Spoiler free review

Final Fantasy VII Rebirth is a massive RPG, the sheer quantity and quality of its content are astonishing and showcase how Square Enix invested an incredible amount of effort (and money!) to create the most grandiose and ambitious game they have ever released. This should come as no surprise considering the importance of the Final Fantasy VII franchise for the company and the public, and the resounding success of the previous chapter.

While it was expected that Rebirth would be a grand videogame, what truly surprised me is the discovery that beneath its modern, lustrous surface lies a game that seems to belong to a different time—a new entry in the serie that is reminiscent of an era of Final Fantasy that I thought was long gone. There are many aspects of Rebirth that evoke a nostalgic feeling; wonderful cities and towns, wacky minigames, a variety of subquests and different activities. In a general sense, traveling the world with a cast of compelling characters to defeat a great evil. All elements that were staples of the series but that the latest installments struggled to fully reproduce, always trying to compromise one thing for another.

In Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, it seems like nothing was compromised. It’s like Square Enix poured everything they had into this project, similar to what they did with their main title releases 20 years ago. There are no omissions, no missing elements necessitating DLCs or movies, no concept too ambitious to be included, it seems like every idea the developing team had was fully realized in this game.

The result isn't flawless by any means; there are numerous odd (sometimes inexplicable) design and narrative choices, and the game occasionally struggles to find its equilibrium while juggling so many elements at once.

One of the consequence of such abbundance, for example, is that the main story is streched so thin that even characters are often confused on what they have to do. Its’ up to the player to find an healthy balance between side and main content to avoid losing completely the narrative thread or burning out on repetitive activities. The game offers so much content that it can easily become overwhelming if you don't know how to manage it well.

One of its greatest strengths can easily turn in its biggest flaw: rewards for secondary quests and activities are, more often than not, very valuable, both in terms of narrative and gameplay. You could certainly skip most of the side activities if you're eager to progress with the main story, but would you really want to miss out on a piece of precious equipment? Or overlook a dialogue that adds depth to your party companion or unveils a crucial part of the story?

I decided to go for an almost-completitionist route from the get go, advancing only when I felt like I completed everything in a specific area (with few expetions), only because I am already invested in this world and characters and the rewards were a great payoffs for me personally. Keeping the bigger picture in mind, as well as the simpler and more streamlined story of the original, helped me navigate the extensive content of Rebirth without feeling lost when the narrative was absent for hours. Or when the story becomes progressively confusing and fragmented. Writing is excellent when it comes to characters. Not only the characterization is true to the original FF7 but is expanded and enriched in interesting ways. The game is filled with character moments that give a depth and complexity that wasn’t present in the original.

The main story, however, left me a bit perplexed. Even while reserving my final judgment until the conclusion in Part 3, I can't help but feel dissatisfied by some directorial choices that made crucial scenes confusing and diminished their emotional impact.

For all the reasons stated above, and perhaps even more so than with Part 1, I believe playing the original FF7 first greatly enhances the experience. Therefore, I will always recommend experiencing it before delving into the remake project.

Finally, although I have yet to come to a definitive judgment on the story and general pacing/progression of Rebirth, what I can say with absolute certainty though is that combat, the core element of the game, is incredibly well designed and is the perfect evolution of what we have seen in Remake. They addressed every main flaws of the previous game such as:

- More control on the character: being able to block, parry, counter attack, deal elemantal damage without additional materia, more tools to deal with flying enemies
- Building ATB faster and fill the wait between gauges using new Link Skills without ATB costs.
- Reward in switching to different characters and use ATB actions to gain bars to activate new Linked Actions.

They did an incredible job diversifying party members; each character plays significantly differently from the others, and the game encourages you through many situations and challanges to switch and try different combinations.

