This game is just a simple, good time for pokemon fans, especially those that played it as a kid. It was fun to revisit. The gameplay is dead simple and the movement feels awful to control; however, there is just this lovely charming atmosphere to the whole game. The modeling is really good for the era, the music is atmospheric, and the world just ends up feeling so lived in. As a 20 year old adult in 2024, I can confidently say I had a good time playing this game. I am surely influenced by nostalgia, but I would not have it any other way.

Temp Review for Chapter 1

This game needs some massive polish before I would really start considering it enjoyable. I appreciate the scale of this for a fairly small indie team, but what exists now is really not very good. The only enjoyment I get out of this game is from a single character. A single character, no matter how well written, can not give a game purpose. Currently, I am really unsure of what that purpose is. Very little makes this game different from the many games that are like it.

I do not want to spend a significant amount of time reviewing an unfinished game. I guess the best I can do is suggest the changes that I want to see. First off, this game needs to be optimized HARD. For being a fairly nothing game graphically, it runs so so bad. I would additionally want to see more portions of this game filled and given purpose. I feel like immediately moving on to a second chapter would be a huge mistake. So much of this first part is walking through empty rooms. I do not mean empty rooms as in derelict rooms that have a spooky aura and atmosphere, I mean seriously empty rooms. Rooms full of nothing to look at. Stairs you walk up for no reason. I really feel like this game could learn a huge lesson from Bioshock. Bioshock's environmental story telling is stellar, and it revolves around a similar concept of walking around a destroyed facility for the most part. However, in Bioshock, you want to stop and look around. There are things to see, but still very little to interact with. Bioshock creates the atmosphere and tells a significant amount of story just through the environment. It feels like Indigo Park REALLY wants to do that while also not even trying.

Rambley Raccoon has captured my heart and soul, as he has a significant part of the internet, in a short, empty experience. I guess the best thing I can say about the game itself is that it feels like a subpar dark ride just like the one presented in the game.

I will surely play the next chapter if not just for my train loving creature. I really hope this game goes somewhere in the future, for the sake of Rambley.

This game really stumps me, even after 110 hours. I never found myself having that much fun. Honestly, most of this game felt like busy work. I guess, you could argue, that I should not have spent 110 hours playing the game. This is a somewhat valid argument, but I never actually ran out of legitimate content. I played the game like you were meant to, doing the same things everyone else has done. It just does not do it for me.

The combat in this game is... bad? I don't want to be the "oh, there is durability, oh!" sort of guy but my god, the durability. I guess the idea is that weapons should break fast so that it forces the player to use every unique weapon at their disposal. Hypothetically, great idea. The problem is that this game has like, 5 unique weapon types. The only other differences are found in aesthetics honestly. The combat itself is workable, overall not the greatest. But with the durability system placed on top, ouchie.

This also is sort of a main theme to the game. The biggest combat problem is the lack of variety. The same can be said for the entire game. You do the same things over and over, getting the same objects over and over. It just is not a satisfying loop. The world is open, sure, but it is so incredibly barren. When I hear people say, "oh, there is something around every corner!" I ask myself, "did we play the same game?" Like, sure, there are the korok puzzles everywhere and a couple of them are alright. however, most of them are lifting a rock or stepping in a certain place 4 feet away. It is not fulfilling stuff. The game ends up feeling incredibly empty.

What gets this game 2 of the 4 stars I am giving it is the polish and the charm. Never, ever, in over a hundred hours, did I experience a significantly noticeable glitch. The world is incredibly empty, but it is extremely polished. It is polished with attention and aesthetics. This game deserves a reward for being so visually stunning as an early switch title. It is, to me, insane what was managed considering the hardware. The environments in this game, though still very empty, are beautiful. The music, though a fairly low entry in the Zelda OST history, is so atmospheric and just stylistically perfect. It also cannot go without being said that this game definitely still has the Zelda whimsy working for it.

So Breath of the Wild, put quite simply, is a game that often made me feel very alone and maybe a little bored. However, at least my eyes and ears were stimulated most of the time.

