Its like the devs thought adding more twists meant the game would be better, Ill say I was enjoying the trial and error and mystery until the big twist.

there's some technical issues like with characters reacting in certain ways even if you already present them with information for them not to act a certain way and its kind of hard to be specific without spoiling, but it gets frustrating when you know what to do but the game just doesn't register it.

also having to do the same scenes over and over gets annoying they kind of let you fast forward but not really, like it would be nice to be able to skip when you already did something.

the amount of bad ends is fun though and its presentation is nice.

voice acting could be better which I blame the direction because the actors themselves are good unless they phoned it in because it was a video game.

I enjoyed my time with it but that last twist really knocks it down a star or half a star at least

Played the demo will change review on full release and I have to say even though I fucked with the aesthetic before I do like the cinematography and trippy nature of what they changed,

gameplay is a lot better and less annoying, its not just minigames that take forever. its more traditional turn based with a card system which I am glad indie rpg devs are not being scared of turn based.

I can't really say much for the story its pretty similar with some new stuff that may hint at things getting better,

but if you played til the end of the factory in the previous version and didn't like the dialogue there I doubt you will like it here. its still about the missing person which the original was criticized, and personally I wonder why they didn't just make a sequel or a new game with similar vibes and aesthetic.

because the game doesn't hide the fact it is still about a real life missing woman and a romanticized relationship between the protag and the same woman, maybe I.V is wanting to criticize the characters and specifically the main character and his immaturity but again ill have to see

the new music kicks ass though

and I like the bleed mechanic

For context this is the oldest Fire emblem I have played so far (the others being 7,8,13-17) so forgive me if I am just talking about classic FE and not this game specifically.

It's a hard game to rate, but I think It was fun in a challenging masochistic way, because every time I got frustrated with the game I always made it through the challenge being to figure out the strategy to win, which is probably just the appeal for the series.

what makes this one unique is the size of the maps and its time skip being split between gen 1 and gen 2. The large maps are also to make up for this game having less chapters but I liked how it made each chapter feel like little story in that continent and capturing bases and having the enemy armies respond while this is cool it does mean most of the game is moving units around and if they aren't on horse it will take extra long.

This series has always been good at tying narrative and gameplay but this game is on another level especially with the twist of gen 1.

The time skip works for both narrative and gameplay, pairing gen 1 units together for insanely overpowered units in gen 2 as well as the games theme of fixing the problems caused by the previous generation, and for a SNES game it's very impressive for what it does with its story, world, and in game politics.

My only major issue is I felt like it was hard to grasp the mechanics of the game, they don't explain it very well

But overall I enjoyed my time with it and can see its influence in the rest of the series and can see why its a fan favorite.

My initial review of this game was kind of mean and I felt went from a lack of understanding of both game design and the actual mechanics that went into the game


Not to say my issues went away per say but I was looking at it from a perspective of other game I like the black and white morality isn’t super well written but like, it sure is fun from a gameplay sense in this game

And maybe the game benefits from a simpler story to focus on a fantasy life sim

It’s an ambitious project and I’d be lying if I didn’t respect the hell out of ambition and trying to do cool shit with your game

The way you interact with your player character and how they interact with npcs and the world is very impressive and fun the fun ways you can complete quests is actually impressive, how armor and your character looks makes npcs reacts is really cool

Also the style has really grown on me

Combat is still a clunky but it didn’t bother me too much

As well as how this game gives the player exploration and choice without filling the world with empty space, now granted it’s not an open world but maybe modern games can learn from this fun albeit flawed fantasy life sim

On paper this game has a lot of neat ideas showing a smaller family in the universe of the series, and on paper it seems like these choices will matter but they really won’t minus roleplaying how you see your characters and one or two major things

I will say it doing the different perspectives that the show and book use is a really cool way of translating it into a game

I enjoyed my time but doesn’t compare to other telltale games, if you need more of a game of thrones fix, there’s plenty of better games to play

Or read the books

I really love this game despite not being as solid as CTR or Mario kart 64 which I believe were both out by the time of this game if not, wouldn’t be that far after

