wavebeem
2022
Wow, truly incredible. I've been a big fan since the first game, and somehow the 3rd game is still improving the formula by leaps and bounds. Masterful branching semi-linear level design like 2D Sonic games, great music, beautiful graphics and art direction, and incredibly tight gameplay and controls.
In short, if a rhythm game was mashed up with the wildest Tony Hawk combos.
My only real complaint is that velocity is under explained in game. It's critical but hard to grok.
I've beaten every high score challenge. Few gaming accomplishments have felt this awesome to me. A must play game.
In short, if a rhythm game was mashed up with the wildest Tony Hawk combos.
My only real complaint is that velocity is under explained in game. It's critical but hard to grok.
I've beaten every high score challenge. Few gaming accomplishments have felt this awesome to me. A must play game.
I really wanted to like this game. I'm a big fan of this developer's other Metroidvania, Touhou Luna Nights.
This game also incorporates bullet hell shmup mechanics, Ikaruga in particular. Your character can be in Wind mode or Fire mode, and you deal and receive elemental damage accordingly.
I made it to the 3rd boss, which is a pair of elemental spirits. You have to dodge projectiles of one element while absorbing projectiles of the other.
I dropped this game for the same reason I dropped Ikaruga: it's way too hard to mentally store which "state" you're in, and switch accordingly. Modal interfaces are not well suited for my brain in high-stress combat situations.
Also, the controls are kind of horrible. You can remap every button, even on Switch, but there's no way to make things comfortable, as the game requires too many simultaneous button presses.
At least the pixel art is beautiful!
This game also incorporates bullet hell shmup mechanics, Ikaruga in particular. Your character can be in Wind mode or Fire mode, and you deal and receive elemental damage accordingly.
I made it to the 3rd boss, which is a pair of elemental spirits. You have to dodge projectiles of one element while absorbing projectiles of the other.
I dropped this game for the same reason I dropped Ikaruga: it's way too hard to mentally store which "state" you're in, and switch accordingly. Modal interfaces are not well suited for my brain in high-stress combat situations.
Also, the controls are kind of horrible. You can remap every button, even on Switch, but there's no way to make things comfortable, as the game requires too many simultaneous button presses.
At least the pixel art is beautiful!
2018
Kind of like if wall ball was Smash Bros lol.
A lot of care was put into the game mechanics and controls. Feels crisp, responsive, and well balanced.
Has great rollback netcode, and 1v1 matches are incredibly engaging.
Playing 3-4 player is cool too, but I prefer the 1v1 mechanics.
A lot of care was put into the game mechanics and controls. Feels crisp, responsive, and well balanced.
Has great rollback netcode, and 1v1 matches are incredibly engaging.
Playing 3-4 player is cool too, but I prefer the 1v1 mechanics.
So good I've played it thrice.
This Castlevania has it all: cool bosses, great environments, and tons of stuff to collect.
The story isn't amazing, but it is a fun twist on the series expectations.
Not incredibly challenging as far as modern Metroidvanias go, but I think it's a breath of fresh air after replaying it.
This Castlevania has it all: cool bosses, great environments, and tons of stuff to collect.
The story isn't amazing, but it is a fun twist on the series expectations.
Not incredibly challenging as far as modern Metroidvanias go, but I think it's a breath of fresh air after replaying it.
2017
This game is incredibly hard to get into, and frequently overwhelming, but it just slaps.
Not for solo players. Best 3-player co-op you can ask for, and some pretty great PvP too.
Not for solo players. Best 3-player co-op you can ask for, and some pretty great PvP too.
Best boss fights in any character action / beat 'em up game.
INCREDIBLE soundtrack. And the audio loops / transitions make for a very "cinematic" boss fight experience that feels natural.
The actual levels before the boss fights are so-so, but the PC release lets you replay the boss fights individually, so you can practice them and work on high scores.
INCREDIBLE soundtrack. And the audio loops / transitions make for a very "cinematic" boss fight experience that feels natural.
The actual levels before the boss fights are so-so, but the PC release lets you replay the boss fights individually, so you can practice them and work on high scores.
Incredibly underrated Metroidvania. Skip the rest of the series, play this one.