Also we got twink Link.

Final thought, I have a lot more to say about this game so please do not kill me with facts and logic in your mind because I am sure I have thought about whatever it is you are about to kill me with. I just really do not want to write an essay about a game that really did little to inspire me. Maybe one day....

The game is guilty of all the usual dialogue surrounding awesome and cool and based Ubisoft collectathons. I will just discuss why I think this game is better than the first while also highlighting some problems that I believe are unique to Assassin's Creed II.

The biggest and most obvious improvements are from gameplay changes and additions. The new addition that had the greatest impact on gameplay and just simply my enjoyment of the game is the inclusion of more assassination techniques. In the first game, assassination boiled down to walking up next to someone, stabbing them, and walking away. The build up towards the assassination attempt is what made the game as the actual killing was quite boring. In Assassin’s Creed 2, you get to jump from ledges and pull people off ledges and… I guess they really just added interactions with ledges. A simple change yet very important as it opens up the ways you approach playing the game a lot more. You can actually have the ability to be stealthy and sneaky if you are able to lead from unseen places to kill.

The parkour in this game was also greatly improved over the first. Though it still has massive flaws, it feels a whole lot better to run around in this game. You move significantly faster while performing actions like climbing and you have the ability to parkour off and on things you were unable to in the first game. Additionally, it seems like they put a little bit more work into creating environments that would be more interesting to traverse. It still has the problem of buildings repeating which causes the late game to become a real drag as all you’re doing is climbing the same buildings you already have 10 other times. However, there is significantly less repetition than there was in the first game, which is a meaningful thing to say as the game itself is much bigger.

A complaint I do have for this game, compared to the first, is found within the combat. Something about the combat in this game really bothered me. In the first game, the combat was quite fun even with how repetitive it was. It felt really good to perform counter attacks and the really basic combos, there was some weight going on. This game changes a couple things though. The combat feels lighter and the timing for moves in combat just seems sort of… off. This is not a situation of, “I can’t perform the combos, so I think the game is broken.” No, I can do all the things the game asks for just fine. The problem is that I needed to adjust myself. The rhythm to the combo attacks and counterattacks, which is supposed to be determined by visual and audio ques during the fight (mostly just the clink of swords hitting) do not actually match when you are supposed to attack like they do in the first game. There is some discrepancy that forces you to adjust your own rhythm. This does not affect how playable the game is, but it affects how satisfying the gameplay is. Given that there is a lot of combat in this game, and it is all basically the same fight copy-pasted, you would really REALLY hope the combat feels good. Alas, it feels mediocre.

Assassin’s Creed 2 also sort of just fails its main premise. This is a problem that the first game has and a problem that all the games after it that I have played also have. It fails to allow you to be a sneaky little guy. You can totally do some sneaking, and there are some fairly well rounded stealth sections. However, those sneaky little guy parts are outnumbered 1 to 5 compared to all the open combat encounters. Even still, virtually all the sneaky little guy portions head with you forcefully being RIPPED out of stealth and thrown into open combat without any ability to stop it. I wish they had invested more time and effort into making you feel like an assassin. I think they were aware how limited your “assassining” options are so they limited how much of the game could be spent being sneaky, as you would quickly realize how repetitive it is. I could write a whole other essay on this, but I will stop myself here. Just know, your sneaky little guy expectations that you might expect from a game called ASSASSIN’S Creed probably will not be met.

Assassin’s Creed 2 is slightly more visually appealing than the first and the music is about the same. I will say, the voice acting in this game was a big update compared to the first. Neither game has great voice acting, but I think the performances in this game were much more believable and immersive.

The first game had virtually no story. It was short and sweet. Assassin’s Creed’s lack of story was better than Assassin’s Creed 2’s inclusion of one. None of the characters are that likable and absolutely none of them have any depth at all. I do not find myself disliking any of them, but I am given almost no reason to care. The plot of this game is also just batshit insane. Like, genuinely, it is fairly disgusting. Ezio’s personal life and personal story are serviceable. But the overarching Assassin’s Creed plot is a disaster and honestly distasteful. They really jumped the shark with this on try #2. Can’t wait to see how brotherhood goes!

