Brysingr
2023
Hogwarts Legacy had some high highs, low lows, and a whole lot in-between. Unfortunately, I don't have a lot to say about the game, as it ended up being a fairly mediocre experience.
As for the good, holy hell, the world they created is incredible. Just walking around Hogwarts, seeing the scale and attention to detail, was awe-inspiring. It was very immersive just walking around the castle as a student, which was exactly what I was hoping for out of the game. This extends to the open-world as well. Walking around Hogsmeade and flying around the map on my broomstick made me smile just a little bit every time. I am willing to make the claim that the broomstick is one of the best methods of open-world traversal in a game I've played. So yes, the playable space of this game is amazing. It's a shame then that the things you do in the world are boring and uninspired.
This is where I, unfortunately, have to address the negative points. There is so much worthless, time-wasting content in the open world. If it was just a boat load of Merlin Trials that dotted the map, it'd be fine, but then you add like ten more lifeless, copy-paste map markers with lame incentives to complete them? I am less forgiving of that. Most of this game's content felt like padding for the sake of extending runtime rather than actually giving the player something meaningful and interesting to do. This extends to the gear system. I am so sick of being handed piles of differently colored gear with minimal statistical differences in open-world games. It never adds anything. At least the different clothing options were cool, I just didn't need them tied to the limp gear system. Combat was occasionally interesting but was more style than substance. The story was also extremely forgettable, which sounds like it should be impossible given all of the interesting ideas you can use from this IP. I, sadly, found myself mostly mashing through dialogue through most of the game. The Sebastian questline was the one exception to this. These quests prove that the game is capable of compelling stories, characters, conflicts, and choices, and it's a shame that potential didn't extend anywhere else. I feel like that sentiment sums up this game. Hogwarts Legacy had some incredible potential, but it failed to live up to it in most respects. It feels like this game exists in-between the tension of developer passion for the IP and publisher mandates. I kind of wish this game was instead a smaller-scope Hogwarts student life sim instead of this everything-and-the-kitchen-sink game we got. I did have enough fun to see it through to the end, but just barely.
Huh. I guess I had more to say than I thought.
As for the good, holy hell, the world they created is incredible. Just walking around Hogwarts, seeing the scale and attention to detail, was awe-inspiring. It was very immersive just walking around the castle as a student, which was exactly what I was hoping for out of the game. This extends to the open-world as well. Walking around Hogsmeade and flying around the map on my broomstick made me smile just a little bit every time. I am willing to make the claim that the broomstick is one of the best methods of open-world traversal in a game I've played. So yes, the playable space of this game is amazing. It's a shame then that the things you do in the world are boring and uninspired.
This is where I, unfortunately, have to address the negative points. There is so much worthless, time-wasting content in the open world. If it was just a boat load of Merlin Trials that dotted the map, it'd be fine, but then you add like ten more lifeless, copy-paste map markers with lame incentives to complete them? I am less forgiving of that. Most of this game's content felt like padding for the sake of extending runtime rather than actually giving the player something meaningful and interesting to do. This extends to the gear system. I am so sick of being handed piles of differently colored gear with minimal statistical differences in open-world games. It never adds anything. At least the different clothing options were cool, I just didn't need them tied to the limp gear system. Combat was occasionally interesting but was more style than substance. The story was also extremely forgettable, which sounds like it should be impossible given all of the interesting ideas you can use from this IP. I, sadly, found myself mostly mashing through dialogue through most of the game. The Sebastian questline was the one exception to this. These quests prove that the game is capable of compelling stories, characters, conflicts, and choices, and it's a shame that potential didn't extend anywhere else. I feel like that sentiment sums up this game. Hogwarts Legacy had some incredible potential, but it failed to live up to it in most respects. It feels like this game exists in-between the tension of developer passion for the IP and publisher mandates. I kind of wish this game was instead a smaller-scope Hogwarts student life sim instead of this everything-and-the-kitchen-sink game we got. I did have enough fun to see it through to the end, but just barely.
