ElectroSpark22
2022
This was an absolute joy to play through and actually the first VN I've played through other than DDLC (which honestly could fit into its own genre lol). Hands down, some of the best writing I've ever seen in a video game, not necessarily in terms of grandiose stories, but in terms of dialogue. Each character felt completely unique, and 100% real. Ironic, given the premise of magical girls, I know, but the "jaded, young adult" part mentioned in the game's description is astonishingly accurate. And even the magical girl aspect could be seen as a metaphor for those who excelled early in life and possibly feel as though they peaked in high school. Everyone was so down-to-earth and relatable. Even for any character who I maybe personally didn't relate with, I absolutely could point out someone in my life who would.
My favorite aspect is probably that the "romancing" options for each character focuses more on building a true friendship, rather than immediately jumping to actual romance. You start to genuinely care for each one of them and want to help out the relationships between each of them. You want to actually be friends with all them. And the only downside is now that I've 100%ed the game, I'm gonna miss them all.
100%ing the game wasn't too tough either. I got many achievements naturally, choosing whichever options I wanted throughout my playthrough, and like most VN's you can skip text you've already read to help speed through subsequent playthroughs when you're working on getting each of the different endings. The DLC storyline was also very cute. I haven't quite reached that point in my life yet where the girls are at in the DLC, but it was very entertaining nevertheless.
Taking all of that, and then adding LGBTQIA+ themes into the mix was just a delight. I can't explain how often I felt like I was blushing after spending time with any of them. I love women 😊❤ (and NB's!!!)
My favorite aspect is probably that the "romancing" options for each character focuses more on building a true friendship, rather than immediately jumping to actual romance. You start to genuinely care for each one of them and want to help out the relationships between each of them. You want to actually be friends with all them. And the only downside is now that I've 100%ed the game, I'm gonna miss them all.
100%ing the game wasn't too tough either. I got many achievements naturally, choosing whichever options I wanted throughout my playthrough, and like most VN's you can skip text you've already read to help speed through subsequent playthroughs when you're working on getting each of the different endings. The DLC storyline was also very cute. I haven't quite reached that point in my life yet where the girls are at in the DLC, but it was very entertaining nevertheless.
Taking all of that, and then adding LGBTQIA+ themes into the mix was just a delight. I can't explain how often I felt like I was blushing after spending time with any of them. I love women 😊❤ (and NB's!!!)
2022
Currently have 215 hours on this game, including Overwatch 1, and at least 80 of them since the shift to Steam alone.
Like most people, I was really disappointed to hear what Blizzard had promised in terms of story mode wasn't what we ended up with. But imo, rating a game based on a meta aspect like that doesn't give justice to the actual quality of what we have. There are plenty of game developers, musicians, character and setting designers, etc who worked hard on this game and are still at it. So completely forgetting about "what could have been," would I recommend this game?
Yes. Absolutely. It's still lots of fun and even the few story missions we did end up with were enjoyable. I think it's a well balanced game that is constantly being updated to give more content and more balancing changes as needed. Yeah the community maybe isn't the best either, but as long as you don't join team chat, getting flamed once in a while isn't the end of the world. The abilities are very fun to play with, and the characters are very endearing. I genuinely think this game is underrated.
Like most people, I was really disappointed to hear what Blizzard had promised in terms of story mode wasn't what we ended up with. But imo, rating a game based on a meta aspect like that doesn't give justice to the actual quality of what we have. There are plenty of game developers, musicians, character and setting designers, etc who worked hard on this game and are still at it. So completely forgetting about "what could have been," would I recommend this game?
Yes. Absolutely. It's still lots of fun and even the few story missions we did end up with were enjoyable. I think it's a well balanced game that is constantly being updated to give more content and more balancing changes as needed. Yeah the community maybe isn't the best either, but as long as you don't join team chat, getting flamed once in a while isn't the end of the world. The abilities are very fun to play with, and the characters are very endearing. I genuinely think this game is underrated.