I have more to say about this game, but I am not really sure if a game like this is worth talking this much about. It is a simple, mind-numbing game. It certainly numbs the mind, so it is doing the job. The few improvements I mentioned over the first game are enough to push it a half star further than its predecessor, putting it in pretty alright game territory. It is a little bit of dumb fun and that is just about it.

One final note: DO NOT TRY TO PLAY THIS DOGSHIT ON THE SERIES X. I was forced to buy the remastered version of this game for the ps4 even though I had the 360 version. The 360 version on the series x and xbox one simply does not work since ubisoft's weird DRM shit is guaranteed to corrupt your save. I lost 5 hours of progress before switching over to the ps4. Please do not be like me.

Just a quick short review for this

I liked this game as mind numbing as it can be. It is a Ubisoft open world game, and a very early one at that. You do the same tasks over and over again for hours on end. The plot is nothing to write home about, as it is extremely predictable, and I think the setting is incredibly underused for how interesting the time and place are.

I can honestly write about all this games flaws for awhile here but I don't really know how valuable that is. I think most people should know what to expect from this game going into it these days. Again though, I liked this game. It is a game to just play and turn your mind off while doing so. This is what Ubisoft is best at doing.

Most of the actual assassinations are really interesting experiences and there was definitely a semi-large amount of time put into planning them in the games development. It is a fun experience to run around town, gathering information, creating a stragedy (no matter how railroaded it may be) and then going in for the kill. When everything works out just the way you wanted and planned it to, it is a great feeling. That is where this game shines. Honestly, if this game was an eighth of its length and included just those experiences, it would be an easy 4 stars. This game, like many others, shows that more is not always merrier when it comes to content in video games. It is the well thought out, quality experiences that make a game. Assassin's Creed shows it is able to give you that, just not without forcing hours of grinding the same couple of tasks before you can get to them.

My final thought is that this game does not look and sound awful. Sometimes the game can be very atmospheric, and I'd say the style really fits the game. Near the end I got tired of the lack of color but I couldn't imagine the game making a whole lot of sense if the crusades were not presented as drab and washed out in visuals. The music is nothing groundbreaking but it stands out and fits the aesthetic.

Final verdict, game can be really fun when it chooses it is time for you to have fun.

It is a silly little game that excels at being a bite sized experience and funny sometimes, but very little else. The game was obviously just a proof of concept, and taking it as that, it is pretty good. I still wish it would have played with the mechanics of going backwards and forwards in evolution during puzzles. Even though the single puzzle that uses this mechanic was not the greatest, I felt like it was the most unique and interesting aspect of the game. Would have liked to see more of this and a little less clunky jrpg gameplay.

I have a lot to say about this game but not a lot of motivation or reason to say it all. I will say a little though.

I start with this: this game is not "fun." I almost never thought to myself, "oh wow, I'm having so much fun! This is great!" which I often naturally do when a game is really a good time. The gameplay, for most of the game, is just pretty bullshit and unfun. Stuff where you do it over and over, death after death, to finally finish the segment you're on and not feel like you have actually improved at the game at all. There is little feeling of accomplishment after you finish a challenge. Given that, the game just often feels a little hollow considering the gameplay, and your little victories do not really feel like they're amounting to much. Again, I could be more specific, but I feel like if you play the game for just a little while, you'll feel exactly the same.

Now concerning everything else about the game? I'm quite the fan! I'm a freaky little creature and this game itched most of the right spots. Anyone knowing what this game is going into it would probably agree. I do not think you'll be disappointed by the actual content.

I enjoyed the story for the most part, though I do feel the multiple bad endings are not quite necessary. The multiple true endings, for the most part, felt unique and offered different perspectives on how the story could actually turn out. I additionally have a lot to say about the story, and one day I do hope to write a deeper review about just this.

