C'est la vie

Horror is… not a genre I have a good relationship with, to be honest. And I don’t mean I had bad experiences with bad works, not at all, in fact, in all of my trials of my tribulations with the different pieces that induce fear, there’s only one that I could call ‘’bad’’. So it’s not a matter that I haven’t consumed horror media… rather it’s the fact that I’m a complete and utter coward.

Be it a painting, book, film or videogame, a good piece of horror has an inconceivable amount of power over me, and I know many other people share the same feeling. But between all the types of horror, beyond the monsters and the murderers, beyond the gore and even the psychological horror, what has proved time and time again to be my single biggest fear (aside from arachnophobia) is both the industrial horror and, above all else, the fear of what can lie under our skin, otherworldly, unknow horror that changes us and traps us in our own body, rotting away inwards… so yeah, if you put one of Koji Kondo’s work in a 10 meter radius near me, I would most likely immediately shit my pants.

Neotrogla seems to be tailor made for me, or rather, tailor made to disturb the shit out of me, as it combines these exact two fears and adds insect into the mix, ‘cause who needs sleeping, am I right, folks?

Its briefness may be detrimental to a certain extent, as it makes it have some weird pacing narrative wise, and I feel that the jump into the ‘’’’true’’’’ horror part starts too abruptly considering how slow paced the beginning is, but at the same time, it hasn’t stop it from sticking in my mind a while after beating it. The sheer oppression that the city and walls of steel and concrete ‘cause over the protagonist and the inhabitants, the bug ‘’museum’’ scene, the whole latter half of the game. Is so visceral, yet beautifully written, A dance macabre that gets more horrendous as it goes on, but you can’t stop looking at it. You can’t do anything to stop it. As if Kafka’s ‘’Metamorphosis’’ was made an even more horrendous tragedy, the foulness of what’s happening makes you feel sick to the core, as well as to feel sorry for the protagonist, all while the excellent soundtrack envelops you, paralyzing your whole body to the point the only movement you can perform is shivering. It’s a cacophony of otherworldly and nightmarish sounds, and as few songs as they are, they work perfectly, and my god do they manage to add SOO much.

It's not perfect, as a visual novel it doesn’t stive to be really ‘’visual’’ and again, it seems hampered by its own briefness; but the sheer amount of talent that has been put into this short experience is enormous. Some parts have been left engraved on my mind, and the mixture of both real and impossible horror makes it achieve even greater heights.

The possibility of the makers of this game reading this is once again very real, since this was made people I follow here, and I hope I managed to do it justice with this little review and you enjoyed reading it! ‘cause be assured you sure left an impact on me…

Tonight is gonna be full of itch and paranoia

Buzz Buzz

... I made... a severe and continuous lapse in my judgement...

I've played quite a ton of Battle Royales, especially back when the genre exploded in popularity in 2017 with Fortnite (holy shit it's been almost six years already?) 'cause as much as it's overexploited now-a-days and has spawned some terrible monetization practices, at it's core I found it to be an incredibly fun idea and can result in so many different outcomes each time you play. However, I have founde none that grabbed my attention for more than a couple of hours, Fall Guys did grab my attention when it became free-to-play (I won my first game ever the first time I played and I still don't know how) but even that didn't last much. None Battle Royale has managed to grab me and play it rigorously for a long period of time... except for one...

Is Tetris 99 the best Battle Royale out there? Probably not.

Is it the most original? It's stil Tetris, but with 99 other people so it's not that ground-breaking.

Is it the best Tetris game? Heeeeeeeell no, absolutely not!

So... why then have I played this game for almost one-hundred hours when it doesn't really shine in anything?... I have no fucking clue.

I haven't play it for some months now, but when it first released I was OBSSESED, mainly because... it just was fun. It was exciting to jump into a game and compete with other people, it was a good feeling that I was becoming better and better at the game, and the main theme and all the other music and visual buckgrounds they added later were FIRE.

It was not a case that the game was addicting (even tho it does have a certain component that can make it feel that way, but in my case it didn't become an obssesion) but rather it's just that it is really fun. It's far from perfect, fair and original, but godDAMN is it fun. I mean, at the end of the day it's still Tetris, and Tetris it's always a good time, so there was not a lot of room for messing it up.

