Katsono
2021
I don't know if I would give this game a try again. It's a very unpolished game and coming out as a sequel to Rune Factory 4 AND as a 2023 game I would say it just doesn't hold up.
I'm aware of the conditions this game was made in and its success is the only hope of seeing the series strive, so I'm glad ultimately it sold well enough but for me this was a very uninteresting game. I think the upgrade to 3D was an overly ambitious idea and they were not able to properly handle it: the performances are terrible and so are many other things such as the environments being flat and boring, how it makes the gameplay much slower (such as moving from one part of the town to another) and how clunky things can be (such as the farming, compared to RF4). RF4 feels like the peak of a genre and is extremely optimized in many aspects, every single action is incredibly satisfying so playing a game that feels extremely average as its sequel feels very disappointing.
I think RF5 doesn't really understand how much effort it takes to make 3D into something good. For example, it has much wider environments than RF4 and they both probably took about the same effort to make. But RF4 has overall tight and small areas, what's more separated by a grid system, compared to an open field type of design this is obviously easier to fill, the movement is snappier, etc. It's very difficult to have a 3D game with large spaces feel alive instead of empty, hence why it's mostly the focus of very big studios. RF5 really feels like a generic modern JRPG which aims too much at being modern and following the trends of third person view, open areas, etc. when it can't do it that well. Ultimately I wouldn't say the game is bad but it's so average that there's really nothing special about it. RF4 wasn't a perfect game but it had so many things that made it unique and were so well crafted that I will never forget the game. RF5 is just like a lot of the indie farming sims which don't really offer anything and are painfully average, only existing for hardcore fans of the genre who are already bored of the better games.
I only hope RF6 will bring back some of the things I loved about RF4 as it's one of my favourite games, but this one is not for me. One thing that I really liked however is the great art style, this was a big upgrade and feels much more mature than RF4 (the chara design not so much) but the in-game portraits fall pretty flat in comparison. The opening animation is a banger though, I really have to praise whoever directed it.
I'm aware of the conditions this game was made in and its success is the only hope of seeing the series strive, so I'm glad ultimately it sold well enough but for me this was a very uninteresting game. I think the upgrade to 3D was an overly ambitious idea and they were not able to properly handle it: the performances are terrible and so are many other things such as the environments being flat and boring, how it makes the gameplay much slower (such as moving from one part of the town to another) and how clunky things can be (such as the farming, compared to RF4). RF4 feels like the peak of a genre and is extremely optimized in many aspects, every single action is incredibly satisfying so playing a game that feels extremely average as its sequel feels very disappointing.
I think RF5 doesn't really understand how much effort it takes to make 3D into something good. For example, it has much wider environments than RF4 and they both probably took about the same effort to make. But RF4 has overall tight and small areas, what's more separated by a grid system, compared to an open field type of design this is obviously easier to fill, the movement is snappier, etc. It's very difficult to have a 3D game with large spaces feel alive instead of empty, hence why it's mostly the focus of very big studios. RF5 really feels like a generic modern JRPG which aims too much at being modern and following the trends of third person view, open areas, etc. when it can't do it that well. Ultimately I wouldn't say the game is bad but it's so average that there's really nothing special about it. RF4 wasn't a perfect game but it had so many things that made it unique and were so well crafted that I will never forget the game. RF5 is just like a lot of the indie farming sims which don't really offer anything and are painfully average, only existing for hardcore fans of the genre who are already bored of the better games.
I only hope RF6 will bring back some of the things I loved about RF4 as it's one of my favourite games, but this one is not for me. One thing that I really liked however is the great art style, this was a big upgrade and feels much more mature than RF4 (the chara design not so much) but the in-game portraits fall pretty flat in comparison. The opening animation is a banger though, I really have to praise whoever directed it.
2021
Just as good as the previous game, now in the new map from Yakuza 7 and with a new mode of transportation. The story is just as good as the previous game and so is the rest.
My only complaint would be that I didn't enjoy the way you unlock side quests by tracking them through an app.
My only complaint would be that I didn't enjoy the way you unlock side quests by tracking them through an app.
2018
Judgment is in many ways much better than Yakuza, be it the story or gameplay. It's a really fun game to play, the combat is very solid compared to Yakuza and the story has much less of the silly interruptions that break the seriousness. The characters are all very fleshed out and from beginning to end the game doesn't suffer from any downfall.
This is the first time I’ve seen an offline co-op game: both players need hints from the other player to solve puzzles but otherwise, no connection between the games is required. Luckily this allows for playing with a single steam copy of the game, pretty cool huh?
It’s a fairly short game and the puzzles are not too elaborate. It has four chapters during which you’ll see an environment where you can scroll through different screens and interact with things to find and solve puzzles.
So first of all, it’s very samey. You might expect a lot of difference between the two players but they just get different riddles and texts that are cut in half. The locations are the same and work the same way.
