LeahThe3th
15 reviews liked by LeahThe3th
Persona 3 Reload
2024
As with many players, my introduction to the franchise was through Persona 5. During the pandemic, I played the game, and it quickly became my favorite of all time. It was somewhat amusing because I'm not typically into JRPGs or Japanese culture, but Persona has something truly unique about it. That's why Persona 3 Reload was my most anticipated game of the year, despite being a remake of an older title.
It's nearly impossible to review Persona 3 Reload without comparing it to Persona 5. Since its announcement, Persona 3 Reload seemed like the kind of remake that the Pokémon Company used to do with its older games. And I was right: Persona 3 Reload takes everything developed for Persona 5 and creates a true and good remake.
Persona 3 Reload is a classic Persona game that divides into two parts: your normal life as a student, and a hero's journey to save the world. In the first part, you attend school to study and interact with friends, while in the second part, you face enemies called shadows.
The social aspect of the game is particularly enjoyable. In addition to your duties as a student, you'll need to socialize with various characters from the school and rest of the world. Each character has a unique story, and you'll need to meet them multiple times to complete their storylines. This mechanic is called social links. Compared to Persona 5, I found these stories even more engaging.
The "hero part" is a turn-based RPG. I know that many people don't enjoy games of this style, but Persona games offer dynamic combat. Personally, I'm not usually a fan of turn-based games, but Persona takes the genre to another level.
Despite the game being split into two parts, they converge seamlessly. The interactions you have with friends will make you stronger to face enemies. The game operates on a calendar system, allowing you to decide when to hang out with friends, study, battle against enemies, or improve your social attributes.
The main story of the game starts strong, slows down a bit in the middle, and finishes perfectly. While I still prefer Persona 5's story, it's incredible how Atlus is able to create such incredible characters that are truly charismatic and make you care deeply about them. I enjoyed learning about their lives and backgrounds while also worrying about their futures.
I do think that Persona 3 Reload has some minor issues, such as poorly placed activities in the calendar system. There are moments where you have nothing to do for a few days, followed by days where you're overwhelmed with tasks. This became a problem near the end when I had enough money and maxed out all my social attributes. Additionally, I didn't appreciate how much time it took to start social links with party members, and that it was limited to just the female characters.
Another thing that is truly incredible in this franchise, and it holds true here as well, is the soundtrack. Persona 3 Reload boasts one of the best soundtracks ever in the gaming industry.
It took me 75 hours to finish my first playthrough, and I almost completed everything that could be done.
In conclusion, Persona 3 Reload is one of the best games we've had in recent years, but I still prefer Persona 5. If you enjoy JRPGs or Japanese culture, it's a must-play game. Even if you don't, I recommend giving it a chance, as I promise you won't be disappointed.
It's nearly impossible to review Persona 3 Reload without comparing it to Persona 5. Since its announcement, Persona 3 Reload seemed like the kind of remake that the Pokémon Company used to do with its older games. And I was right: Persona 3 Reload takes everything developed for Persona 5 and creates a true and good remake.
Persona 3 Reload is a classic Persona game that divides into two parts: your normal life as a student, and a hero's journey to save the world. In the first part, you attend school to study and interact with friends, while in the second part, you face enemies called shadows.
The social aspect of the game is particularly enjoyable. In addition to your duties as a student, you'll need to socialize with various characters from the school and rest of the world. Each character has a unique story, and you'll need to meet them multiple times to complete their storylines. This mechanic is called social links. Compared to Persona 5, I found these stories even more engaging.
The "hero part" is a turn-based RPG. I know that many people don't enjoy games of this style, but Persona games offer dynamic combat. Personally, I'm not usually a fan of turn-based games, but Persona takes the genre to another level.
Despite the game being split into two parts, they converge seamlessly. The interactions you have with friends will make you stronger to face enemies. The game operates on a calendar system, allowing you to decide when to hang out with friends, study, battle against enemies, or improve your social attributes.
The main story of the game starts strong, slows down a bit in the middle, and finishes perfectly. While I still prefer Persona 5's story, it's incredible how Atlus is able to create such incredible characters that are truly charismatic and make you care deeply about them. I enjoyed learning about their lives and backgrounds while also worrying about their futures.