Perhaps I should have spend the time playing other games, but you know what? I had fun, and I think that's something that has a lot of value. I don't think I'll play it again in the near future, but I have really fond memories of it... except the times I lost that times the game uuuuuuh the game lagged I SWEAR I DON'T SU-

When I discovered UNDER A STAR CALLED SUN, I was interested by its premise, and I wanted to see how they would manage to tell something meaningful in such a short amount of time. It made me tear up, it made me feel longing for so many beautiful moments that are beginning to be harder and harder to recall. In just. Seven. Minutes.

I won't beat the bush any longer than necessary, after all the experience itself is very short and doing a full-blown analysis would be overkill and spoil you of the experience. There may be games that tell similar things in a more compelling way, but this little work of art being as it is, a marvelous reflection across the stars, a beautiful poem about missing the old times, about missing old friends... And it's precious.

Putting in words how I feel about this game it's boderline impossible for me, this is not only my favourite game of all time, is my favourite work of art period. Its ambience, its design, its world, its gameplay, its music, everything fits perfect with one another, forming a complete picture about a sad kingdom in ruin, and the tales and tragedies of its inhabitants.
As a metroidvania, it's just perfect, Hallownest is full of wonderful, beautiful areas full of secrets and life, it's a world that feels alive, something that few games have accomplished in the history of the medium.
It's simply an unrepeatable experience, one that I'll forever remember, one that has changed my view on art, and one that I love with all of my heart.

''It's Still Shitposting Even If You Are Being Ironic''

I heard this phrase many, many years ago in a YouTube video, and it would take me another many years to find out originated in 4chan. It's honestly a bit hard to admit it since I despise that foul site with every fiber of my being, but I think about that phrase a lot, I mean, not referring to shitposting itself, but what it implies as a whole. This dumb phrase from a dumb forum and the context I found it in taught me how if you are criticizing or calling out something, if in that process you do the exact same thing as the one you are poking fun of, you lose both meaning and credibility, a fault innate in mot of the parodies without substance, but this can affect also even the best of works.

Dark Souls III, if it's about one thing, it's about cycles; the same thing forced to repeat over and over until it's just ashes, but even like that it's forced to burn. The kingdom of Lothric has fallen victim of this cycle, it's clearly implied that this new kingdom stands were once there was a place called Lordran, where the events of the first game took place, and the monarchy that crowns the land has maintained its power over this single idea: Keep. The fire. Alive.

It's probably the most, for a lack of a better term, sad story in the franchise. There was a lot, and I mean A LOT of tragedy in past games, but in here, the desperation is truly palpable. Never in another game have things gone south this bad, and it's almost scary how the end seems inevitable... but this feeling doesn't take long until it begins to dissipate. Dark Souls III is based around the idea of how this cycle has damaged the world beyond repair, and it kinda puts us in the role of the villains, we are tasked with doing this labor, continuing this cycle, one that's now being rejected by the monarchy that imposed it, it's a perfect spin on the first games story, yet, I can't shake this feeling that in other areas this whole incredible idea kneels tho thing it's criticizing.

Past areas and enemies, instead of being treated as this forgotten thing as they were in DS2, are vividly remembered and even celebrated, the Abyss Watchers and Oceiros for example, while incredibly characters in its own, end up being just big fans of pas bosses, which could work in this context, but I think it defeats the purpose od the initial narrative. Cycles are a thing that have consumed this world and as it was already was seen in DS2, is practically impossible to escape from, but when names from past games are directly mentioned by almost everybody and in a ton of items, it doesn't seem anymore like the is invisible yet omnipresent and it has lost all of its meaning, it feels like it HAS meaning, like there are things to be remembered, which I think defeats a lot of the strength the original message had. It feels wrong to called it ''fanservice'' 'cause it just isn't, it just feels like it fails in the delivery of its marvelous story in some places, and it ignores a surprising amount of things that its younger brother, as flawed as it is, did very, very right.

Maybe a lot of these things sound like ramblings but you gotta understand that I love this game: It's beautiful, it's very well designed, it has the best action in the series, its encounters and boss fights are jaw dropping; it does a lot of minor mistakes, but otherwise is incredible in its presentation and gameplay. But Dark Souls was never entirely about those things, for some people it may be and I do respect it, but not for me.