The game also lacks a lot of interactions. For example, you start the game on a desktop and you have a paperclip on it. You can’t do anything with it. It’s very obvious what is a puzzle component or not because of this. What’s more, most puzzles are extremely linear and isolated. If you go to a screen, you’re likely to find every element you need on that specific screen. It’s the same for coop, almost the entire cooperation is done with both players on the same screen and hence while the game advises you to hide your screen and share the information yourself, there isn’t all that much which is different.
It looks nice and has some cool animations but it’s all pretty samey and there isn’t really much to say about the presentation. Overall, the game was fun but I didn’t think much of it ultimately, especially the story which I think is neither very interesting nor well used in the context of a coop game.
It’s a fairly short game and the puzzles are not too elaborate. It has four chapters during which you’ll see an environment where you can scroll through different screens and interact with things to find and solve puzzles.
So first of all, it’s very samey. You might expect a lot of difference between the two players but they just get different riddles and texts that are cut in half. The locations are the same and work the same way.
The game also lacks a lot of interactions. For example, you start the game on a desktop and you have a paperclip on it. You can’t do anything with it. It’s very obvious what is a puzzle component or not because of this. What’s more, most puzzles are extremely linear and isolated. If you go to a screen, you’re likely to find every element you need on that specific screen. It’s the same for coop, almost the entire cooperation is done with both players on the same screen and hence while the game advises you to hide your screen and share the information yourself, there isn’t all that much which is different.
It looks nice and has some cool animations but it’s all pretty samey and there isn’t really much to say about the presentation. Overall, the game was fun but I didn’t think much of it ultimately, especially the story which I think is neither very interesting nor well used in the context of a coop game.
2019
A disappointing entry after Yakuza 3. While the story profits from it, separating the game into four playable characters makes it feel empty. The sidequests have been spread out and so is the moveset of a single character, Kiryu. Every character except Kiryu has a specialisation but it makes it very frustrating to fight enemies that can counter it and abuse your weakness.
It was also very boring having to grind four characters from the beginning, not only stats but also their equipments, money, etc.
It was also very boring having to grind four characters from the beginning, not only stats but also their equipments, money, etc.
2017
A much better game than Kiwami 1. It uses the newer engine and everything is much more shaped out, with also many more side quests. The game really feels like a modern Yakuza even when compared to Yakuza 3 - 5.
2016
A very literal remake of a PS2 game, this game keeps the same flaws a PS2 game would have. Many things like the main story design (including an entire part where you go back and forth to get food for a dog, multiple times in a row) are terrible and only contribute to wasting your time.
The story overall is interesting but the small bits can be really boring. There are a few cool additions such as Majima Everywhere.
One of the biggest flaws of the game is that the combat system has evolved, but the boss movesets haven't. In hard difficulty, you'll be stunned and grounded a LOT especially by the gank fight bosses where you'll face multiple gun holders that will constantly send you to the ground. It's extremely infuriating and the cause of it is that the movesets were not updated to work well with the newer combat system.
Overall an OK game in the original Kiryu series.
The story overall is interesting but the small bits can be really boring. There are a few cool additions such as Majima Everywhere.
One of the biggest flaws of the game is that the combat system has evolved, but the boss movesets haven't. In hard difficulty, you'll be stunned and grounded a LOT especially by the gank fight bosses where you'll face multiple gun holders that will constantly send you to the ground. It's extremely infuriating and the cause of it is that the movesets were not updated to work well with the newer combat system.
Overall an OK game in the original Kiryu series.
2016
I love what this game tried to do, but found it to be very tedious and repetitive to play. I had no interest in finishing it.
While the game has lovely art, it's overall pretty unexciting. There are some interesting ideas but the streaming part is very undevelopped for a game supposed to focus on it. I am not a fan of the way you interact with the heroine rather than being the character and interacting with your stream viewers, for example, and I think it somewhat undermines the potential.
As a stat game or a character raising game, it also doesn't have much unfortunately. You really only play to unlock the endings and I found them to be pretty random to get.
As a stat game or a character raising game, it also doesn't have much unfortunately. You really only play to unlock the endings and I found them to be pretty random to get.
The game has a very cool combat system but even though it's very short, it still gets tedious and boring because of the number of encounters. Nothing else is worth noting: the story is boring, there's no level design, it's basic RPG maker art and there is no gameplay outside of walking and battles.
Essentially, it's a very poor dungeon crawler. The game is short but I still felt like it drags on for way longer than it should in the last section.
Essentially, it's a very poor dungeon crawler. The game is short but I still felt like it drags on for way longer than it should in the last section.
It's a pretty contemplative game with an agreable sound design. The art style is neat and some of the areas are really beautiful to watch, but the game itself gets pretty repetitive even though it's only one hour long.
Some areas feel a bit longer than they should have been and the story isn't really amazing. I enjoyed the progression from nature into a modernized world and how the gibbons face the consequences of humanity but the last part takes a fantasy turn that I didn't really like, instead of focusing on reality.