2014
Fantastic puzzle game!
2017
Best opening sequence of all time.
One of the best soundtracks of all time.
The game is great, but I never felt the desire to finish it. I just ended up playing other games instead.
One of the best soundtracks of all time.
The game is great, but I never felt the desire to finish it. I just ended up playing other games instead.
2014
Fantastic, hilarious pick-up-and-play 1v1 party game
2009
I cried so much playing this game.
Once you get past the slice-of-life opening bits, it opens up into a weird sci-fi thriller.
Time travel, WW3, death of loved ones. The stakes are very high.
CAVEATS: There is a character who is probably trans, and the game does not handle them very well. The main character is attracted to them, but rejects this due to homophobia. Said character also has their genitals groped by the main character in one scene.
Once you get past the slice-of-life opening bits, it opens up into a weird sci-fi thriller.
Time travel, WW3, death of loved ones. The stakes are very high.
CAVEATS: There is a character who is probably trans, and the game does not handle them very well. The main character is attracted to them, but rejects this due to homophobia. Said character also has their genitals groped by the main character in one scene.
2019
This game is part of the reason I came out as non-binary.
Setsu and Raqio are my enby heroes.
Amazing music and art. Tight "Werewolf" gameplay.
My only complaint is that it's a bit unclear how to get the true ending, which caused the game to drag on for almost 10 hours more than I think it should have.
Setsu and Raqio are my enby heroes.
Amazing music and art. Tight "Werewolf" gameplay.
My only complaint is that it's a bit unclear how to get the true ending, which caused the game to drag on for almost 10 hours more than I think it should have.
2019
What if a JRPG was made by fighting game devs?
Really fun to play, though the balance is a bit punishing for folks without perfect reflexes, near the end of the game.
Also incorporates Metroidvania exploration.
Cool story, great art.
Really fun to play, though the balance is a bit punishing for folks without perfect reflexes, near the end of the game.
Also incorporates Metroidvania exploration.
Cool story, great art.
2019
Amazing art. Great music. Tight gameplay. Blends bullet hell and Metroidvania flawlessly.
It's quite hard, and the final boss was just a bit too much for me. But I really liked getting better at the bosses in this game.
The non-boss areas design is a lot less interesting, but this game gets massive points for everything else.
It's quite hard, and the final boss was just a bit too much for me. But I really liked getting better at the bosses in this game.
The non-boss areas design is a lot less interesting, but this game gets massive points for everything else.
2019
Charming but frustrating. The idea of this game is better than its execution. I would love to be a Ghostbusters Luigi, and the co-op is great in theory.
The game design and controls feel like relics of the GameCube era. Discovering how to damage many bosses and mini-bosses is an exercise in patience and experimentation that rarely feels rewarding.
The act of pointing Luigi at a target to shoot/blow/suck/grab is nothing short of torture. I understand the desire to keep the camera perspective as-is to retain that dollhouse graphical vibe, but they need to modernize controls atop that somehow. Maybe you could overlay a reticule on-screen and have Luigi automatically aim at it? I don't know.
The graphics and art direction are great, sound design is fantastic too.
But ultimately the combat is too hit-or-miss, and exploration feels nearly meaningless since the only things you can buy with money are more lives (the game isn't too hard, especially in co-op) or hints for... more meaningless items to gather?
Sometimes cracking the puzzles was fun, but other times you were left wondering why you should both.
The game design and controls feel like relics of the GameCube era. Discovering how to damage many bosses and mini-bosses is an exercise in patience and experimentation that rarely feels rewarding.
The act of pointing Luigi at a target to shoot/blow/suck/grab is nothing short of torture. I understand the desire to keep the camera perspective as-is to retain that dollhouse graphical vibe, but they need to modernize controls atop that somehow. Maybe you could overlay a reticule on-screen and have Luigi automatically aim at it? I don't know.
The graphics and art direction are great, sound design is fantastic too.
But ultimately the combat is too hit-or-miss, and exploration feels nearly meaningless since the only things you can buy with money are more lives (the game isn't too hard, especially in co-op) or hints for... more meaningless items to gather?
Sometimes cracking the puzzles was fun, but other times you were left wondering why you should both.