It's in this last battle when the games message finally hits its hardest, even more than in the fight against Prince Lothric and Lorian, the Soul of Cinder feels like the culmination of everyhting the game tried to be and teach, a battle against everyone responsible in continuing this cycle of pain: a final dance against the players and Gwyn, and as the music sets in the second phase, it was one of the times I didn't feel the game was calling back or celebrating a past thing, it truly end this moment, and it's saddening the rest of the game didn't.

It's true conclusion wouldn't come after almost a year later, and I'll talk about in the future, believe me, but Dark Souls III, as it was given to us, is the definition of a shattered masterpiece... yet at the same time, that feels so right for this world and these games... makes you wonder if that was the point... maybe not, but, the hell do I may know?

What?! It isn't amazing?!

But... but...

But it has Popple in it!

I remember finally picking this game after so long of wanting it, it took three years, but I finally managed to buy it, and man, what a blast. It was packed full of creativity, it was funny, it was entertaining and it was unique; what a great game... Looking back on it and after several attempts of relpaying it, I can't shake the feeling that I only felt that way 'cause this was my first experience with the series, and as time has passed, its flaws have become more and more apparent.

The combat is by far the best in the series, or at the very least on par with Bowser's Inside Story. It's feels like a natural extension of its older brothers: more snappy, more options, faster and with more interesting enemies; the Dream battles are a treat to play, giving a whole set of options even tho technically you only use one of the brothers, and the bosses in both the real and dream world make you use all of your options, make you think how to defeat them and their attack patterns and one of the most inspired in all the series. It's honestly amazing and... and sadly that's were my compliments with the game mostly end.

The fast pacing that went into the combat clearly didin't to the rest of the game. It's slow, very, very slow, the game's tutorial is infamously long and impossible to skip, but I wouldn't have as much as aproblem with it if it weren't because it just.


Keeps.



Going.


The plot and pace are constantly broken by these little tutorials to every minor thing; there's no moment of ''eureka!'' or a fast tutorial like in past games, everything has to be explained to its last details and it just feels dragged. I'll give it to them, they did implement a lot of mechanichs and little minigames, but it's the way they are implemented that creates conflict with the rest of the experience.

Pi'illo Island had SOOO much potential to be incredibly interesting, and while yeah, the isle itself it has some pretty novel ideas and some interesting areas, it's whith the dream world where they drop the ball. Is not as bad as what Partners in Time does, or rather doesn't do with its time travel mechanic, but it's still disappointing. Dreams are such a wild concept, and the way they could be used is almost limitless; instead, we get remixes of the afromentioned areas, where a character has a whacky costume or some minions that don't do much and only extend the lenght of the game with things to do. The beggining of the game has this incredible moment where it explores Luigi's pshyche, and the story of Dreambert and his people and the war against Antasme is pretty novel, but in the end , the game never explores the condition of a character in the slightiest ever again, and it uses the context of the story to give the player some context for the collectables.

The Giant Boss battles are... meh. More spectacular than the the ones in the previous game for sure, but they all feel VERY slow, and the only one I can call exciting is the last one, which admitedly is pretty good; and the puzzles feel much less inspired, even tho there are some amazing ideas here and there.

Dream Team has clearñy a ton of good ideas but doesn't have the courage to fully explore them, it chooses to prioritize quantity before quality, and it doesn't reach its fool potential because of it. It does a lot of mistakes for the sake of giving a striking experience, but it lacks the substance of its predeccesor.

It may be still VERY fun, but being fun or at least interesting is the bare minimun a game should be.

Finally, after about a year of leaving it halfway done, I can say that I've beaten Super Mario 64 and now one question remains, is it any go- I'm not even gonna try to make a joke out of this, is Super Fucking Mario 64, of course it's pretty good... tho it's obvious that it shows its age in some parts, and I do think it has a couple of flaws that bring it down.

The game's controls have aged like fine wine, Mario feels more responsive tha many main characters to this day, it's snapy, its moveset its just what you need to think outside the box and figure out how to work around the levels, it's genueily the best part of the game. The level design it's also pretty good... until it it isn't.