On the negative side, combat can feel confusing and overwhelming at times due to the multitude of options at your disposal and the visual chaos during battle scenes. Similar to Remake, it can be difficult to feel in control, especially when guarding, defending, and countering attacks. Enemy tells are often hard to read, making it easy to be overwhelmed and caught in a loop that can bring your entire party down in seconds.

Despite these problems that I hope will be addressed in the sequel, combat in Rebirth remains fun and engaging from start to finish. It stands as one of the prime examples of a combat system that effectively combines fast-paced action with in-depth tactical strategy.

Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown" is a solid 2D platform-action game. After 20 hours of jumps, swings, and anime-style sword clashes, I ultimately had a good time.

I’ll start with the negatives first: "The Lost Crown" effectively scratched the Metroidvania itch, but I'm not leaving with much more than that.

I feel the game didn’t introduce anything that truly stands out. It takes lessons from the greatest, and while I believe there is still merit in effectively combining the best features from the top-tier games of the genre, I wish there were more compelling reasons to choose this one over others.

One thing I am missing that I really value in this genre is the “sense of place”. I don't find the world of “The Lost Crown” to be particularly evocative or interesting. Personally, exploration is a significant factor in this type of game and, unfortunately, there's nothing that compelled me to explore or become immersed in this world. I was only moving forward, sometimes mechanically, more to make progress than moved by a sense of curiosity; there's no lore, art, characters, or area that fascinated me enough to make me want to explore further.

Still, even with nothing innovative going on, the game is fun to play thanks to the well-implemented core components (movement, powers, combat, etc.). There are moments when they combine in good harmony, and the game sings: latching onto that flying bird, then swinging on the pole to avoid spikes and landing on that soldier to deliver a potent blow.

Boss fights are the highlight of the game. They are thrilling and spectacular, and while they may appear challenging at first, the game provides ample opportunities to make mistakes or recover health. Mastering the enemy's moveset is not absolutely necessary; simply learning to avoid their strongest attacks suffices. It's nice that you can retry right away—they never impede progression significantly, yet they offer enough challenge and excitement to feel truly rewarding and adrenaline-inducing.

Powers are also very well implemented. Nothing stands out as original or innovative in the genre but the power progression is well balanced and each is useful for both platform and combat.

However, despite this solid foundation, I can’t help but feel that the game shines only in small portions; clever platforming puzzles and exciting fights create engaging moments that, sadly, are diluted in the overall experience. It takes a while to reach a good level of mobility. That combined with scarse teleports and the some unintersting areas, make the exploration of the first 7-8 hourse quite dull.

Finally, it’s important to note that the game is still a little buggy. Overall, the game ran well. I ran into gameplay-affecting bugs a few times, but unluckily they came up at the worst moments, like right after boss fights or long backtracking sections. This game definitely needed some more time in the oven.

Paranormasight is a well-executed visual novel that excels in telling an eerie yet captivating story. Amazing visuals and soundtrack are what make this game truly special; they create a unique atmosphere that entices the player from the very beginning. Speaking of that, the prologue is absolutely brilliant and masterfully sets the tone for the entire game. From then on, the story proceeds tightly without any major hiccups, reaching a satisfying ending without dragging on too much.

However, I can't help but notice how the game falls somewhat short compared to the first excellent hours, especially in regards to gameplay and interaction. Initially, the game presents interesting mechanics, twists, and fourth-wall-breaking puzzles that excited me and set the expectations for what was about to come. Sadly, those moments rarely occurred again during the course of the story. Paranormasight "limited" itself to a classic 2D visual novel with static setpieces and progression tied to often confusing dialogue choices. Nonetheless, a very good and exciting classic visual novel.

Chants of Sennar is an outstanding puzzle-adventure that succeeds in what I think this genre does best: constantly keeping you curious and longing for more knowledge. Satisfying players'curiosity along the way while preserving mystery, leaving them always yearning for more.