Huh. I guess I had more to say than I thought.
2019
And with that, my Kingdom Hearts journey is complete. I feel like I just parted with someone I care deeply about: a symphony of different emotions bubbling to the surface every time I think of them and the memories we shared. These are my collected thoughts on the series as a whole, because Kingdom Hearts is so much more than the sum of its individual titles.
Kingdom Hearts, as an experience, is a unicorn. I cannot believe this series exists and what it accomplished. I had no connection to Sora and co. prior to a year and a half ago, but now I get emotional every time I see Sora's smile or think about the reunions of the 358 and BBS trios. This series most impressive feat is how it transported me back to what it felt like to be a kid. Kingdom Hearts oozes with earnestness, optimism, and nostalgia. I feel as though some of my adulthood cynicism has melted away from my time with this series. I truly don't know how to describe what Kingdom Hearts did to me, but I'm already nostalgic from my time in the Destiny Islands, Traverse Town, the Hundred Acre Wood, and Twilight Town. I've always heard that Kingdom Hearts was special, but I never could have predicted the profound impact it would have on me and who I am. Kingdom Hearts taught me the importance of living in the moment. It's not the gameplay or individual story moments that matter, it's the sum of this whole ~10ish game journey I went on, and I would have missed the whole point if I was just focused on getting to the end as quick as possible so I could move on to the next thing. As soon as I abandoned any notion of quickly finishing this series and just went along for the ride, I was hooked. It demands that you switch off your distracted, cynical, critical brain and surrender to the journey. Kingdom Hearts is the textbook definition of journey before destination, and I am a better, more hopeful person having experienced it. We could all benefit from being a little more like Sora and surrounding ourselves with people like him.
This was much more meandering and less cohesive than what I would normally write, but I truly cannot express how I feel about Kingdom Hearts in any other way. It resists traditional expression. But I did my best to find the words anyway. There is so much more I could write, but some things are best left unsaid and untainted in my memory.
Kingdom Hearts, as an experience, is a unicorn. I cannot believe this series exists and what it accomplished. I had no connection to Sora and co. prior to a year and a half ago, but now I get emotional every time I see Sora's smile or think about the reunions of the 358 and BBS trios. This series most impressive feat is how it transported me back to what it felt like to be a kid. Kingdom Hearts oozes with earnestness, optimism, and nostalgia. I feel as though some of my adulthood cynicism has melted away from my time with this series. I truly don't know how to describe what Kingdom Hearts did to me, but I'm already nostalgic from my time in the Destiny Islands, Traverse Town, the Hundred Acre Wood, and Twilight Town. I've always heard that Kingdom Hearts was special, but I never could have predicted the profound impact it would have on me and who I am. Kingdom Hearts taught me the importance of living in the moment. It's not the gameplay or individual story moments that matter, it's the sum of this whole ~10ish game journey I went on, and I would have missed the whole point if I was just focused on getting to the end as quick as possible so I could move on to the next thing. As soon as I abandoned any notion of quickly finishing this series and just went along for the ride, I was hooked. It demands that you switch off your distracted, cynical, critical brain and surrender to the journey. Kingdom Hearts is the textbook definition of journey before destination, and I am a better, more hopeful person having experienced it. We could all benefit from being a little more like Sora and surrounding ourselves with people like him.
This was much more meandering and less cohesive than what I would normally write, but I truly cannot express how I feel about Kingdom Hearts in any other way. It resists traditional expression. But I did my best to find the words anyway. There is so much more I could write, but some things are best left unsaid and untainted in my memory.
I definitely had some issues with Final Fantasy VII Remake, but when the new One-Winged Angel arrangement started playing while I was curb stomping Sephiroth, they all faded away like smoke. This game knows the weight of this story and spends the time to flesh out the characters and setting that the world became obsessed with back in '97. I felt a brand-new connection to Cloud, Tifa, Barret, Aerith, and Midgar that goes far beyond surface-level interest and "big sword cool."