2016
There is one specific level in the campaign for this game that really made the entire experience worth it to me. The mechanics used in that level were exactly what I look for in gaming, and it was the first time I smiled and laughed just playing a single-player game because of how much fun I was having. There were some puzzles involved too which I always really enjoy. If the whole game were like these levels, it would be one of my favorite games of all time.
Unfortunately, I'm not the biggest fan of shooters, and I'd say that's a solid 80% of the game. I can't criticize it for that reason, because I knew it was a shooter going into it, but I personally didn't find a lot of enjoyment out of the parts that didn't involve special non-gun related mechanics. That being said, I've played Apex Legends for a while, and so I was able to get through these shooter-heavy levels by recognizing things from having played Apex and piecing together its lore (yes, yes, I know Titanfall 2 was first). I think it's a bit unfortunate that if not for having recognized things from having played Apex, I might have not even made it to the levels I really did enjoy.
Aside from the individual levels, I did really enjoy learning the mechanics of each titan and fighting the different boss titans throughout the game. It felt very classic in that way (level, boss, level, boss, etc) and I appreciated it. I played on regular mode and only died maybe around five times throughout the whole campaign. Definitely easy if you've played other shooters (like Apex), and Hard might be a better challenge that's still feels beatable, but possibly more fun. Regular was definitely the move for me, personally, so that I could speed through most of the shooting sections.
Finally, there's the online multiplayer mode, and I'm definitely a fan. Apex Legends has a Team Deathmatch mode, which I've never liked too much, but only because I always figured (why not just play the normal Battle Royale mode instead?). Titanfall 2 multiplayer mode is basically Apex's Team Deathmatch, but more involved as you go back and forth between your pilot and your titan. I'd recommend playing through the campaign first to learn the abilities of all your titans available to you, and then customizing your multiplayer loadout accordingly. I still plan on playing Apex as I usually do, but Team Deathmatch pretty much seems obsolete to me, now that Titanfall 2 multiplayer is an option available to me.
Achievement Hunting seems annoying and I don't plan on 100%ing this game. Two achievements are based on just beating the game at different difficulty modes, which seems redundant imo. Meanwhile there are also achievements that are multiplayer-specific which brings the difficulty up another notch. I like achievements that feel like challenges, but aren't tedious, and unfortunately, I don't think this game quite captures that.
Overall, if you like shooters, both the campaign and multiplayer will seem top-tier to you. If you don't like shooters, I think it's still worth it for one of the best levels in any game I've ever played, but it WILL take a big amount of willpower to get through some of the boring military gun stuff first.
Unfortunately, I'm not the biggest fan of shooters, and I'd say that's a solid 80% of the game. I can't criticize it for that reason, because I knew it was a shooter going into it, but I personally didn't find a lot of enjoyment out of the parts that didn't involve special non-gun related mechanics. That being said, I've played Apex Legends for a while, and so I was able to get through these shooter-heavy levels by recognizing things from having played Apex and piecing together its lore (yes, yes, I know Titanfall 2 was first). I think it's a bit unfortunate that if not for having recognized things from having played Apex, I might have not even made it to the levels I really did enjoy.
Aside from the individual levels, I did really enjoy learning the mechanics of each titan and fighting the different boss titans throughout the game. It felt very classic in that way (level, boss, level, boss, etc) and I appreciated it. I played on regular mode and only died maybe around five times throughout the whole campaign. Definitely easy if you've played other shooters (like Apex), and Hard might be a better challenge that's still feels beatable, but possibly more fun. Regular was definitely the move for me, personally, so that I could speed through most of the shooting sections.
Finally, there's the online multiplayer mode, and I'm definitely a fan. Apex Legends has a Team Deathmatch mode, which I've never liked too much, but only because I always figured (why not just play the normal Battle Royale mode instead?). Titanfall 2 multiplayer mode is basically Apex's Team Deathmatch, but more involved as you go back and forth between your pilot and your titan. I'd recommend playing through the campaign first to learn the abilities of all your titans available to you, and then customizing your multiplayer loadout accordingly. I still plan on playing Apex as I usually do, but Team Deathmatch pretty much seems obsolete to me, now that Titanfall 2 multiplayer is an option available to me.