MK64 just has that 4 player advantage and CTR is just a really skill heavy racer


This one has a cute aesthetic and final fantasy in it, with a cute pop up book story mode that reminded me of yoshis story and I fuck with that

Unlocking things requires you to beat story mode up to 10 times each completion unlocking something new, but I wouldn’t say the story mode is as good as CTRs adventure mode or even diddy kong racing

It’s still a cute fun time it’s just other racers in that era had a lot more going for it


I still love this game though

I feel you have to be in the right mindset for this game. Coming after IV but before VI this game takes a more simpler approach to its story in a similar vein to FFI and FFIII being a gameplay evolution to those games as well, but with the main 4 characters not being blank slates, while also improving on the job system that still holds up really well today

There’s nothing wrong with telling a simpler story you just have to understand that going in, it’s a very cute little romp characters have cheeky moments and have little arcs that aren’t much but I wouldn’t call Mario rpg or paper Mario in depth on the writing department minus its humor but those are still great games.

the biggest surprise was Gilgamesh, a character I’ve met in other final fantasy games and I finally got to see his original game and theme and I didn’t expect it to be as good as it was

The battle on big bridge wasn’t just a cool theme but it was a really cool set piece and Gilgamesh arguably has more of an arc than our main characters minus galuf, anytime Gil was on screen there was a smile on my face and no wonder they love bringing him back in later entires

If you wanna know my opinion on other characters

Bartz is fine
Lenna is cute if not flat
Farris is really cool and my personal fav despite
Galuf being better written
And kyrile is kinda eh for me but I’d be hard pressed to say I HATE any of them the games not trying to be FFIV which while one of my favorites in the series especially for its characters is fine and works especially for an anthology series you just have to know that going into this game

Don’t get me wrong either I personally prefer my games with a narrative focus especially my RPGs but I’m fine with them doing something more light hearted and simple especially when the gameplay is this solid.

This game doesn’t require you to be an insane person who loves grinding for stupidly busted builds in rpgs, but being that is super fun and rewarding for me when I can make my characters basically gods because the games mechanics being able to mix and match job abilities with no consequence unlike FFIII really does wonders to player freedom

While still being a balanced game to still have challenge for the player the game wants you to try things be flexible try a different setup if you get stuck in an area, and it’s not too different from just changing your party in a rpg where characters are set classes. But giving players that control is fun. Hell there were jobs I didn’t even use but I’ll be sure to use them next time just to experiment and that’s where the fun is.

It felt rewarding collecting songs for bard and summons for summoner with secret fights

While not my FAVORITE FF game id argue its objectively solid

My relationship with this game is actually quite funny I really did not gel with the weird quick cut into a time skip that the opening did and partially maybe it's because by the time I started my playthrough, the game had been memed on endlessly not without a good reason, it does have a early 2000s edgy ps2 game charm in the same vein as dirge of cerberus a FF7 sequel spin off staring Vincent Valentine.

But there was another part of the internet that I have a bone to pick about this game the people and reviewers who say this game is "making fun of how stupid final fantasy" is or a final fantasy for "sane people" these people clearly didn't actually play the game or finish it, because this is through and through a final fantasy action game that loves final fantasy, the way it adapts the job system the fact that every level is a reference to a different location in a final fantasy game, the fact it ties so heavily to the first final fantasy which isn't exactly a game modern gamers are talking about, while also being able to take things from later in the series to make something that is both a love letter and something new, it's not the most original game, while people and critics mentioned think jack our gruff guy protagonist is a new concept who isn't "gay or cares about the anime plot" unlike other stinky FF games. when in reality protagonists like cloud, squall, and lighting were more gruff straight to the point, no nonsense, goal driven. Usually there character growth or change comes into caring a lot more at least if we are looking on a surface level, and in the end jack is very much like these other final fantasy protagonists he even has more fun and talkative party members to bounce off his more brooding behavior. and it is funny.