I do think that Persona 3 Reload has some minor issues, such as poorly placed activities in the calendar system. There are moments where you have nothing to do for a few days, followed by days where you're overwhelmed with tasks. This became a problem near the end when I had enough money and maxed out all my social attributes. Additionally, I didn't appreciate how much time it took to start social links with party members, and that it was limited to just the female characters.
Another thing that is truly incredible in this franchise, and it holds true here as well, is the soundtrack. Persona 3 Reload boasts one of the best soundtracks ever in the gaming industry.
It took me 75 hours to finish my first playthrough, and I almost completed everything that could be done.
In conclusion, Persona 3 Reload is one of the best games we've had in recent years, but I still prefer Persona 5. If you enjoy JRPGs or Japanese culture, it's a must-play game. Even if you don't, I recommend giving it a chance, as I promise you won't be disappointed.
Goodbye Volcano High
2023
This review contains spoilers
Disclaimer: I work on the Vidya Gaem Awards, whose voting source is 4chan, and awarded "Goodbye Volcano High" the Most Pretentious Game award for 2023. I also have limited connections to Cavemanon: they made Snoot Game, and submitted a trailer for I Wani Hug That Gator to our 2021 show.
The staff of Cavemanon do not work on our show, and none of the Vidya Gaem Awards staff work on their projects either. This review below is my own personal opinion on Goodbye Volcano High, and is not the opinion of anyone else.
___
Goodbye Volcano High tackles love, identity, and the emotional turmoil of adolescence through a looming specter of doom. The game, through protagonist Fang and supporting cast of Worm Drama (Trish/Reed), offers a soundtrack to turbulent times.
Unlike the past winner of "Most Pretentious" (We Are OFK), Goodbye Volcano High earns its visual novel tag. While its rhythm games are similarly inconsequential to OFK, the rare opportunities to customize and the emotive dialogue choices lend a relatively greater autonomy for the player to express themselves.
The game fleshes out its world and characters through a variety of techniques, such as unvoiced comics in the pause menu, snapshot memories, and Dungeons and Dragons sessions. You get a feel for all the characters and what they're about. Their personalities, their passions, and their social proximity to Fang.
However, because Fang's moral support system is demonstrably rock solid, not much can go wrong. You can completely flunk all performances and no one will act much differently than if you aced them. However, it's not absolute apathy - although GVH ultimately ends one way, your playthrough experience will differ based on your dialog options.
The game throws in a clever nod to Cavemanon with the Swamp Babies band—a thinly veiled metaphor for Snoot Game. Each 'Swamp Baby' is color-coded to serve as a masculine-presenting punk-rock rival to Reed, Trish, and Fang. After all, LJ "found them" first, and they're "good, but not like 'good' good". The whole thing is cheeky as hell, but just as the Swamp Babies attend Worm Drama's final concert - crying with joy that they finally see their rivals perform, Snoot Game's devs showed up for the release of the game and gave it the respect of a full run.
For the purposes of contextualizing GVH's win for the Most Pretentious Indie award, I played through Goodbye Volcano High first, and then followed it up by playing Snoot Game. It was the most fun I had in years. While Snoot Game wouldn't have possible without Goodbye Volcano High existing, the fanwork clearly served inspiration as its own. It bouyed interest in the original work, and set a high bar for KO-OP to match.
Still, I feel a certain degree of sadness for the team that, in the pursuit of "taking the high road", waged a multi-faceted war on the parody and lost up to 60% of its audience as a result. Getting banned for sharing, honestly, that Snoot Game was how I found Goodbye Volcano High only serves to remind me that KO-OP views with contempt people who enjoy the "forbidden fruit", and furthers a cycle of victimization and resentment for the other side.
Turn the other cheek, and play the game anyways.
I hope my $30 serves as encouragement for the creation of future works that are impactful and inspiring, without the unnecessary drama that plagued this one.
The staff of Cavemanon do not work on our show, and none of the Vidya Gaem Awards staff work on their projects either. This review below is my own personal opinion on Goodbye Volcano High, and is not the opinion of anyone else.