Achievement Hunting seems annoying and I don't plan on 100%ing this game. Two achievements are based on just beating the game at different difficulty modes, which seems redundant imo. Meanwhile there are also achievements that are multiplayer-specific which brings the difficulty up another notch. I like achievements that feel like challenges, but aren't tedious, and unfortunately, I don't think this game quite captures that.
Overall, if you like shooters, both the campaign and multiplayer will seem top-tier to you. If you don't like shooters, I think it's still worth it for one of the best levels in any game I've ever played, but it WILL take a big amount of willpower to get through some of the boring military gun stuff first.
2015
Life is Strange was a fantastic game from start to finish. It really hooked me in with it's time travel mechanics, but then made me stay for it's gut-wrenching yet euphoric story. They also delved way deeper into it's time travel lore than I was initially expecting- something I really appreciated as a sci-fi fan. Much more substance than your cliche "oh no! don't cause a paradox!" scene you get from lots of traditional media these days.
Many movies, TV shows, or games, are able to make me feel happy or feel sad, sometimes to the point of laughing out loud or crying, but very few are able to make me feel other emotions just as strongly. This game has some moments of visceral disgust, as well as total catharsis. It's choice-based mechanics can even make your experience existential.
Graphics are usually the last thing I care about in video games, but despite it being eight and a half years old, the graphics hold up and it's a pretty game to walk through. Seeing realistic human expression and emotion adds so much depth to the emotions you feel as the player.
The only downside is there isn't much gameplay other than walking around and making dialogue choices. The very last chapter introduces some hide-and-seek gameplay mechanics, but it's more tedious than it is fun, imo, mostly due to how slow you have to sneak around. The atmosphere is crazy good at that part, though, which more than makes up for it.
My last point is just that the achievements seem a bit obtuse. There's 50 of them and they all involve finding a secret location for taking a picture. Sometimes you have to go through entire dialogue interactions, rewind to get the correct dialogue options, and only then are you able to take one of these secret pictures. I ended up only getting about 12 on my normal playthrough and it also felt somewhat tedious to go back and get the rest of them using a guide. In their defense, after beating the game, you unlock a "collectable mode" that lets you get collectables without affecting your choices, and you can also skip to various different points within each chapter to essentially skip right to a photo. Despite this, there are many chapters where you have to sit through a long opening, or go through various plot point cutscenes and dialogues until you get to the point you can take the picture. My advice would be to look for a spoiler-free achievement guide you can follow during your initial playthrough.
Achievement-hunting aside, I truly believe that this game is an absolute must-play, for anyone who likes or doesn't like video games. It's a beautiful story that almost anyone will be able to relate to. If you like sci-fi or happen to be from the state of Oregon, that also adds a cherry on top!
Also, bae before bay 4 lyfe.
Many movies, TV shows, or games, are able to make me feel happy or feel sad, sometimes to the point of laughing out loud or crying, but very few are able to make me feel other emotions just as strongly. This game has some moments of visceral disgust, as well as total catharsis. It's choice-based mechanics can even make your experience existential.
Graphics are usually the last thing I care about in video games, but despite it being eight and a half years old, the graphics hold up and it's a pretty game to walk through. Seeing realistic human expression and emotion adds so much depth to the emotions you feel as the player.
The only downside is there isn't much gameplay other than walking around and making dialogue choices. The very last chapter introduces some hide-and-seek gameplay mechanics, but it's more tedious than it is fun, imo, mostly due to how slow you have to sneak around. The atmosphere is crazy good at that part, though, which more than makes up for it.
My last point is just that the achievements seem a bit obtuse. There's 50 of them and they all involve finding a secret location for taking a picture. Sometimes you have to go through entire dialogue interactions, rewind to get the correct dialogue options, and only then are you able to take one of these secret pictures. I ended up only getting about 12 on my normal playthrough and it also felt somewhat tedious to go back and get the rest of them using a guide. In their defense, after beating the game, you unlock a "collectable mode" that lets you get collectables without affecting your choices, and you can also skip to various different points within each chapter to essentially skip right to a photo. Despite this, there are many chapters where you have to sit through a long opening, or go through various plot point cutscenes and dialogues until you get to the point you can take the picture. My advice would be to look for a spoiler-free achievement guide you can follow during your initial playthrough.