My largest concern at the start of this game was the combat. I had just come off Kingdom Hearts, so I kept trying to play this like an action game. It wasn't until I accepted that the combat was neither action nor turn-based, but some sort of hybrid chimera, that it began to click with me. By the end, I was so hyped whenever I got to play a boss fight due to how fun they were. Except for The Arsenal one. That one was cheeks.
Do I even need to address the music? It's Final Fantasy VII: of course it's good. I did appreciate the remixes/new arrangements of classic tracks and the wholly new ones in the DLC much more than I thought I would. The old and new meshed seamlessly together, which is a feat worth applauding.
The environments were also well-realized, and I loved getting to see a modern-day vision of Midgar. It was a joy to experience the diversity and SCALE of the city, and I (almost) always loved exploration.
My main criticism with Remake is difficult to articulate, but I didn't always feel like it respected my time. I get it, if you're going to turn the first five hours of FFVI into a full game, you have to add a lot of new stuff. My issue was that some of it felt like it was only there to pad out the runtime instead of meaningfully adding something to the game. Yes, it was very cool to spend more time in Midgar, but did we really need that whole section in the sewers with Leslie? There were a few other instances like that where I just kept wondering: "Does this really add anything to this game other than runtime?" And don't even get me started on the vent section in the Shinra building.... I think this wouldn't be as big of a deal if Cloud didn't feel so clunky to control when outside of combat.
Overall, great game, I just wish it respected my time a little better. I love that they're taking the story in a new direction, and I'm stoked to play Rebirth. I will, now and forever, have One-Winged Angel on repeat in my head.
My largest concern at the start of this game was the combat. I had just come off Kingdom Hearts, so I kept trying to play this like an action game. It wasn't until I accepted that the combat was neither action nor turn-based, but some sort of hybrid chimera, that it began to click with me. By the end, I was so hyped whenever I got to play a boss fight due to how fun they were. Except for The Arsenal one. That one was cheeks.
Do I even need to address the music? It's Final Fantasy VII: of course it's good. I did appreciate the remixes/new arrangements of classic tracks and the wholly new ones in the DLC much more than I thought I would. The old and new meshed seamlessly together, which is a feat worth applauding.
The environments were also well-realized, and I loved getting to see a modern-day vision of Midgar. It was a joy to experience the diversity and SCALE of the city, and I (almost) always loved exploration.
My main criticism with Remake is difficult to articulate, but I didn't always feel like it respected my time. I get it, if you're going to turn the first five hours of FFVI into a full game, you have to add a lot of new stuff. My issue was that some of it felt like it was only there to pad out the runtime instead of meaningfully adding something to the game. Yes, it was very cool to spend more time in Midgar, but did we really need that whole section in the sewers with Leslie? There were a few other instances like that where I just kept wondering: "Does this really add anything to this game other than runtime?" And don't even get me started on the vent section in the Shinra building.... I think this wouldn't be as big of a deal if Cloud didn't feel so clunky to control when outside of combat.
Overall, great game, I just wish it respected my time a little better. I love that they're taking the story in a new direction, and I'm stoked to play Rebirth. I will, now and forever, have One-Winged Angel on repeat in my head.
2023
I struggle to find the right words to convey how much I adore this game. It was an incredible experience. It had the highest of highs but was also capable of slowing down so you could really connect with the characters, world, and story.
Probably the best-looking game I've ever played? The number of times I just stopped what I was doing and took in my surroundings with my jaw agape. And I NEVER normally do that in games, at least not as consistently as I did here. I could not stop taking screenshots and messing with photo mode.
I could gush about this game for so long.
I cried multiple times.
I adored the combat by the end.
I was so attached to the characters (I cheered when Clive finally kissed Jill, I'm man enough to admit that).
THE MUSIC!!!
The way I said out loud, multiple times: "This is the coolest thing I've ever seen in a game."
