Stellar Blade is a game that knows exactly what it wants to be, even if it isn't the greatest on all fronts. While the combat and soundtrack are clear standouts, the story leaves a bit to be desired. Apart from these obvious points, I think there's more reason to speak positively about the game as a whole than there is to linger on the negatives.

Let's start with the great things about SB. The combat is exceptional. C'mon, there's a parry; of course it's a 10/10. You have this option to use burst and beta abilities while fighting, and while those abilities are fun and flashy, the game allows you to take a more “pure” approach. If you want, you can zero in on using parries to beat your opponent to the point of using a Retribution attack. Most people will be familiar with a critical attack after breaking posture, but there's something so satisfying about draining such long posture bars in Stellar Blade. Each strike of your sword or spark of your abilities is a beautiful light show as well. It's very much a rhythm game that will leave you in its dust if you can't match it in time. I found myself getting 1 or 2 shot by plenty of enemies when I missed an important parry or dodge.

Overall, the game's visual aesthetic isn't something I'm mad about. Some cyberpunk-style designs feel a bit uninspired, but the world is highly detailed and wonderful to look at. It feels like one of those titles that was meant to be on the PS5. I really loved when the camera work would turn super dynamic in the cinematics. I think all the boss fight executions were brilliant. I also loved alot of the Naytiba designs. They take inspiration from many forms of life and almost always provide some sort of nightmare fuel, which I love. One small bit about them that I adored was the flourishes on the boss type Naytibas. It gives a stylized look to them and gives them a sense of grace that contrasts their violent existence. I think the MAIN character design in general is a standout in this game. Many of those main characters are so much fun to look at. There are always standouts in games that have mixes of organic and mechanical. The freedom that allows is something I'm sure character designers love.

Shoutout to the costume designers for EVE. Every time I thought they were at their limit, I got a new one and GYATTTTTT. I'm not too high and mighty to acknowledge the fan service of this game. You caught me. I enjoyed it. Pretty sure the devs made her ass bigger when she's wearing certain outfits too. Yoko Taro would be proud and disgusted, I'm sure.

Now, the music. Holy shit, these are some FF16 type tracks. I won't name some bosses, but Belial and Karakuri were just exceptional standouts to me. Don't even get me started on Democrawler. Breathtakingly incredible. We get such a beautiful blend of instruments and musical mediums throughout this whole game. It's hard to focus during some fights, and I think the camp's theme will be burned into my eardrums for awhile. Overall, I'm so impressed with soundtracks like this. I can't see anything topping these tracks this year, but I'd love to hear someone try.

Shoutout to the final boss theme being a rendition of the main theme. We LOVE that shit around here.

The story and characters just fell a bit flat to me. I didn't feel much chemistry between EVE and her companions. Some characters seemed like they knew they were NPCs and took that assignment seriously. I felt like many emotions weren't there when they needed to be. I wanted to like the story more, but I saw the ending coming from a mile away. The only reason it isn't more of a knock for me, personally, is because there were a few nice twists in the lore that I enjoyed. It isn't horrible, and maybe I'm judging it too harshly, but it was by no means cinema.

Overall, I think this game is very much worth playing, even if for the combat alone. There are plenty of side quests and the platinum trophy is there for the taking. Another wonderful example of a game I saw the first teaser for ages ago, hyped up, and then happily received it when it finally released. That's a breath of fresh air anytime it happens.

By the way, are the incels still mad at this game? They said it got censored?? I can't imagine seeing the fan service of this game and thinking it isn't “good enough.” Imagine using your limited time on this beautiful Earth like that when you could literally load up Stellar Blade, play as a beautiful android woman, and SAVE Earth instead.

While I don't think this is my favorite Metroidvania I've played so far, I think it's best in its class.

Playing Hollow Knight after playing my first few Metroidvanias, rather than before, set my expectations in a strange place for the game. I've heard so much talk about it, and witnessed even more excitement for the ever-illusive Silksong. I went into it expecting a masterpiece of not only the genre, but of everything that constitutes a great game.

I liked the story, even if it seemed a bit dense at times with all the bugs whispering gibberish into my ear. I'm the guy destined to become the new John Hollow. I'm pretty sure that's obvious, so I'm not marking this as a spoiler. Okay, cool. I was led astray so many times by NPCs who, it seems, you talk to in the first 10 minutes of the game and then have to revisit in the 90th percentile??? Obviously a bit of an exaggeration, but the layering of side quests and their progression is definitely the most complicated out of most games I've played. I don't think that's a bad thing either. I think it's done well enough and more of a reason to be more present when playing the game if you care about the story and its characters a lot.