Achievement-hunting aside, I truly believe that this game is an absolute must-play, for anyone who likes or doesn't like video games. It's a beautiful story that almost anyone will be able to relate to. If you like sci-fi or happen to be from the state of Oregon, that also adds a cherry on top!
Also, bae before bay 4 lyfe.
Honestly, I liked Ruin just as much as I did the original, if not slightly more. Everything that I liked about the base game applies to Ruin. The characters and atmosphere are PEAK. The spookiness of it all, being a horror game, is used significantly more than the base game, and the emotional aspect the base game puts you through is only amplified in this one. The two concerns I had in the base game (glitchiness and lack of instructions) are completely gone in this DLC. It feels very polished and I pretty much always knew what I had to do, and this was even going in blind (as opposed to the base game where I had already watched a few playthroughs).
The only downside is that it's significantly more linear and level-based than it is open-world, which was an aspect I really appreciated about the base game. I think if you played both the base game and the DLC from start to finish, it would create a really fun overall experience where you get the best of both worlds, and a better conclusion than any ending we've had before.
Looking forward to what Steel Wool comes up with next!
The only downside is that it's significantly more linear and level-based than it is open-world, which was an aspect I really appreciated about the base game. I think if you played both the base game and the DLC from start to finish, it would create a really fun overall experience where you get the best of both worlds, and a better conclusion than any ending we've had before.
Looking forward to what Steel Wool comes up with next!
2014
This review contains spoilers
Having seen friends play and talk about this game for the past decade, I had always wanted to play it, but only recently got around to it. After a little over 50 hours spread over just under 4 weeks, I managed to finish both the main game and its DLC, Road to Gehenna.
I enjoyed the main game a great deal. I was able to go in blind and my interactions with Milton were a blast. The options you had in speaking with Milton felt realistic enough that the game could have an accurate portrayal of my beliefs and really use them against me in the best way possible. Elohim was also written quite well in that I could never quite tell whose interests he had in mind. Gameplay-wise, the puzzles felt very fun to try and solve. Even when they were very tough to solve, they never felt unfair or boring to spend a while figuring out. Sometimes taking a break and going to bed for the night was the solution as I'd come back the next day knowing exactly what to do. There was only a single puzzle in the main game where I reluctantly looked up a walkthrough for, and even then I wasn't annoyed by it, I was just thoroughly stumped. Story-wise, I'm thoroughly impressed with how great of a character Alexandra Drennan was. I was surprised with how attached I felt to her character by the end of the game having never actually seen her before. There's a moment in the DLC where a character mentions the faith and trust they have in Alexandra and it made me tear up. Very very good. Seeing the story through Alexandra, Milton, and Elohim's eyes coming to a climactic end was truly chef's kiss. Highly recommend.
The DLC I have some differing opinions on. While some of the puzzles were still just as fun to solve as those in the main game if not moreso, I would say most felt a bit overwhelming. Granted, having been around 2-3 weeks in, it's possible I was suffering from some sort of Talos Principle-fatigue by this point and was just trying to get it overwith. As far as I'm aware though, I was eager to come back to this game every time, the puzzles were just genuinely a lot. It took concepts from the main game and came up with more complex puzzles using them, which I appreciate, that's how you make a good "sequel." But I don't know if I had the brain capacity for some of these, as it would get to the point where my mind would go blank, or I wouldn't even know how to start, and I would just feel totally lost. Definitely ended up resorting to walkthroughs moreso for the DLC. Story-wise, I think I liked it even better the main game? Or at least the same amount. It was a really good story, connected to the main story, but told in a very different light, and I think it made the overall world feel a lot more fleshed out. The interactions aren't as personal, so if you're not a fan of very hard puzzles, I think watching a Let's Play of the DLC is enough.
Overall, a very solid puzzle game, probably one of my favorites up there with the Portal series. Highly anticipating the sequel coming out later this year!