___
Goodbye Volcano High tackles love, identity, and the emotional turmoil of adolescence through a looming specter of doom. The game, through protagonist Fang and supporting cast of Worm Drama (Trish/Reed), offers a soundtrack to turbulent times.
Unlike the past winner of "Most Pretentious" (We Are OFK), Goodbye Volcano High earns its visual novel tag. While its rhythm games are similarly inconsequential to OFK, the rare opportunities to customize and the emotive dialogue choices lend a relatively greater autonomy for the player to express themselves.
The game fleshes out its world and characters through a variety of techniques, such as unvoiced comics in the pause menu, snapshot memories, and Dungeons and Dragons sessions. You get a feel for all the characters and what they're about. Their personalities, their passions, and their social proximity to Fang.
However, because Fang's moral support system is demonstrably rock solid, not much can go wrong. You can completely flunk all performances and no one will act much differently than if you aced them. However, it's not absolute apathy - although GVH ultimately ends one way, your playthrough experience will differ based on your dialog options.
The game throws in a clever nod to Cavemanon with the Swamp Babies band—a thinly veiled metaphor for Snoot Game. Each 'Swamp Baby' is color-coded to serve as a masculine-presenting punk-rock rival to Reed, Trish, and Fang. After all, LJ "found them" first, and they're "good, but not like 'good' good". The whole thing is cheeky as hell, but just as the Swamp Babies attend Worm Drama's final concert - crying with joy that they finally see their rivals perform, Snoot Game's devs showed up for the release of the game and gave it the respect of a full run.
For the purposes of contextualizing GVH's win for the Most Pretentious Indie award, I played through Goodbye Volcano High first, and then followed it up by playing Snoot Game. It was the most fun I had in years. While Snoot Game wouldn't have possible without Goodbye Volcano High existing, the fanwork clearly served inspiration as its own. It bouyed interest in the original work, and set a high bar for KO-OP to match.
Still, I feel a certain degree of sadness for the team that, in the pursuit of "taking the high road", waged a multi-faceted war on the parody and lost up to 60% of its audience as a result. Getting banned for sharing, honestly, that Snoot Game was how I found Goodbye Volcano High only serves to remind me that KO-OP views with contempt people who enjoy the "forbidden fruit", and furthers a cycle of victimization and resentment for the other side.
Turn the other cheek, and play the game anyways.
I hope my $30 serves as encouragement for the creation of future works that are impactful and inspiring, without the unnecessary drama that plagued this one.
Omori
2020
I can't wrap my head around this game, honestly. Starting off with things I am sure about:
The gameplay is okay, it's rather simple and doesn't pretend to be more than what it is. It feels a bit of a chore most of the time and it's a bit all samey.
I really like the setting and the premise, I could feel the sadness and heartache between the dream and irl sections, it was well crafted.
The ending is... somewhat peculiar? There's a twist that changes the story completely and I'm not too much of a fan of it. It's not a bad ending per se, it might just be something I have to mull over. It definitely didn't go with the easiest and straightforward way and, although it's less satisfying to me, it tells a darker and more unique story that makes this game special, which is something that I can't argue with.
The gameplay is okay, it's rather simple and doesn't pretend to be more than what it is. It feels a bit of a chore most of the time and it's a bit all samey.
I really like the setting and the premise, I could feel the sadness and heartache between the dream and irl sections, it was well crafted.
The ending is... somewhat peculiar? There's a twist that changes the story completely and I'm not too much of a fan of it. It's not a bad ending per se, it might just be something I have to mull over. It definitely didn't go with the easiest and straightforward way and, although it's less satisfying to me, it tells a darker and more unique story that makes this game special, which is something that I can't argue with.
Helldivers 2
2024
Meh it's good but this game has glaring issues at difficulties 8-9 and in general :
-90% of weapons being straight up useless
-Most stats on items are hidden or don't work (armor)
-Endgame gameplay is mostly sneaking to the objectives(yes this is fun for like the first 2 hours then it gets quickly annoying)
-Mission variety really isn't a thing
-Mission modifiers make the game less fun overall
-Some ennemies are just not fun to play against and make the lack of weapon viability even worse (chargers, rocket launcher hulks, spewers and bile titans with their weird ass mouth hitbox)
-Most stratagems are garbage too, barrages are litteraly griefing
-Talking about griefing they dedicated a whole stratagem type to this: the sentries, at best they will kill 5 ennemies and get two shot later or will just be a team kill simulator ( props to ems for being decent i guess)
-Robots are way easier than bugs overall at max difficulty and i have no idea why they made bugs this cancerous at higher difficulties
But yeah the game is good could be better if they fixed all this shit tho.