I think it's easy to sometimes get swept up in the monotony of running back and forth throughout MVs. I touched on this in my Blasphemous reviews; it's incredible how there's a point around 40% percent through these games where you're slow, and the map is big. You're aware of countless areas that are unexplored, but you're lacking the abilities to get to them. This was me more than ever on HK. I loved exploring the map, but I think it's incredibly punishing. I can't imagine someone new to MVs having fun platforming on this game in the beginning. Granted, I'm not the greatest platformer in the world, but I'm certainly not the worst. See below.

I DID NOT FINISH PATH OF PAIN. FUCK THAT. FUCK THE DEVS. SICKOS.

The art direction is extremely cohesive. I didn't feel like anything in the game was out of place. From the sprawling backgrounds, to the enemy design, and the animations, I loved the way this game looked. The environments transitioned color pallets beautifully. I adore when a game isn't afraid to go all out with the colors while still keeping with their aesthetic. The orange of the infection is burned into my brain like one of the blobs was the sun and stared at it too long. Oh, and who knew so many amazing designs could be based around bugs? Looking back, it sounds so obvious because they're like the naturally gifted knights of the animal kingdom. They're quite literally born with armor over their bodies. If any of the bugs in HK were human-sized, I think we'd be doomed.

Combat is great and so are the bosses. I think the weapon upgrade system is balanced, as it incentivizes exploration and challenges the player to fight more bosses. Magic seems OP as hell, as usual. Magic users have tiptoed the line of baby gaming for far too long. It's time we banned all uses of magic from games. But seriously, the balancing of spirit when it comes to magic and healing is well done. Healing? What's that? Seems like they only put it in the game to use outside of combat. You definitely don't want to use it in a boss fight. I think the boss is coded to go ape mode when you start channeling spirit. Once you figure that out, I think you enjoy the combat even more. It reminds me of Sekiro in a way because you have to dance with the boss at a certain rhythm. While there is no parry (kinda) you still have your jumps and dashes to guide you across the dance floor.

The music hit all the notes. It was somber, energizing and grand. I sometimes felt like I was walking the pews at a funeral or receiving a medal for being the people's champion. I especially loved the Mantis Lords track. Inject that shit into my veins. It's incredible to me how so many studios can create such distinctive sounds for their games. Video game soundtracks are a genre of art that is probably the most ignored by the public. Anyway, listen to and appreciate more OSTs. If you're reading this on a video game review site, I'm sure I don't have to tell you that.

Overall, I loved Hollow Knight. Like with any title, there are small annoyances, but they pale in comparison to the radiance displayed during the high points of this game. I fully understand why Silksong is longed for. I fully understand why HK holds a special place in the hearts of many, as it now does mine. As always, I'm thankful to exist during a time when I can experience games like this. There's so much beauty in playing a game you always knew about but never gave a chance.

What a game, man.

There are many aspects about this game that I loved for similar reasons that I went over in my review of the first game. Feel free to check that out if you think I'm missing the point on anything.

With that being said, I have a tremendous amount of respect for the people who dedicated so much time to creating the art for this game. Not only are the sprites and backgrounds more detailed than ever, but some cutscenes are also animated in a beautiful style that is mostly stripped of heavy shadow work on character details. The movements are graceful and the tone of them reflects the themes of the game. As a fan of animation, I loved seeing this addition.

It's nice to step into the shoes of the Penitent One again; this time with more weapons and a dashing set of traversal techniques. As a parry man myself, I couldn't stop maining Ruego. The beauty of this game is that you could likely clear it by just using your favorite, singular weapon, apart from when you need a certain ability from another. The gameplay caters to almost any playstyle and doesn't feel stale in the slightest. The traversal changes are welcomed with open arms as you acquire a double jump, and the ability to chain your movements with the environment via certain weapon procs. The studio improved upon the first game in all the ways I imagined before playing it.

As always, I think so much of the magic of this game comes from the music. It drives you through each section and boss fight in a way that feels primal. The string work is unbelievably good. Carlos Viola deserves an award for his work.

My only gripes are a few instances of projectiles being thrown at me like I'm being nuked by a Cold War state. Just relax with the damn miasma balls. Jesus. Another one would be the navigation in a couple areas of the map. They weren't THAT bad in hindsight. I think they mostly pissed me off at the moment.

I can't recommend Blasphemous 2 enough, especially to someone who enjoyed the previous title or loves Metroidvanias. I'm thankful that I gave them a shot, because I never thought I'd enjoy a side-scrolling game like this in my life. I know this might sound ridiculous, but giving games like this a try has left quite the impact on me. You never know what you're missing. There are so many games or experiences out there in life that we discount based on our powerful preconceptions. Sometimes, the best thing you can do is resist those voices and push back hard. There's so much out there to enjoy if you just look a little harder and take a chance.

Blasphemous ignited a roaring fire within me that increased my love and appreciation for both gaming and life in general. The fire was always there, but it feels more visceral than ever.