Halfway through some levels took a more linear approach, in contrast to the sandbox feeling that most in the beggining give off, and it just doesn't feel right, repeating the same part over and over for different stars just feels tiresome and repetitive. In some places it feels crammed, there are some genuely difficult parts and not in a fun way. The camera has also really showed its age, its servicable at best but a its worst is really... not good, exactly.

But the fact that the game holds up as well as it does it's a testiment to its legacy, at is best is fun as hell, and it's by far the most unique out of the main Mario's and a perfect transition to the 3D formula. However, at it's worst is really frustating to a more casual audience, I could put up with a lot of this if I was a kid, but now-a-days it can be REALLY painful at it's worst areas.

Still, I do not have nothing but respect to it, it changed the industry forever I still had a TON, and I mean a TON of with it, with its gameplay, its design, its ambience and music and how it really wants you to have fun with its mechanics. It's like a box of toys, some really excepcional, some clunky but endearing, but all really charming and full of love.

There are two games that can be pointed out as the culprits as why I love the videogame medium as much as I do today, one of them is Super Smash Bros. Brawl, which introduced to many of the franchises I love to this day (And I'll probably talk about it another time), and the other one was Kirby's Adventure Wii, as it was known here in Europe. Funny thing is, I didn't even know this game existed before I bought it, I was barely 8 years old and didn't pay much atention to TV ads, so imagine my surprise when I walked into the game store with my parents, with the idea of getting Epic mickey for my birthday, and seing the funny pink ball from Smash in a box art. I don't know why, but for some reason I changed my mind, and I ended up asking my parents to buy that game, and honestly, I will forever thank my past self for that decision, because it resulted in one of the best possible proper introductions to the platformer genre I could have had, and the mos fun moments I had with a game in all of my life.

So, yeah, after that chunk of background, I think you could guess that I got pretty excited when this game was announced, I mean, a remake of my favourite game when I was a kid? with an oncredibly beautiful art-style? with more Maglor? AND THEY GOT EGG CATCHER ON THIS SHIT?! Sign me up! So now the question is, is it any good?.... I mean yeah the original was awesome so of course it's good.

The game as it released on 2011 had one goal in mind: offer a fun but simple platformer that everyone can pick up and have fun both alone or with friends, and my god it delivers. All of the levels are devided by rooms, are while most levels do have some mechanic or platforming obstacle accross all the rooms, in general terms, each room is its own little puzzle, with its secrets that give either lives or the collectables, and some levels end with a ''Super-ability'' section which can grant access to challenge room that ends on a mini-boss. A faily simple gampley loop, one that becomes almost ACDICTING, this is how most Kirby games operate, but this in particular just stands out, and even tho it's an easy game, everytime you complete a puzzle or defeat one of the really fun final bosses, you feel like you achieved something great, a reward sensation that few other games match, and the fact a game like this can give such feeling is incredible.

Honestly, I think that the game as it is holds up extremely well, so it makes sense that the only changes made to the main campaign are visual (also two brand new abilities, both extremely cool, albeit one of them is pretty damn overpowered), and speaking of visuals...

I understand why some people dislike Dedede's new design and the outlines, I really do, but I just don't agree. The presentation id jaw-dropping, is a bit of a shame that because of Metroid Prime Remastered dropping this month I can't call this the best Remaster Nintendo has put out, but holy hell does it come close. The new artstyle injects new life to every corner of the game: the colors pop out even more and it looks gorgeous, the backgrounds are all amazing, there are some new animations and details that add a lot to the experience,... It's probablu one of the best looking non pixel-art 2D platformers I've played; keep in mind, I'm not saying the original looks bad, it still looks amazing, but this is just another level, it may be nostalgia be playing tricks on me, but I just love it too much.