The language deciphering mechanic is satisfying and well balanced in itself. My favorite part was creating my own translations of the words, observing how they affected conversations, and then adjusting the meaning accordingly. The game leaves enough room for players to experiment but not so much that they could feel lost or stuck for too long. At regular intervals, it offers the 'correct' translation for each symbol. On one hand, this guidance can feel a little overly directed and removes the intriguing ambiguity that often accompanies language translation. On the other hand, it helps maintain the flow of the game and offers a helpful guiding hand. I understand how players who prefer a more hands-off or cryptic experience might dislike this aspect

There is also a nice variety of situations and ways in which the puzzles are presented. Without going into specifics, every step of the journey presents some unique traits and twists on the formula that help keep things fresh and engaging until the end.

I've read some negative comments on a specific mechanic that, while I agree it represents the least stimulating activity in the game and could be considered its weakest part, I think wasn't significant enough to hinder my overall experience.

Highly recommended.

Alan Wake 2 has something that I feel is often missing in other story-driven triple-A games: a clear and focused artistic vision. Something that provides a clear direction and ties every element of the story and the gameplay mechanics in a coherent and fascinating experience.
Remedy seems less preoccupied than its peers to appeal to the public by going out of its way to make something grandiose that could be enjoyed by everyone: shoehorning extra side quests, infinite collectibles, overly complicated skill trees, crafting or whatever is the latest trending mechanic.
Everything in this game feels necessary and functional to the developer’s purpose: tell a compelling story. Entice the player, make them laugh, scream out of fear (or excitement), literally make them jump from their seats. Sometimes make their eyes roll when the titular protagonist says that “this time he’s going to fix it. He will rewrite the story” for god knows how many times.
Remedy story telling can be obtusely convoluted and too self-aware at times, I myself am not the biggest fan of meta-narrative or connected universes in general. However, I thoroughly enjoyed the story of Alan Wake 2, perhaps more due to its presentation and pacing rather than the script itself.

Gunbrella is a good solid game! Great visual, satisfying gameplay, simple yet captivating story. Nothing stood out as exceptional to me and its OK, not every game need to be revolutionary or ground breaking.

Primarily, it's a twin-stick shooter/2Dplatform where the protragonist progresses through small levels, each filled with unique enemies and boss fights. Adjusting to its controls may require a bit of finger gymnastics and could be slightly uncomfortable at first. However, once the titular weapon is mastered, it can reward the player with satisfying moves and actions.

After hearing some complaints on the game being too easy in at normal, I jumped directly into hard mode and found myself enjoying the challenge quite a bit: every room becomes some sort of a puzzle, forcing the player to find the best approach to tackle enemies and quickly master the Gunbrella to avoid death. This approach heightened the action sequences and allowed me to get more out of each level, despite some frustrating moments due to the lack of autosave and sparse resting benches.

The narrative sequences are surprisingly long for this genre of game. Gunbrella constantly alternates between action and linear story-driven moments, occasionally slowing down the pace of progression. Luckily, well-written dialogues, interesting sound and visuals keep things engaging throughout the 5-6 hours it takes to beat the game.

I believe better-designed levels and more creative uses of the Gunbrella could have elevated the game. However, overall, it was a nice experience that didn't overstay its welcome.

What a gem of a game! It ticks every box and embodies what makes a perfect puzzle adventure: a simple yet captivating concept that becomes more complex as the player progresses through the game.

Every level is masterfully designed and each environmental puzzle offers a new perspective, adding layers on top of the core mechanic. It consistently introduces new gimmicks and variations, keeping things engaging and fresh, and every section is wrapped up nicely by a memorable boss fight.

Visuals and sountrack are oustanding, they kept me in awe from start to finish. A excellent example of an artistic game that doesn't sacrifice gameplay, strongly recommended.

Final Fantasy 16 had the potential to be an outstanding narrative-driven stylish action game. However, Its unwillingness to let go the staple role-play elements of the series and their poor implementation, resulted in a game that doesn't fully satisfy on either front.