I enjoyed the main game a great deal. I was able to go in blind and my interactions with Milton were a blast. The options you had in speaking with Milton felt realistic enough that the game could have an accurate portrayal of my beliefs and really use them against me in the best way possible. Elohim was also written quite well in that I could never quite tell whose interests he had in mind. Gameplay-wise, the puzzles felt very fun to try and solve. Even when they were very tough to solve, they never felt unfair or boring to spend a while figuring out. Sometimes taking a break and going to bed for the night was the solution as I'd come back the next day knowing exactly what to do. There was only a single puzzle in the main game where I reluctantly looked up a walkthrough for, and even then I wasn't annoyed by it, I was just thoroughly stumped. Story-wise, I'm thoroughly impressed with how great of a character Alexandra Drennan was. I was surprised with how attached I felt to her character by the end of the game having never actually seen her before. There's a moment in the DLC where a character mentions the faith and trust they have in Alexandra and it made me tear up. Very very good. Seeing the story through Alexandra, Milton, and Elohim's eyes coming to a climactic end was truly chef's kiss. Highly recommend.
The DLC I have some differing opinions on. While some of the puzzles were still just as fun to solve as those in the main game if not moreso, I would say most felt a bit overwhelming. Granted, having been around 2-3 weeks in, it's possible I was suffering from some sort of Talos Principle-fatigue by this point and was just trying to get it overwith. As far as I'm aware though, I was eager to come back to this game every time, the puzzles were just genuinely a lot. It took concepts from the main game and came up with more complex puzzles using them, which I appreciate, that's how you make a good "sequel." But I don't know if I had the brain capacity for some of these, as it would get to the point where my mind would go blank, or I wouldn't even know how to start, and I would just feel totally lost. Definitely ended up resorting to walkthroughs moreso for the DLC. Story-wise, I think I liked it even better the main game? Or at least the same amount. It was a really good story, connected to the main story, but told in a very different light, and I think it made the overall world feel a lot more fleshed out. The interactions aren't as personal, so if you're not a fan of very hard puzzles, I think watching a Let's Play of the DLC is enough.
Overall, a very solid puzzle game, probably one of my favorites up there with the Portal series. Highly anticipating the sequel coming out later this year!
2021
I had such a fun time with this game and the franchise as a whole! Despite having played through all three games within a few months or so, there were many moments that payed homage to the original game in which I could feel how meaningful they were and still managed to affect me emotionally. The scenery was absolutely beautiful, the characters were further developed still (although I might have liked even a bit more of Sasha and Milla), and the story was such a great continuation of everything we built up in the first case and Rhombus of Ruin. 100%ing this game was easier than the first was, and I believe that was intentional, so if you like 100%ing games, but found the first frustrating, I'd still recommend trying it here.
Overall, I'd say I liked this game as much as the first and highly recommend!
That being said, if I had to compare the two, I do think I liked the first game slightly more. The atmosphere of the first game had this creepy/unsettling vibe to it that, while not necessarily grotesque, was certainly toeing that line. It reminded me of Invader Zim in that regard. This game definitely took a different direction, though, and while they executed it incredibly, I definitely have an affinity for the weirder stuff. But that's personal preference and doesn't speak to how incredibly well-made this game is. I love all the new characters, and if I had any other criticism, it'd be that I just want more of of them!
Overall, I'd say I liked this game as much as the first and highly recommend!
That being said, if I had to compare the two, I do think I liked the first game slightly more. The atmosphere of the first game had this creepy/unsettling vibe to it that, while not necessarily grotesque, was certainly toeing that line. It reminded me of Invader Zim in that regard. This game definitely took a different direction, though, and while they executed it incredibly, I definitely have an affinity for the weirder stuff. But that's personal preference and doesn't speak to how incredibly well-made this game is. I love all the new characters, and if I had any other criticism, it'd be that I just want more of of them!
