALLY on long travels, quests feel inconsequential, getting new shipmates feels like just another mouth to feed (which is really the only interaction you have with them while travelling from place to place), and although there technically is it never feels like there's a tangible-enough reward from maintaining good friendships with them. i love this game's whole vibe so much that i tried to get over these things and see what was next but at a point i stopped having the drive to keep playing and doing the things the game wanted me to do
this game is super fun and interesting for the first 10/15 or so hours and i really like getting to know the area and the premise of being a traveler among the dead. everything looks nice and is honestly animated beautifully with a unique style that initially drew me towards this. stella controls and moves very nicely and above all else a ship building/management sim is a great idea! i can see someone sinking a hundred hours into this game if they click with it! i just really wish that hypothetical person was me
unfortunately the gameplay loop here doesn't grab me and leave me wanting to play for more than an hour at a time. going from place to place is a drag ESPECIALLY on long travels, quests feel inconsequential, getting new shipmates feels like just another mouth to feed (which is really the only interaction you have with them while travelling from place to place), and although there technically is it never feels like there's a tangible-enough reward from maintaining good friendships with them. i love this game's whole vibe so much that i tried to get over these things and see what was next but at a point i stopped having the drive to keep playing and doing the things the game wanted me to do
1993
not bad but the bosses are by far the worst part of this
2017
Bad Game. I did not have fun.
played this zooted out of my mind after kirby's epic yarn was too hard for me
easy top 3 2d mario
full of joyous glee
full of joyous glee
not as good as underground but i already look back on this and long for it compared to chapter 5 season 3
first season i'm not spending money on the battle pass for since getting back into fort. centering this season around cars is the worst thing theyve done in my time playing this game i hate this season so much
2022
you know i wrote a pretty negative review for the first god of war game (not that i didnt like it i gave it a 7/10 but i just REALLY pointed out its flaws in the review) and i could go through all of the gripes i had pointed out and write about how they've improved but it's easier to just say that this game gets rid of everything i had even a remote negative emotion towards in its predecessor while also being the most next-gen, jaw-dropping experience both in terms of its sheer scope of content and its perfect story. if this isn't a perfect game i truly don't know what is. would have to be my pick for the greatest new gen console game out right now.
2024
at least i gave it a try
since my original ghost of tsushima review i've 100%ed the main game and have started, beaten, and 100%ed this dlc too. i definitely wasn't as invested in the story here as much as the main game but it's still good and retains the most important parts of what made the base game good -- the insanely cool presentation and fun gameplay loop