-90% of weapons being straight up useless
-Most stats on items are hidden or don't work (armor)
-Endgame gameplay is mostly sneaking to the objectives(yes this is fun for like the first 2 hours then it gets quickly annoying)
-Mission variety really isn't a thing
-Mission modifiers make the game less fun overall
-Some ennemies are just not fun to play against and make the lack of weapon viability even worse (chargers, rocket launcher hulks, spewers and bile titans with their weird ass mouth hitbox)
-Most stratagems are garbage too, barrages are litteraly griefing
-Talking about griefing they dedicated a whole stratagem type to this: the sentries, at best they will kill 5 ennemies and get two shot later or will just be a team kill simulator ( props to ems for being decent i guess)
-Robots are way easier than bugs overall at max difficulty and i have no idea why they made bugs this cancerous at higher difficulties
But yeah the game is good could be better if they fixed all this shit tho.
Slay the Spire
2019
I LOVE this game. Somehow I'm not sick and tired of it yet. It's very simple, it works wonders, it's fun, challenging and weirdly addicting. When I think of this game I don't really think there's anything particular that stands out? But it works so so well. As I'm writing this I have 270hrs, having reached the final difficulty level on 3 characters (beaten with 2 of them). Every once in a while I just come back to this. It's really a comfort game.
Lies of P
2023
A perfect combination of Dark Souls, Elden Ring and Sekiro combat. It feels extremely good to play and it makes Dark Souls/Elden Ring combat feel neutered. You get a lot of customization and change of progression of your basekit. It takes some stuff from Souls games, such as elemental buffs, and makes them part of your kit, without consumables, it takes weapon durability and makes it engaging and dynamic, and it also takes weapon arts and makes them not dependent on having to manage a different type of flask or whatever. The bosses are fun and a good challenge; I've had a lot of fun fighting them switching from a Souls playstyle to a Sekiro playstyle or back depending on how comfortable I was with a certain attack. The maybe most interesting thing I can say about this game is that it's fairer than FromSoft games, meaning that, while the game does expect you to learn and master your kit, it meets you halfway, it's more forgiving. I know it's extremely subjective and honestly a terrible way to put it but the best way I can describe it is that there's very little "artificial" difficulty. One thing I really like about this game is that if you finish your healing, you can earn back one at a time if you do enough damage, it's not a straight up "Well, good luck buddy". The few bad things I can say about this game are: there's too much of a gap between low hp fodder enemies and high hp bigger enemies (not necessarily a bad thing but it didn't feel right); the respawning takes too long; the exploration looting is underwhelming; and the one instance where the game helps you too much: very frequent shortcuts. Ending on a list of bad things doesn't give the right idea so I'll say this last thing: I think in many ways this game is better than the Souls trilogy and Elden Ring, and if you enjoy these games, you'll probably love this one. It's an incredible achievement.
Lisa: The Joyful
2015
This game has the true ending to Lisa The Painful. While it does not have the same level of polish or almost any humor to speak of, it does hold a final act that is well worth getting to. I count this as the final chapter to the world of the games, despite Brad's story being essentially finished in Lisa The Painful.
This is roughly 1/4 the length of Lisa The Painful, and took me almost 3 hours.
This is roughly 1/4 the length of Lisa The Painful, and took me almost 3 hours.
Lisa
2014
I have never oscillated between completely loving and absolutely hating a game more violently than this one.
Is it edgy? Yes. Funny? Yes. Horrifying morally and visually? Yes and yes.
I loved how this game messed with rpg tropes such as rest points being safe, and your main character getting more and more powerful until eventually killing a god at the end. I was honestly worried my character wouldn't make it to the end.
Is it edgy? Yes. Funny? Yes. Horrifying morally and visually? Yes and yes.