Artistically, I loved it. The music was simple but really good! I actually did not expect to like the music as much as I did. The animations and sprite art were perfect as well. I am a big fan of the style this game. It is hard to describe the vibe it gives me. A very GBA inspired late 00's flash game sort of feeling but in the best way possible? Hard to explain.

Unfortunately, the fairly well crafted story and extremely good artistic aspects of these games are linked to a game that is often not very fun to play... but I did enjoy my time with it. One of those ones where I just really fit into the niche so no matter how much I want to dislike it, I just cannot do it. On the other side of that coin, if you know you fit the niche of this game ahead of time, I think you will have a good time whether or not the game is bullshit.

Just a final thought, I think this game could also REALLY benefit from some trigger warnings. Though I mostly like the "content" of the game, there are some bits that really just did not vibe with me at all and I think I would have felt better if I knew those bits were coming. Specifically, there are some parts with needles (specifically used needles) that I think should almost require that a warning be placed in the game.

I was trying to figure out why I was having so much trouble attempting to review this game, until I realize it is a visual novel so I am writing a review of just a story more so than an actual game. So take this as a warning, I am no literary critic.

Adastra was a really great visual novel that I never felt bored or tired of reading. It tells a compelling story full of queer romance and brutal space politics. As an avid Mass Effect fan as well, I love myself some queer romance and space politics.

I was worried near the start of this game that it was going to be awfully predictable plot wise. A shortcoming of many stories, especially many visual novels, is how predictable they can be. Visual novels especially are often guilty of falling into the same line of tropes. I worry was luckily unfounded. Though there were some incredibly predictable plot twists, there were many that I was not expecting. Additionally, the predictable "twists" naturally felt as if they were supposed to be predictable near the end of the story almost as a way of testing the player before throwing them into another completely unexpected twist. This alone cemented my appreciation for this game. It successfully kept me interested, I always wanted to know what was going to happen next considering my expectations were often incorrect. I think this alone cements Adastra or any other story as something worthy of praise and worthy of your time.

The other massively powerful element in Adastra are the characters. Virtually all visual novels are character focused and Adastra is no exception. Adastra's gallery of quirky critters is not the largest, but they are all super fleshed out for the most part. No single character really fell into a solid archetype that I've seen elsewhere which made them all seem fresh and unique. Again, the uniqueness of these characters kept me interested in the story throughout which I believe is the sign of success in a visual novel. For the sake of length and keeping this spoiler free, I will no go into the specifics of characters. Though it must be said, some characters are much more fleshed out than others.

I believe this is a good place to move to talking about what I did not like so much, what keeps this story from being a 4.5 or 5 star. Though every character is incredibly well written, some of them are significantly weaker than others. Additionally, some characters, though good, stay quite stagnant throughout the story in concerns to development. Thinking about it now, very few characters develop much at all. Great, abundant character development is not something I believe is always necessary, but it does leave some characters feeling a little less concerned for writing wise than others.

A final critical thought I have, for the sake of time, is that I believe Adastra could have greatly benefited from more choice. Again, choice is not something a visual novel MUST have. Adastra is a linear experience and that is completely fine. I simply feel that Adastra is the perfect game to have more choice considering the political navigation that happens within the story. Lack of choice does not damage the story of Adastra, but I feel it does hinder the experience of Adastra as a game. Simply missed potential and something I would like to see more of in the sequel.

I loved Adastra because it hits the marks of what I believe a good visual novel should have. I had a great experience going through it with my partner, voice acting the characters, giving them silly voices that accidentally fit their personalities perfectly. Without a doubt, an experience that cannot be matched in the same way.

Oh yeah, can't forget the HOT FURRY SEX. I liked it, but definitely a secondary thought for me concerning the game. Adastra is not a porn game, it just acknowledges the importance of sexuality in the experience of being alive. It does so in a tasteful way and that's all you can ask for. Do not go into Adastra looking for specially the NSFW elements because you will find yourself quite bored as they are sparse. What Adastra does offer to the space, however, is well drawn and written. It is more cute than anything else.