I cannot say enough good things about this game. Incredible. Literally, my only complaint is that I got a little tired of the amount of sidequests. They were a fun diversion to learn more about the world in small doses, but I ended up mashing through dialogue on a couple of them. This is but a minor nitpick, however. I can see why this game disappointed many people, but for some reason it just all clicked for me.
Amazing experience. It had me wrapped around its finger so tight that I procrastinated starting the final mission. THAT IS VERY RARE FOR ME. Ugh, what an unforgettable game.
Probably the best-looking game I've ever played? The number of times I just stopped what I was doing and took in my surroundings with my jaw agape. And I NEVER normally do that in games, at least not as consistently as I did here. I could not stop taking screenshots and messing with photo mode.
I could gush about this game for so long.
I cried multiple times.
I adored the combat by the end.
I was so attached to the characters (I cheered when Clive finally kissed Jill, I'm man enough to admit that).
THE MUSIC!!!
The way I said out loud, multiple times: "This is the coolest thing I've ever seen in a game."
I cannot say enough good things about this game. Incredible. Literally, my only complaint is that I got a little tired of the amount of sidequests. They were a fun diversion to learn more about the world in small doses, but I ended up mashing through dialogue on a couple of them. This is but a minor nitpick, however. I can see why this game disappointed many people, but for some reason it just all clicked for me.
Amazing experience. It had me wrapped around its finger so tight that I procrastinated starting the final mission. THAT IS VERY RARE FOR ME. Ugh, what an unforgettable game.
2017
I used to think that I was not a fan of Metroidvanias. I get how the genre's freeform exploration can be appealing to some, but I tend to get frustrated when I get a new item, forget the places I've seen to use, and then have to backtrack across the whole map to figure it out. This game, however, has made me rethink my stance on Metroidvanias. I do not think this game is perfect, but for an indie game with a tiny team of developers, this game is a 10/10. It astounds me that this game even exists. Jeez, I don't even know where to start with this game...
I think Hollow Knight's atmosphere and aesthetic are what captured me most about it. I don't believe I am exaggerating when I say that this is the most beautiful and artistically cohesive game I have ever played. There were so many moments when I just had to stop and take in the immaculately crafted scenery and soundtrack. I don't think I'll ever forget the first time stepping into Greenpath, with its stark aesthetic shift and whimsical music track. Oh man, or the first time I looked out a window at the rain in the City of Tears with the hauntingly beautiful piece in the background. There are so many moments like this. I also cannot stress enough how good the character designs are. You can tell someone on the dev team loved creating all these cute bug guys. There are so many characters/enemies and they are all so memorable, which is quite the feat in my opinion.
The game's progression is also worth noting, as it has been my main issue with other Metroidvanias. With every new ability, upgrade, or charm I acquired, I legitimately felt like I was becoming more powerful. The Crystal Heart ability is a great example of this. It immediately revolutionized how I explored the world, made backtracking much more enjoyable, and gave me renewed vigor to keep going. I experienced these feelings with nearly every upgrade, which is remarkable.
I have so many more positive things I could gush about, but I'll leave it at these highlights for brevity's sake. However, I do want to briefly note a couple of nitpicks. The first has to do with storing money. I was shocked when the banker made off with my money and was amused when I later found and beat her senseless for my savings back. I was surprised to discover that there was no option after that for storing my money (that I found). This led me to carry all of my geo on me at all times (as I had already purchased everything from the vendors) which was extremely stressful. I ultimately lost over 10,000 geo trying to complete a particularly nasty platforming challenge in the Queen's Gardens(we'll get there), and I subsequently lost nearly all desire to play the game. I had been considering completing/collecting everything, but after that, I decided to immediately go beat the final boss so I could be done. This leads me to my second gripe, which is that some of the platforming challenges feel completely unfair. I think Hollow Knight overall feels fair, but some of these platforming challenges (particularly in the Queen's Gardens) felt impossible. Even when I would eventually pass some of them, it didn't feel like I mastered anything; it just felt like dumb luck. Overall these are very small nitpicks in what was an incredible experience, and it's a shame they hindered my desire to 100% this game.