One thing that's pretty disappointing is how the people are entirely in the background with the exception of one area. They'll not react in anyway to the monkey, not even look toward them or get startled.
The weakest point of the game is definitively the gameplay. It's only two buttons (okay, three with the backflip... which I barely managed to use honestly) and while it's pretty fun, it's actually pretty hard to grasp especially in some areas where it's easy too fall and hard to get back into the trees (which could have been used as a narrative element of how the monkeys can't handle civilisation like the jungle, but ultimately you're just as fast in city as you were in the forest).
Some areas feel a bit longer than they should have been and the story isn't really amazing. I enjoyed the progression from nature into a modernized world and how the gibbons face the consequences of humanity but the last part takes a fantasy turn that I didn't really like, instead of focusing on reality.
One thing that's pretty disappointing is how the people are entirely in the background with the exception of one area. They'll not react in anyway to the monkey, not even look toward them or get startled.
The weakest point of the game is definitively the gameplay. It's only two buttons (okay, three with the backflip... which I barely managed to use honestly) and while it's pretty fun, it's actually pretty hard to grasp especially in some areas where it's easy too fall and hard to get back into the trees (which could have been used as a narrative element of how the monkeys can't handle civilisation like the jungle, but ultimately you're just as fast in city as you were in the forest).
I can see that the game has great ideas, but it's needlessly long and it feels like such a slog to play through. Unlike your typical 20 hours long JRPG, this is about double the length which is just too much for me. Most of your exploration just consists of moving in an area while fighting, so it gets boring easily.
2020
The game is made up of a few nice short stories that somewhat tie together but overall it doesn't really have anything that stands out. It's short, neither the characters nor the story is amazing, the visuals/sound doesn't do anything much and there is pretty much no gameplay outside of walking in your designated area (each story happens in specific places and you can't move into other areas). It was cool but forgettable.
2016
The LiEat trilogy is a compilation of three short JRPGs that are quite peculiar. Each game tells one self contained story but at the same time they all expand upon the created universe and the main two characters, leading to a sort of conclusion by the third game. It feels like a unique format and I don't regret playing it.
There's almost no grind in the game except for one single moment where your level matters, so you mostly just follow the story. The game also has a very nice and unique art style which I really liked.
There's almost no grind in the game except for one single moment where your level matters, so you mostly just follow the story. The game also has a very nice and unique art style which I really liked.
2018
Moonlighter is a very simple and barebone game that somewhat reminds me of the more complex Flash games from an era ago.
The game is divided in two different parts and they're both fairly limited.
The dungeons are a roguelite loop where you go inside four dungeons looking for loot and to try to beat the boss on the third floor. All dungeons are pretty similar and there's little evolution except an increase in numbers (compensated by your own increase in stats), the enemies are very samey and all of the loot is either materials or random things to sell. There's a limited potion system but all you do is buy them and you can only heal and use things to help you reach the last floor, which makes the game extremely easy to beat.
There's little incentive to grind a single dungeon once you have what you need to craft your armor and weapon, as there's an exponential increase in the value of items and newer dungeons allow you to make better weapons. The low amount of novelty in dungeons also encourages you to rush them.
The merchant side is pretty boring, once you figure it out and improve your shop to make it a little faster, it can be fun fixing item prices but there's not much else. I found the thieves to be annoying and it wasn't worth messing around with prices for rich clients or whenever there was an item becoming popular.
The game has a NG+ with new things unlocked but honestly, I was pretty bored by the time I beat the game and I don't understand why, in a game with so little content, they'd keep things for NG+ instead of including everything at once.
Sidenote, I got an achievement for beating the game in under 10 hours (9h42) and I have to say I really hate this type of steam achievements (though I'm not achievement hunter). There's also one for beating the game with the base brush.
The game is divided in two different parts and they're both fairly limited.
The dungeons are a roguelite loop where you go inside four dungeons looking for loot and to try to beat the boss on the third floor. All dungeons are pretty similar and there's little evolution except an increase in numbers (compensated by your own increase in stats), the enemies are very samey and all of the loot is either materials or random things to sell. There's a limited potion system but all you do is buy them and you can only heal and use things to help you reach the last floor, which makes the game extremely easy to beat.
There's little incentive to grind a single dungeon once you have what you need to craft your armor and weapon, as there's an exponential increase in the value of items and newer dungeons allow you to make better weapons. The low amount of novelty in dungeons also encourages you to rush them.
The merchant side is pretty boring, once you figure it out and improve your shop to make it a little faster, it can be fun fixing item prices but there's not much else. I found the thieves to be annoying and it wasn't worth messing around with prices for rich clients or whenever there was an item becoming popular.
The game has a NG+ with new things unlocked but honestly, I was pretty bored by the time I beat the game and I don't understand why, in a game with so little content, they'd keep things for NG+ instead of including everything at once.
Sidenote, I got an achievement for beating the game in under 10 hours (9h42) and I have to say I really hate this type of steam achievements (though I'm not achievement hunter). There's also one for beating the game with the base brush.