There's something that FF16 successfully inherits from previous main titles: being extremely divisive in terms of reception. The general—and extremely reductive—consensus seems to be that the audience is split between a new generation of enthusiasts open to new ideas and changes VS the old guard who is hostile to any swifts in the traditional formula. Again, this is not a new debate within the Final Fantasy community, but with FF16 in particular, I feel that those in the middle of these two extremes are somewhat forgotten.

I want to offer my perspective as someone who is an old fan of the franchise and traditional RPGs, but at the same time, very welcoming to changes. In fact, I would argue that the main negative aspect of FF16 is the fact that it doesn't truly abandon the traditional RPG elements when ii should have.

A sprawling RPG structure envelops this game, complete with levels, escalating numbers, gear, crafting, sub-quests ecc. However, despite everything that is offered, each of these elements is disappontingly implemented in a poor and superficial way. Literally every rpg components built around its central action "core" come across shallow and unnecessary.

Leveling up, for example, seems inconsequential: there's a lack of incentives to pursue extra levels through side activities because 1) the main quest offers ample experience to advance without encountering any sort of challenge 2) combat against regular enemies becomes extremely dull and ripetitive pretty fast.

Caring about gear and crafting too becomes insignificant rather early in the game, as you come to realize that the main quest's progression always provides you with the best equipment. Shops consistently sell items that fall short of what you already possess, and the rewards for sides activites and exploration frequently consist of crafting materials that hold little to no value for your needs.

Regarding side activities, this game offers some of the dullest subquests I have ever experienced in a game. Mechanically, the structure is always the same: you are pinballed between 2/3 npcs, occasionally there's a combat encounter as a conclusion, you are rewarder with 10 pelts you don't need and 1000 gil you won’t spend.
From a narrative perspective, these quests manage to effectively contextualize events, enhancing the player's comprehension of the game world, and fleshing out the stories and motivations of side characters. However, it's a pity that the most interesting ones are almost entirely concentrated at the end of game, on an exhausting quest-dump that, once again, abruptly decelerates the pacing of the main quest.

Given the reasons stated above, I found myself wondering whether the game would have greatly benefited from completely stripping away all of its RPG components and instead focusing solely on its spectacular and adrenaline combat. Sadly I came to the conclusion that, despite the solid foundations built by the combat designer, the combat system falls somewhat short too, especially during the first playthrough where the elements required to release its full potential are kept locked until the very end the main quest..

Generally speaking, every encounter with enemies feels repetitive, lacking any variation in approach or strategic decisions when dealing with different enemy types.
An elemental weakness system, even one as simple as the fire/ice a la God of War, could have significantly improved the gameplay experience. It would have also added purpose and depth to the gear/weapon mechanic.

At least mini bosses offer little variety with unique movesets and aesthetically gorgeous AOE attacks but that's about it. Eikon fights are spectacual and definetly the highlights of the game, but they represent only 1/4 of the overall experience.

What frustrates me the most when discussing the combat system, though, is the absence of two features that could have significantly enhanced my overall experience.
I'm referring to the scoring system and the higher difficulty mode, both of which are present in the game but inexplicably kept locked until the completion of the first playthrough.
I understand that they wanted to keep the game accessible to most people and probably didn't want to overwhelm players with a performance score, but why not give the player the freedom to choose?

Finally, I want to acknowledge that there are aspects to be loved about this game and I can easily see why so many people are pointing it as their favorite final fantasy in the franchise. The presentation is gorgeous, the world and the cast of characters are beautifully depicted, and the story is captivating from the get go. While I am not crazy of the shift from a political intrigue to the more typical RPG trope of a "heroic protagonist versus an evil godly force," I recognize that this is more a matter of personal taste rather than a fundamental criticism.
One of my favorite components of the game is the "active lore system" and the manner in which events and informations are catalogued in interactive codex and maps, I wish every game implemented such a well designed tools.