which in that topic of humor I feel the idea that this game is so insanely ridiculous but doesn't care about aforementioned "anime bs" is also not only part of the eventual plot revelations but them being a bit tongue-in-cheek is just what all narratives especially ones of series that have been going on for this long will do personally I put this game on a similar spectrum to Kingdom hearts, Devil may cry, yakuza, metal gear, etc. crazy shit happens but these games play its more serious moments straight and some players fuck with that and can take more of the emotional stuff and things maybe these series want to say or stories they want to tell and enjoy it without a layer of irony.
in a TLDR sense some vocal critics enjoyed the game I liked incorrectly and I just wanted to bitch about it to make my review different.

I wouldn't say I even enjoy the narrative on the same level as the previously mentioned games but what this game wants to do works, the real meat is how the character we play as ties really well into the gameplay, this rough action man in a FF world punching the hell out of monsters is satisfying way and man this game adapts the job system insanely well for an action rpg, bringing back jobs that final fantasy fans haven't seen in years with enough customization to really fit your playstyle as well as more advanced jobs letting you equip more weapons than the last.

most people have this gameplay gripe but the item bloat is insanely bad I heard nioh 2 had the same issue but hopefully they'll learn sometimes less is more, as well as there being so much you are usually just going to auto optimize unless you really like a weapons ability or are playing fashion souls.

that and some pacing issues between missions kind of bog the game down when in the later half I really wanted some answers and they were like "ok but do this first" for no real reason other than the game would be over too soon, its not as bad as it sounds it happens like once or twice.
another gripe is that they like replay cutscenes you saw like 10 minutes ago and I know its got final fantasy magic world dimension stuff but I'm not a dumb dumb idiot baby I can handle it. also this isn't a real knock against the game and adding more character depth and interaction may take away what the game was trying to do but that's mostly why the game is just "really good at what it does and exceeded my expectations" but not in my favorite games of all time category which that's just my taste in games still really good

I voted this game goty in 2022 as a joke because I didn't have a real answer but I am actually glad I played it.

On a pure subjective level I prefer my rpgs with characters that have a lot more depth to them, and that's probably why I love dragon quest 11, and I am very interested in 4 and 8 for this reason.

that being said, the way this game does focus on the main character does impress me in a charming way, and I can see why its the most popular dragon quest game as well as one of the most influential aside from 1 and 3.

seeing your child character make friends and a pet and grow up get married have kids of his own that are your main party is a lot of fun, it also introduced the monster catching mechanic. while I have an issue with how every monster you recruit is back to level 1 as well as your children, it is a bit tedious but some monsters and especially the children are worth grinding because they become on par with the protagonist. playing as just some kid really brings out some nice twists in both gameplay and narrative though, almost being a npc in the world of the main characters, while still being the playable protag.

But as for the monster knowing which ones are worth grinding and buying equipment for is the hard part, but I can't be too hard on it because if they focused on just the monster mechanics it would probably work better, but lo and behold its how we got the dragon quest monsters series got made which means the devs knew this as well.


the characters are small but charming seeing little things come back and the game is very easy at leading you to where you need to go for the most part minus 1 or 2 parts of the game.

the worst part of the game that I see unfortunately is how dated the writing of women is in this game, dragon quest as a whole can be a double edged sword with it but all of their "tomboy" characters are still super feminine but know how to fight I guess, while Alena from 4 is very charming with her kicking down doors, the game really wants you to marry Bianca and tries to guilt you that she'll be all sad and alone that she can't marry the guy she went on one adventure with as a kid, and no matter who you marry they get pregnant and kidnapped for that entire portion of the game. so marrying the tough tomboy or rich girl who says she cant fight, really have no difference makes Bianca seem kind of boring and lame, this did make me take a huge break from the game for a while because while the marriage idea is cool that does lead to better romance systems in rpgs down the line, and I don't mean to be so hard on it, but I wanted to say how I felt about the game.

aside from this one gripe the pacing is really good and the leveling and feeling of getting stronger is standard for dragon quest but satisfying none the less. going into the game with a mindset of not expecting much from the writing but the novelty of what it did is a good thing to do

this is my third time with this game but first time with the remake, and I am very pleased how faithful it is.

