Yet another fresh fighting game honeymoon review.

As someone who played mainly 2D FGs it feels like a breath of fresh air. There was so much new stuff at first, sometimes it felt counterintuitive, controlling characters continuously without mindless button mashing was like controlling a plane for the first time. But after getting used to it for a time period and applying some similar concepts in genre (like framedata and frametraps in particular, abusing save moves, etc.), I've noticed amusing footsies (sidesteps and ducking make it so good) with one of the most satisfying movement options in genre (without airdashes, mind you). Legacy stuff and tons of knowledge checks may feel overwhelming sometimes, but actually it turned out very interesting to get used to it as well.

I am concerned about Heat System, because it feels too oppressive sometimes with heat smash and burst being safe on block for most of the characters, but I hope to be wrong. At least it is not a comeback mechanic and there are counter plays to it.

Netcode seems significantly better than T7, it was fine on 100-110 ms ping, but it is not consistent and may have random lags, thankfully it can be fixed via restarting the set in lobby.

Also I adore the OST. It is so diverse and has energy of several previous games in the series at the same time while also bringing something new to the table. Great customizable jukebox included.

Haven't tried that many casual/single player modes except Tekken Ball (it's fun) and Arcade Quest, but the latter seems really disappointing and probably one of the worst tutorial modes I've played. I expected that this mode would give me some fundamental tutorial on how to play Tekken, but instead I was demolishing braindead ai with the same options over and over. Thanks for explaining how ukemi works here, I guess. On the other hand, if you want to improve your game there are great qol features. Training mode, while being not convenient at first, has a lot of settings to try out various potential situations in game, the possibility to choose the necessary move for dummy instead of recording it is such a time saver. Replay feature with built tips system to recommend how to punish and duck specific moves helps a lot.

Overall a really great game by far. 2023 and 2024 are the most amazing years to learn and play fgs for a long time (for me) alongside SF6.

I am still not sure if it is the GOTY 2023 for me, but this is certainly the game I will NEVER forget. It is the experience, which is so unique, it evoked feelings I have never felt in a video game before, and I believe I tried various stuff in the medium. Such an experience, totally recommend to give it a shot, if you can imagine yourself playing sokoban style games. This game is indie as it gets.

The rest of the review is spoiler free, but it still can set some expectations and change your blind playthrough experience. You have been warned.

As it has been mentioned, Void Stranger takes sokoban style puzzle formula and adds tile replacement as the main mechanic. And then it offers more mechanics, which are in perfect harmony with the core gameplay. But wait, here is more! The game is not restricted to it, it has so much to explore, and a lot of things in this can be get by thinking outside of the box and doing such interactions which are honestly mind blowing for me.

Also, while writing in this game can be too goofy sometimes, the plot is presented in fitting enigmatic way, which was at least intriguing. Some of the storyline vignettes are interconnected with the gameplay in a very creative way. Very rare thing for a game, which is not a "walking sim". Diverse soundtrack and memorable stylized art style are also worth the praise.

There are some things, which made my experience a bit worse. I wish there were more conventional way to revisit certain segments in Void Stranger. Despite the main progression of it having very good balance between too hand hold-ish and too cryptic, I still think that some segments were too obtuse for me (glad that there is some sort of consensus on one of them). But you know what? It did not stopped me, I still WANTED to do my best and see the grand finale (well, sort of). Oh boy, I did not regret it in the slightest!

Bravo, System Erasure, now I want to see what I’ve missed, try Zero Ranger out and look forward to whatever you will be cooking in the future.