Fantastic follow-up that I played immediately after completing the first game. I do usually enjoy VR games, though, and I could see this getting slightly boring after a while for someone who doesn't enjoy VR. If that fits your description, I think you'd be okay watching a longplay of this game on YouTube before playing Psychonauts 2. That being said, if you enjoy what VR usually has to offer, I definitely recommend playing this as it highlights a lot of what makes VR fun through the use of Raz's psychic powers. It also plays with size a lot which was very cool and even scary a couple times. You get a lot more development with many of my favorite characters from the first game as well, and the VR makes it feel that much personal. Very cute, funny, atmospheric, and entertaining :)
2005
This was a very fun game that hit all the right boxes for me. I'm a huge fan of this era of PS2-era platforming, and this is absolutely one that belongs near the top. The characters are cute and the story/environment is much more mature than I was expecting (in how it treats you, not necessarily in a raunchy way). The boss levels during the very final section of the game got a tiny bit frustrating and felt somewhat finnicky to beat, but overall, I had a great time.
I 100%ed the game a few days later and it honestly went by easier than I expected to. There are so many figments, but I had gotten more than expected during my normal playthrough, and there are a variety of online guides available for finding ones you missed, so I enjoyed the extra time I spent putting that effort in.
I 100%ed the game a few days later and it honestly went by easier than I expected to. There are so many figments, but I had gotten more than expected during my normal playthrough, and there are a variety of online guides available for finding ones you missed, so I enjoyed the extra time I spent putting that effort in.
I was expecting a shitpost (even with genuine effort behind it), but it ended up not feeling like a joke at all! This was a really fun game in every way! Story was interesting, dialogue was funny, the art is BEAUTIFUL, and the gameplay toward the end proved difficult, yet fun! Especially the boss level, so much was being thrown at me, it honestly reminded me of fighting Sans or Jevil (in Undertale/Deltarune) where you have to try over and over and memorize the patterns in order to have a chance at beating it. And if challenging isn't your thing, there are extremely flexible accessibility options to adjust the difficulty if need be! Highly recommend a playthrough :)
2019
Absolutely the CUTEST game I've ever played. Love the atmosphere so so much. Very casual and occasionally frustrating but still fun minigames. First run took me a little over three hours, then the subsequent two were about two hours and one hour respectively. If you have the time, it can definitely be beat in a day. Spent about two hours getting the last few achievements and an hour and a half on the pinball achievement alone (very luck based). Time aside, the hand-drawn animation is beautiful and the music is so catchy. The humor is also fantastic and had me laughing out loud throughout the experience. The bulk of the gameplay is dialogue and minigames, so if that's your style, I highly recommend!
2021
I had 100%ed this game back in its early access, and I enjoyed it so much that I decided to 100% it again in it's full 1.0 release. (I think my hours spent was about 22 in early access and 28 in 1.0). The game is extremely fun for those who enjoy puzzle games or even exploration. There's many outlets for creativity as well and using creative solutions to solve requests in ways you might not expect. The atmosphere is iconic and comforting. I'm definitely looking forward to any and all updates and will be more than happy to jump right back in.
The only gripe I might have is that I spent about the last 7 hours (read note at bottom) of my playthrough grinding out the one final achievement of getting the max popularity stat. If I could change anything, I'd maybe lower that achievement by one level, or maybe have each transaction earn you a few extra points of popularity than it did before once you reach chapter X of the alchemist's path. Because it felt a tad bit grindy. Everything leading up to that, however, was SUPER fun and not grindy at all. And since that achievement is not mandatory, I highly recommend this game!
NOTE about the 7 hours: I realize that if you take those 7 hours aside, I ended up playing 1.0 for about the same time as I did the early access version. I think it's important to notice however is that I spent 22 hours in early access when I didn't know how to play, whereas I spent 22 hours playing 1.0 that had much more content, while being able to speed through lots of it. It was significantly more content and I, again, highly recommend!
The only gripe I might have is that I spent about the last 7 hours (read note at bottom) of my playthrough grinding out the one final achievement of getting the max popularity stat. If I could change anything, I'd maybe lower that achievement by one level, or maybe have each transaction earn you a few extra points of popularity than it did before once you reach chapter X of the alchemist's path. Because it felt a tad bit grindy. Everything leading up to that, however, was SUPER fun and not grindy at all. And since that achievement is not mandatory, I highly recommend this game!