it is scary because part of me worried certain things would be removed not even because they are bad or dated but because Nintendo really seems to sand the edges of their games sometimes, like just the fact mario is in his little rpg model speaks to how faithful it is, the final fantasy, zelda, Metroid, and other references are still there, I know it may be silly to focus so hard on that but the way mario rpgs have gotten so dull in the past decade removing any fun unique original design in favor of the typical mario universe we see in EVERY mainline game, really made me worry about their willingness to experiment especially with spin off games, which I feel only now they are realizing.

game is still mario rpg for better or worse with 2 or 3 things to make it easier not super huge on the additions but its whatever this game is a really good introductory rpg for people wanting to get into the genre hopefully, with a fun little adventure with wacky new places I super recommend this even if you haven't played the original

This game is criminally underrated especially when it seems like the first game gets all the attention, and personally I find this one to be a massive improvement in every regards, from writing, to characters, to gameplay.
I have to say I'm in love with the setting and atmosphere the game brings to the table, every idea from the first game feels expanded upon as well as progressing the setting making it feel like such a good sequel to the world and F&H

everything feels more fair and balanced while still being a brutal dark fantasy rpg, the battle royale premise does actually intertwine with the gameplay and allows players to make choices how they want to play this game, while also having an underlying plot beyond both what happened in the town the game takes place in and the nature of the death game.

having characters die this time around feels like much more of a consequence because of how likable they are, not saying I don't like the ones from the first game, but I feel there is more depth and quality to the characters this time around.
especially the women characters who get to be way more cool and not just an add on to the important man character I feel. but those consequences come back in that keeping characters alive and trying to save everyone route isn't what everyone will go for, you have options how you play the game and who you play as, each character having a different playstyle which makes replay-ablity a strong feature like the last game but you will see events you haven't seen before it's great, even if you are not killing the other characters they can still die from other monsters or story events if you aren't careful. it intertwines good narrative and characters with player freedom in ways I wish games would do more without sacrificing the writing.

id say also unlike the first game I can recommend this one more due to the nature of the sexual imagery being more tasteful this time around, that's not to say its perfect or for everyone and personally I would keep a lot of the sexual imagery because it is good body horror but that's what it should feel like rather than someone's fetish or as a bad end in the case of the first game.

I can see why people like the first game more, either the setting or how short the first one is if you know what you are doing, even if Termina can be as well, it boils down to my preference of how the writing is handled as well as all the gameplay improvements that I feel make the game more a fair and balanced challenge rather than hard for the sake of being hard.

overall really solid horror rpg that mixes narrative and gameplay in a fun scary way and is still getting updated.

I think its a decent intro to Fate if you aren't the visual novel type.

as a fan of type moon properties and also a critic of recent fate material I will say this does color me surprised with the things it does well.

the main protagonists are on the same writing quality level I feel of some of the best stuff in the series from Stay night, Zero, whatever third fate series you like. Saber and Iori having their little fun fish out of water segments but also that emotional depth in the later half of the game.

the main writing issue I feel is a lack of depth for the other masters and servants, don't get me wrong most of them are good but for some its just going to be passable, they have their moments but I guess I'm comparing to other fate series and type moon series and obviously the nature of it being an action rpg and not a 100 hour long VN with routes going over different characters and ideas is why it is as it is, which is why it's a good start for newbies wanting a more accessible title for the series. I guess I wish characters just got more than they had and maybe that the route differences were more apparent and maybe earlier, but I get that replaying things would get annoying since it has already kind of repetitive gameplay.

gameplay is better than other musou games, and the skill tree actually feels like it has an impact on my character. it still ends up being kind of repetitive especially later game when I really am just using one sword style the whole time.

sidequests are cute but mostly fate fanservice, and this game does feel like it takes influence from Fate grand order and not everyone likes how that game handles characters/servants/flanderization which is fair I feel the time we spend dicking around with rouge servants could be used to focus more time on the other servant master pairings aside from the like 5 new side quests in NG+, the best rouge servants are the two new ones go figure and really feel they fit into the actual plot of the game.