In sum, this game rules. I get it now. Maybe I don't dislike Metroidvanias, I just hadn't played the right ones until now.
I think Hollow Knight's atmosphere and aesthetic are what captured me most about it. I don't believe I am exaggerating when I say that this is the most beautiful and artistically cohesive game I have ever played. There were so many moments when I just had to stop and take in the immaculately crafted scenery and soundtrack. I don't think I'll ever forget the first time stepping into Greenpath, with its stark aesthetic shift and whimsical music track. Oh man, or the first time I looked out a window at the rain in the City of Tears with the hauntingly beautiful piece in the background. There are so many moments like this. I also cannot stress enough how good the character designs are. You can tell someone on the dev team loved creating all these cute bug guys. There are so many characters/enemies and they are all so memorable, which is quite the feat in my opinion.
The game's progression is also worth noting, as it has been my main issue with other Metroidvanias. With every new ability, upgrade, or charm I acquired, I legitimately felt like I was becoming more powerful. The Crystal Heart ability is a great example of this. It immediately revolutionized how I explored the world, made backtracking much more enjoyable, and gave me renewed vigor to keep going. I experienced these feelings with nearly every upgrade, which is remarkable.
I have so many more positive things I could gush about, but I'll leave it at these highlights for brevity's sake. However, I do want to briefly note a couple of nitpicks. The first has to do with storing money. I was shocked when the banker made off with my money and was amused when I later found and beat her senseless for my savings back. I was surprised to discover that there was no option after that for storing my money (that I found). This led me to carry all of my geo on me at all times (as I had already purchased everything from the vendors) which was extremely stressful. I ultimately lost over 10,000 geo trying to complete a particularly nasty platforming challenge in the Queen's Gardens(we'll get there), and I subsequently lost nearly all desire to play the game. I had been considering completing/collecting everything, but after that, I decided to immediately go beat the final boss so I could be done. This leads me to my second gripe, which is that some of the platforming challenges feel completely unfair. I think Hollow Knight overall feels fair, but some of these platforming challenges (particularly in the Queen's Gardens) felt impossible. Even when I would eventually pass some of them, it didn't feel like I mastered anything; it just felt like dumb luck. Overall these are very small nitpicks in what was an incredible experience, and it's a shame they hindered my desire to 100% this game.
In sum, this game rules. I get it now. Maybe I don't dislike Metroidvanias, I just hadn't played the right ones until now.
If I'm being honest, I was a little disappointed by this one. Perhaps my expectations were too high for a GameCube game, but I had been hearing for years how incredible this game is, and I was ultimately just whelmed. As for the good, this remaster looks amazing on the Switch and the soundtrack totally rips. Some of the gameplay ideas presented are really well thought out and refined; it’s just a very creative game. However, the game definitely shows its age at times. The movement sometimes felt unintuitive; like Samus was trudging through tar. I was so hyped when I got the grappling hook, but then it ended up being kinda jank and often didn’t work how I expected it to. I also was not into the backtracking. I know that’s kinda the thing with Metroid, but every time I got an upgrade I felt super frustrated because I couldn’t remember exactly where I needed to use it. Maybe this is just my impatient modern gamer brain, but having to trudge back through levels (although sometimes fun in the endgame when fully upgraded), just sucked and felt like a total waste of time. Again, perhaps my expectations were too high for this game. Yes, this game was very immersive, looked great, and was extremely creative, but I found that I was more often annoyed and disinterested than fully engaged. I only got sucked into the game after I got the plasma beam, which is a shame since that’s right at the end. I had to force myself to pick up the game and play for most of it, just so I could see what the hype was about. I got it on sale for like $22, and I think it was worth it at that price. If I had paid $40 for it though, I would be much more disappointed. Reading back through this, I sound a lot more negative than I really feel. I liked the game, I just didn’t love it as much as I expected to. Maybe it’s just not for me, and that’s okay. I appreciate how creative and innovative it is, and I’m glad other people love it so much.