On top of ALL of this, on top of all the incredible base game and visual overhaul... YOU ALSO GET FUCKING EGG CATCHER LET'S GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO. I really like the adition of Magoland , it just add so much content and fun that it's almost surreal; a TON of minigames, some new, some returning, and all really fun; the hub that changes as you progress in the story and in Magoland's missions (yeah, there are over 100 missions in Magoland alone, this shit is crazy) PLUS the mask, a really cute collectable with references across the series, wich at this point I feel spoiled with tha amaount of Kirby love. There's also Magolor's Epilogue, and... I don't really want to talk about it a whole lot, is a great adition and creative one at that, tho the level design can feel a bit ''arcadie'' and not as great or fun as the base game, but the progression sensation is awesome thanks to the RPG elements and, the ending is batshit insane, I'm not saying more so I don't spoil anybody, but it goes so fucking hard.

Oof... so, here you are, you just read a random guy on the internet gushing about a game he loves, and honestly, first of all, thank you for lending your time into reading this, and also, yeah, I just really love this game; it's far from being perfect, there are some minor problems here and there already present on the original release and some of the Magoland missions do feel like padding and in some cases straight up bullshit, but... I just can't bring myself to not love this game. Again, nostalgia doesn't blind me from its shortcomings, and Robobot surprasses it in both design and what it has to tell as a story, but I really recommend this game, it's a lovely time both alone and in co-op, it has love oozing from every part and it ahs a ton to offer, trust me, is a good one, and it has some secrets to show... so might as well discover them...




oh yeah I almost forgot, the music fucKING SLAPS HOLY MOTHER OF DEDEDE THIS SHIT IS A CONSTANT BOP WHAT THE ACTUAL FU- ok that's enough, again thanks for reading, and have a good day or night :).

The fact this came out in 2013 still amazes me, like, what an awesome script, it's an incredible comedic game and my favourite ''walking simulator'' of all time. All of the endings are incredible and each says something different about the realtion betwwen player and programmer, and the fourth wall breaks are still done masterfully, specially in the ''true'' ending. This is much more than a ''funny haha xd lol'' game, this is the stanley parable, a game that everyone should play, enjoy and analyze, or at least experience one way or another.

There will never be another game like Smash Bros. Ultimate. I know that that can sound a little bit cheesy and you could also apply it to the games that preceed it, but I really mean it with this one.

This was the first smash game I followed thoroughly before release, every anauncement, from characters to modes to even Mii customes, it was an event to analyze and celebrate, and it kept being that way until the very last DLC fighter was announced, there were for sure its ups and downs within the community before it released (cough cough Grinch leak) but nevertheless, it was a magical experiece that I was able to share with all of my friends and I will forever treasure that.

Then the game came out and my first thought when I first started playing was: ''wow... this shit is AMAZING''. Before its release me and a friend played Smash 4 non stop during the whole previous summer, and even tho it took a little while to fully process the changes to the new systems and feeling of the game, once it clicked it was just pure gold, and it still is to this day. I know very well that from a competetive view and a general glance Melee's movement is unique and the most free and fun, but for my money, Ultimate is prefectly balanced, incredebly smooth and really, REALLY fun, which it's what every smash game should strive to be, and this one surprasses the rest but a long shot.

The characters feel straight up from their own games, and the personality that each one oozes is inmense, the stages are detailed to the EXTREME and all of the possible rules and options feel limitless. Even do that there are some singleplayer modes that I miss, what there is delivers, especially classic mode (probably the best in the whole series by far) and spirit mode, a perfect union between event mode and a classic story mode, and the result is a experience that gives a chance for non fighters to hace their own matches and feel like such, and also it takes A WHILE to 100%, and while I get that for some people spirit mode was boring, I found it incredibly fun in small dosis.

The game has its short comings for sure, the online may be the best in the series yet, but when your competition is Smash 4 and... ugh.... Brawl's online mode... the bar is very low, and Ultimate is still kinda mediocre, not horrible mind you, lag isn't as prominent as it once was, the input delay is still very much a thing. Also, I really miss some minor modes like break the targets or a boss rush, I understand that with the amount of content here it may sound silly to ask more, but I really think that two or three more modes would have made this a round package.

It really may sound that I'm analazing Ultimate more as a product than a game, but don't get confused, this game has love and respect oozing from every orifice (pixel? voxel? I don't know) its genuely a celebretation of gaming, a milestone of both what games once strived, be fun, and what games can be and are, exciting and unite people together, to talk and compete, even if the circumstances may not be the best. I really love this game, and while it may not be perfect and its problems and its own nature prevent it from being masterpiece of the industry, it's a celebretion, the biggest and greatest that there could ever be.