I still like it a lot for the characters and story, but from a more objective point the certain characters and plot points needed more depth to be on par with some of the best stuff in the franchise

also ost is actually really good

FC and SC are one larger story so a lot of the things I have to say about FC are also in this game but I will compare when needed.

Gameplay is a nice mix of grid based tactics of moving characters and positions and turn based action being faster than your opponent ad delaying their attacks, of course each party member has their own focus so there is more to it than speed. side quests range from killing monsters to more in depth stories that flesh out the world and have returning side characters appear, its also where the cast gets to be super entertaining and sometimes quests do change based on what is happening in the plot that may be directly related to plot events

Overall I like SC a lot better structure wise, there's a lot more chapters but they go by faster, a big issue with FC is that last chapter while good felt like it went on forever while the pacing of the other chapters were well paced,

the payoff wouldn't work without the setup of FC though, even though this one also sets things up both games manage to still tell a complete story which is nice, seeing Estelle really mature from a bumbling fool to someone who really can not only hold her own in battle but also emotionally mature enough to deal with the hardships in the world landed her as one of my favorite protagonists when I played.

and each character gets I feel an equal amount of screen time and development which was really amazing. I really enjoyed that the antagonist had connections to each party member either literally or thematically, but bringing the correct party member that correlates to their antagonist adds extra dialogue which is the level of detail Falcom puts in their writing that I enjoy.

Ill say the worst part really is how they write relationships between the step siblings who are both great characters and have a wonderful relationship but you have to get past the fact they are adopted siblings and everyone already shipped them, then the guy who seems to be hinting at a relationship with a super young girl character, and if the age or familial status wasn't there for either of these it would genuinely be great well written relationships but that really does linger in my mind.

also personal gripe that's not even a criticism, but the side quests being timed is a blessing and a curse it makes me want to do them but sometimes I get so drained from the game doing them and sometimes I just wanted to continue the plot.

The Characters are so engaging, the worldbuilding is in depth the combat system is fun, the side quests have depth to them and a in universe reason to be there, everything is top notch but there is one complaint I have.

"Is it the step sibling incest"

"Its the step sibling incest"

Rewriting this review after playing 9 and reviewing that,

I think my experience with 9 made me realize all the things I really loved about 8,

It was my first ys game and when I first played it was blown away firstly about how solid the gameplay was, and how fast adol was which worked for the type of fast paced action gameplay they wanted to do.

Secondly despite being a silent protagonist adol is very expressive and has funny dialogue options, that really show off his love for adventure, which is great because it really got me in the spirit to adventure this mysterious island, and that kind of is the magic of this series when it comes to the simpler parts of the narrative and charm of the characters.

The titular character Dana is the real star of the show, because while adol is a fun protag he’s mostly a surrogate for being able to go on adventures in the world of the series but the people he meets are the real characters with arcs and depth, and while this does apply to many games in the series, I bring it up in this game because of Dana’s character being interesting and her history and the way you learn more and more about it each chapter really made pace of the game work for me. Dana gets her own gameplay segments after each chapter with adol and his party.

And her gameplay is unique and interesting enough to stand on its own much like adol’s solo adventures in the earlier games. It adds a fun dynamic to smooth fast action

My favorite part of the game is definitely the village system, since it is a shipwreck on a island, you and the castaways you find make a village and you can explore and find more in the world and do quests for them to improve the village and also learn about people.

Each npc has a talent that helps give your base more utilities like items and armor and weapons, etc. but it was also just fun to learn about these characters where in the game world are they from, their life and such, and it’s fun to see adol writing about them in his journal.


I will say that if you are looking for writing with more depth falcoms other series trails or kiseki are more slow paced jrpgs with characters with bigger arcs and more depth. It’s not a gripe against ys but the simplicity may not be what everyone is looking for

Also music in this series is great as always