NOTE about the 7 hours: I realize that if you take those 7 hours aside, I ended up playing 1.0 for about the same time as I did the early access version. I think it's important to notice however is that I spent 22 hours in early access when I didn't know how to play, whereas I spent 22 hours playing 1.0 that had much more content, while being able to speed through lots of it. It was significantly more content and I, again, highly recommend!
2020
One of the most SATISFYING games to 100% I've played in a while. I'm not always a completionist, but this game was so fun to play every second of. Trying to catch all the Bugsnax never felt like a chore and progressing in both the main story and DLC was always exciting. Gameplay is about as innocent as it looks, but don't take that for granted. There's so much more to this game's world and story than it seems on the surface. Highly recommend!
2019
Honestly, it took me a very long time to start enjoying this game. Most games either end within the first three minutes after you get beat down wherever you land, or you spend half an hour getting loot and surviving, only to die at the hands of the first team you come across. I mostly only played because I enjoyed playing with my friends. That being said, I'd say somewhere around the 40-50 hour mark, I was able to start enjoying the game itself as well as playing it on my own. I don't know if it's some form of stockholm syndrome, but I think it just has something to do with getting more used to the items and mechanics, and not having to question every aspect of the game as I play. I'm still really bad, but at least I feel like I know what I'm doing now so I can enjoy the aspect of getting better, as opposed to before where it felt like I couldn't do anything to help myself. In other words, I'd say this game has a steep learning curve, a 40 hour one for me personally, but if you manage to get past it, it does become a very enjoyable game!
FNaF Security Breach has quickly become one of my favorite games. While I've always been interested in the world and lore of FNaF, I never found the games that fun and have always been bad at them. This game changed all of that around for me. I never minded the horror aspect of it, but I also never cared too much about it, so having it be a much more upbeat, happier vibe was much to my personal preference.
Immersion is such an important factor for whether I like a game or not and this game does that for exceptionally well. This game has some of the most endearing, interesting, and likable characters that would've made my past teen self wanna write fanfiction or draw fanart for days on end. The world is absolutely beautiful and the cutscenes are a pleasure to watch. The game's own story, separate from the rest of the FNaF lore, is something that I always want to know more about, before, during, and after playing the game, in different ways. And then there's just enough overall lore sprinkled in for long time fans that will keep them engaged as well as ready for the next installment.
Gameplay, obviously, is arguably the most important factor in whether or not a game is good, and I have nothing but great things to say about it. On my first playthrough, I thought it was as simple as running away from animatronics, and while that may be the overall gimmick, there's a lot more that goes into it. I think many, including myself, lose patience every once in a while that we just want to run past animatronics, dodging and weaving as you go, but taking your time to hide and look at cameras every once in a while makes it feel a lot more strategic and fun, which makes sense as it is the intended way of playing the game. The gameplay became a lot more interesting on my second run where I tried to beat the game without using a hiding spot once in order to get the Hide and Seek Master achievement. Crouching, and stealth-walking behind animatronics becomes a lot more necessary and makes the game even more fun to play than I already felt it was.
There are really only two drawbacks to the game I can think of. As everybody knows and talks about, the game is very glitchy. Whether it's maps not fully loading, animatronics constantly spawning behind you, or invisible walls getting in your way, there's a lot of them throughout. However, none of it is game breaking, and while I admit that's a low bar, it's still important to note. What's more important, though, is that to me at least, it doesn't ruin the fun in the slightest. An extra 5 seconds of loading time for a map that looks gorgeous once it's loaded in is okay by me. Invisible walls are fine when I can jump right around it at no extra effort and can proceed normally. The constant animatronic spawn could get frustrating at times, but you have fazcams and fazerblasters to deal with that as well. I've played enough Sonic the Hedgehog games in my life to know what true game-breaking and patience-ending glitches feel like, and none of these come anywhere close. Where my real issue with the game lies is its lack of instructions.
Personally, I didn't struggle too much in playing this game, but that's because I had watched two and a half playthroughs of it first before trying it out myself. I knew what I was doing and what I was getting into ahead of time. I always knew what my goal was and where I was supposed to go next. But BOY does this game fail at telling you that itself. Yes, there is a general mission menu, but other than that, you're left with nothing but hope that you're exploring the right place. I know the game tries to make itself seem linear and straightforward, but if you're gonna go that route, I feel as though you should go all the way and always let the player know what their next immediate goal is (and not just a generic mission). It's far too easy to just get "stuck" in this game.