I loved how this game messed with rpg tropes such as rest points being safe, and your main character getting more and more powerful until eventually killing a god at the end. I was honestly worried my character wouldn't make it to the end.
Remember when Ocarina Of Time 64DD was cancelled to make Majora's Mask? Well they went for another half assed bonus expansion version of an insanely successful game and actually went through with it this time.
Swaps the tranquil minimalism of BOTW with a chaotic amalgamation of conflicting ideas that ultimately feels like a DIY craft kit full of mismatched pieces shoddily pasted together by thick green glue.
Story had one good idea and fumbled everything else. Already messed up the new timeline that was established just last game.
Beat the game in 80 hours in a little over 2 weeks. Objectively the most interactive of the Zelda games, but tonally a complete zombified Frankenstein monstrosity.
This game makes me actively angry. I am no longer a zelda fan and I should have bought physical so I could resell. I am so sick of talking and hearing about this game
Swaps the tranquil minimalism of BOTW with a chaotic amalgamation of conflicting ideas that ultimately feels like a DIY craft kit full of mismatched pieces shoddily pasted together by thick green glue.
Story had one good idea and fumbled everything else. Already messed up the new timeline that was established just last game.
Beat the game in 80 hours in a little over 2 weeks. Objectively the most interactive of the Zelda games, but tonally a complete zombified Frankenstein monstrosity.
This game makes me actively angry. I am no longer a zelda fan and I should have bought physical so I could resell. I am so sick of talking and hearing about this game
Resident Evil 2
2019
Played Leon, saving Clair for a later replay. Incredible game overall. I hate horror games, but I loved this one as it rewards methodical map memorization. Leon is my spirit animal. He says the immediate first thing that comes to my brain when playing this game. RE2 blends camp and cheese with horror and serious tones with such effortlessness that never seems to devalue either.
human deformed monster jumps out "What happened to you?!"
zombie shambling towards you "What the hell? Shit! Goddamnit!"
mysterious person appears "Who are you?!"
I love how it progressively increases the testing of map mastery/memory. You go into a new area and have to figure it out while clearing enemies, then new elements are introduced that test your execution in navigating the map in progressively more challenging ways.
My favorite thing is that there are (to my knowledge) no magically spawning enemies. Once you see a zombie, if you kill it (like completely) it will always stay dead. Blow off its leg and remember what room you left it in and it will always be there. The only exception to this is if more zombies crawl through a window you leave open and wander around. (or if other enemies crawl in through holes in the ceiling/walls that you can't patch, trying to not spoil anything). I really felt like I was in a real space that I had learned to navigate and it was very rewarding. I was surprised how much of this game felt like a zelda item trading quest with the environment, but I really enjoyed figuring out how everything fit together. Has a really solid story overall and the controls are just iconic and so effective. Loved this game way more than I was expecting to when I decided to force myself to play a horror game to completion.
Highly recommend sticking with it even if you are scared of horror games. 80% of the time jump scares are on you because you didn't board up a window, forgot you left a zombie alive, or you were just sprinting through an unknown space.
human deformed monster jumps out "What happened to you?!"
zombie shambling towards you "What the hell? Shit! Goddamnit!"
mysterious person appears "Who are you?!"
I love how it progressively increases the testing of map mastery/memory. You go into a new area and have to figure it out while clearing enemies, then new elements are introduced that test your execution in navigating the map in progressively more challenging ways.
My favorite thing is that there are (to my knowledge) no magically spawning enemies. Once you see a zombie, if you kill it (like completely) it will always stay dead. Blow off its leg and remember what room you left it in and it will always be there. The only exception to this is if more zombies crawl through a window you leave open and wander around. (or if other enemies crawl in through holes in the ceiling/walls that you can't patch, trying to not spoil anything). I really felt like I was in a real space that I had learned to navigate and it was very rewarding. I was surprised how much of this game felt like a zelda item trading quest with the environment, but I really enjoyed figuring out how everything fit together. Has a really solid story overall and the controls are just iconic and so effective. Loved this game way more than I was expecting to when I decided to force myself to play a horror game to completion.
Highly recommend sticking with it even if you are scared of horror games. 80% of the time jump scares are on you because you didn't board up a window, forgot you left a zombie alive, or you were just sprinting through an unknown space.