Robobot's opening sequence is probably the best in the history of the series: it shows Pop Star as it always has been, and all of its character living a normal live... and then Haltman's ship appears. In seconds, Dedede and Meta Knight, two of the most prominent and strong charcters in all of star shaped planet, are completely defeated with no chance of retaliating, with Dedede's castle and Meta Knight's airship reduced to ruble or incapable or fighting back, and later down the game, both of the characters will be weponaized by the company as unnatural constructs. Haltman's army destructive and quick, and they terraform the planet into a mechanical mess into a matter of minutes: the game just started and they just basically won, and as soon as Kirby finall wakes up from its dream, the quest to undo this disaster begins; it's a fantasic opening that sets everyhting that has yet come, and what has yet to come, it's probably the best 2D Kirby game ever.

The fact this is running in the 3DS feel unreal, not so much because it's visually that impressive, but becasue of the amount of set pieces and things the game does. The level design, both in a gameplay in visual sense, it's just otherworldy, every level feels special and distinct, each world doing something completely different with its mechanical themes, and even if there are some level themes that repeat across worlds, like the towers, everytime they put a new spin on it. Its the cohesion that makes the difference, past games limited themselves with only a theme with each world (in some cases) and even Triple Deluxe, that had a pretty cool nature theme, it felt jarring when the level design felt artificial or when something mechanical appeared. In Robobot however, the artificiality in some of the design not only makes sense given the context, but adds to the experience and story; it shows how much Haltman has ruined this planet, and it can keep doing show, and for that it must be stoped... but the music can stay, this shit fucking SLAPS.

The boss fights are an absolute show stopper, super fun and creative; tho almost all are characters returning from past games, but from Whispy Woods to Dedede, all of them have a terryifiying and perversed twist, they are completely changed from what they were once were, it horryfiying, but characters like Susie or Haltman rebel in this, celebrate it, and it's even scarier. Here, the true colors of this tyranical company shine, and its represented with the music masterfully.

...oh don't tell me you thought I forgot about the Robobt? Not only it makes thematical sense, but holy shit is it BY FAR the best 'mechanical (heh, get it?...I'm so sorry) novelty implemented in any of the series, but it almost makes me sad that it doesn't seem to be returning any time soon, 'cause this shit slaps. Everytime it appears is not an ''oh, this thing,ok'' moment, it's an ''OH HECK YEAH'' one: the puzzles, the boss fights and the set pieces are all espectacular, and the way the copy abilites adapt to it are incredible, Bomb is one of my least favourite copy-abilities, but the Robobot version is just... chef kiss.

When the credits started rolling, I just felt so happy, the finale wass amazing and an incredible send off to the story, but more than anything, I was happy that this game existed, it represents the culmination of the saga in so many ways: it's the most creative one, it's the one that has more things to tell, the brand new charachters are really charismatic and I'm glad they stayed in the saga's mythos, the lore is really sad and tragic, but doesn't make the villain less evil... I just can't belive this is real Kirby game. I don't know if its my favourite one (Forfotten Land is just too fucking amazing man) but this is just so special, a love letter in some many ways, and I belive its earned to call it the best 2D Kirby game, and one of the best 2D platformers ever made, what a fucking treat!

...I mean... it sure is Peggle!

Last year I played Peggle Deluxe and it was a fun time, and Peggle Nights is more of that. I don't know how this series does it, but it awakens a primal feeling on people that play it that results in sheer excitement when something crazy happens, mostly by pure luck (at least in my case).

The only notable difference is that for me some levels were kind of a slog and not really that satisfiying to beat or do crazy stuff in them, but it also has far more interesting thematics with the whole idea of it happening in the dreams of the master from the previous game and a whole new Peggle master with a cool power, so it's an one step back and one step forward situation.

But yeah, it's still fun, I don't know how they could have done it wrong (tho for what I've heard Dual Shot is not very good) but that doesn't make a less fun time spender.

Also Warren Rabbit is the best Peggle master and that is NOT up for debate, thank you very much.