Money-wise, do I think this game is worth it? I'd say so. I had just about 24 hours of gameplay for the $40 price, 18 hours in my first playthrough, 6 in my second. And this world and its characters are gonna stick with me for much longer. I truly do find it worth the price.
All in all, do I recommend this game? Absolutely. Incredible world and characters. Pretty good story. Very fun gameplay (if you play stealthily, as intended), and the glitches are mostly insignificant as long as you know what you're doing. But all of that is assuming you know what you're doing. If you're willing to at least watch one playthrough of it beforehand or follow a walkthrough, I think you're golden and will have a fantastic time playing this game.
Immersion is such an important factor for whether I like a game or not and this game does that for exceptionally well. This game has some of the most endearing, interesting, and likable characters that would've made my past teen self wanna write fanfiction or draw fanart for days on end. The world is absolutely beautiful and the cutscenes are a pleasure to watch. The game's own story, separate from the rest of the FNaF lore, is something that I always want to know more about, before, during, and after playing the game, in different ways. And then there's just enough overall lore sprinkled in for long time fans that will keep them engaged as well as ready for the next installment.
Gameplay, obviously, is arguably the most important factor in whether or not a game is good, and I have nothing but great things to say about it. On my first playthrough, I thought it was as simple as running away from animatronics, and while that may be the overall gimmick, there's a lot more that goes into it. I think many, including myself, lose patience every once in a while that we just want to run past animatronics, dodging and weaving as you go, but taking your time to hide and look at cameras every once in a while makes it feel a lot more strategic and fun, which makes sense as it is the intended way of playing the game. The gameplay became a lot more interesting on my second run where I tried to beat the game without using a hiding spot once in order to get the Hide and Seek Master achievement. Crouching, and stealth-walking behind animatronics becomes a lot more necessary and makes the game even more fun to play than I already felt it was.
There are really only two drawbacks to the game I can think of. As everybody knows and talks about, the game is very glitchy. Whether it's maps not fully loading, animatronics constantly spawning behind you, or invisible walls getting in your way, there's a lot of them throughout. However, none of it is game breaking, and while I admit that's a low bar, it's still important to note. What's more important, though, is that to me at least, it doesn't ruin the fun in the slightest. An extra 5 seconds of loading time for a map that looks gorgeous once it's loaded in is okay by me. Invisible walls are fine when I can jump right around it at no extra effort and can proceed normally. The constant animatronic spawn could get frustrating at times, but you have fazcams and fazerblasters to deal with that as well. I've played enough Sonic the Hedgehog games in my life to know what true game-breaking and patience-ending glitches feel like, and none of these come anywhere close. Where my real issue with the game lies is its lack of instructions.
Personally, I didn't struggle too much in playing this game, but that's because I had watched two and a half playthroughs of it first before trying it out myself. I knew what I was doing and what I was getting into ahead of time. I always knew what my goal was and where I was supposed to go next. But BOY does this game fail at telling you that itself. Yes, there is a general mission menu, but other than that, you're left with nothing but hope that you're exploring the right place. I know the game tries to make itself seem linear and straightforward, but if you're gonna go that route, I feel as though you should go all the way and always let the player know what their next immediate goal is (and not just a generic mission). It's far too easy to just get "stuck" in this game.
Money-wise, do I think this game is worth it? I'd say so. I had just about 24 hours of gameplay for the $40 price, 18 hours in my first playthrough, 6 in my second. And this world and its characters are gonna stick with me for much longer. I truly do find it worth the price.
All in all, do I recommend this game? Absolutely. Incredible world and characters. Pretty good story. Very fun gameplay (if you play stealthily, as intended), and the glitches are mostly insignificant as long as you know what you're doing. But all of that is assuming you know what you're doing. If you're willing to at least watch one playthrough of it beforehand or follow a walkthrough, I think you're golden and will have a fantastic time playing this game.