This review contains spoilers
11/4/2023- To boot, the starting intro scenes, the fully rendered one, didn’t age as badly, it’s a little rough around the edges but it was the best the studio did, so there’s really no complaints from me. What’s more aged is the controls, while not bad, don’t use any of the sticks on the PlayStation controller, at all. Use the D pad to move around in a tank control method of direction movement then the circle to run in the direction you face, something you need to get used to. Ultimately this isn’t an issue, as Boku is devoid of any action, well any action that you can think of. Boku will very much feel like the battles and tugs…. Deep-sea fishing, of the two features, and first of my play-through to find, that will maybe be the main event of the day by day in game. Also note, the first couple of days, around six, maybe three, are story framing devices for each town resident you meet with, more on that later.
11/7/2023- HOLY SHIT I CAUGHT A BEETLE! I began to engage in the beetle sumo system placed in around 5 days, or whenever you can catch the bug in the first place, I have found two kinds of bugs in the first place but I’m sure there’s more, because around a week, maybe eight days, a new section of the island is opened, a forest. The system of fighting other beetles is a hands-off thing, it’s purely luck and genes of the bugs, you watch the two beetles push each other, with their stamina on the bottom, and hope that its strong enough to push it, or has enough stamina to outlive the round. Takeshi has a shit-eating grin, so I really need to beat him, he’s my rival, I’m the strongest beetle trainer! I also found a rocket valve, might be useful later, but I think there’s two more. Be aware that, swimming is fun, it’s also the riskiest activity, drowning will remove a whole day for you. There's also a strange girl in the family clinic, I don’t know what her deal is, but I love how this game will present you with more mysteries at the turn of every corner, you’re rewarded for going “I wonder what is in here?”.
11/24/2023- It can really feel like the game becomes aimless at times, which it has for me, but it has the design choices akin to dropping bread crumbs on the ground, the space between is boring but you see another bit on the ground and keep going. What Boku will journal in his diary is very funny to me, talking about Yasuko’s relationship with her mother and how they haven’t spoken in years, then her mother moving into the guest house instead of her own home because of her was a hard hitting moment with the right amount of build up, however, Boku wrote about the 50 yen he got from giving a shoulder massage to a strange girl in the clinic. I am convinced that she’s a ghost but the game does a good job of revealing nothing about her. She might be alive, but Sagara doesn’t know she’s there. Who is she?!
11/30/2023- ok the game has started to kick off a lot more now, it’s headed towards the last two weeks of the game (if I didn’t write it, but the game has a total of 30 in game days). We get a little bit of lore drops, if you count events like that, there's gold robbing. Shizue has left the house and left for Tokyo, so we think, but what’s more important is that she left a key in her room. Also grab the ax as soon as you can, then head the the water field, there’s a large tree, then you can finally reach the charcoal hut where Yoh's father is meant to be… he isn’t there as of the 18th day. Nagisa has a side plot and she’s really friendly, I got the impression that she was off-put by me but she’s rather childish in nature, not in a strange way but in an endearing way, she’s nice. I really need to find that third valve. I will make an entry that is entirely tips and a small guide to side stories.
12/14/2023 FINAL OVERVIEW- I cannot state how much I love this game by the end of it, it manages to captivate me with its well knit group of characters that manage to shift and change all the while pushing a small yet intriguing narrative. Visually speaking it's a great looking game even to today's standards, maybe the 3D models aren't up to personal par but it meshes well and oozes the charm. It's a game I will most certainly look fondly back on, in fact I was thinking about this game between sessions, it gripped me. I haven't been able to see all of what you can do, like the beetle fights or the treasure at the bottom of the beach, but that only gives me more motivation to replay. There is a damn good reason why this game is listed as a PlayStation classic and you should absolutely take time to check out this game, go in blind.
11/7/2023- HOLY SHIT I CAUGHT A BEETLE! I began to engage in the beetle sumo system placed in around 5 days, or whenever you can catch the bug in the first place, I have found two kinds of bugs in the first place but I’m sure there’s more, because around a week, maybe eight days, a new section of the island is opened, a forest. The system of fighting other beetles is a hands-off thing, it’s purely luck and genes of the bugs, you watch the two beetles push each other, with their stamina on the bottom, and hope that its strong enough to push it, or has enough stamina to outlive the round. Takeshi has a shit-eating grin, so I really need to beat him, he’s my rival, I’m the strongest beetle trainer! I also found a rocket valve, might be useful later, but I think there’s two more. Be aware that, swimming is fun, it’s also the riskiest activity, drowning will remove a whole day for you. There's also a strange girl in the family clinic, I don’t know what her deal is, but I love how this game will present you with more mysteries at the turn of every corner, you’re rewarded for going “I wonder what is in here?”.
11/24/2023- It can really feel like the game becomes aimless at times, which it has for me, but it has the design choices akin to dropping bread crumbs on the ground, the space between is boring but you see another bit on the ground and keep going. What Boku will journal in his diary is very funny to me, talking about Yasuko’s relationship with her mother and how they haven’t spoken in years, then her mother moving into the guest house instead of her own home because of her was a hard hitting moment with the right amount of build up, however, Boku wrote about the 50 yen he got from giving a shoulder massage to a strange girl in the clinic. I am convinced that she’s a ghost but the game does a good job of revealing nothing about her. She might be alive, but Sagara doesn’t know she’s there. Who is she?!
11/30/2023- ok the game has started to kick off a lot more now, it’s headed towards the last two weeks of the game (if I didn’t write it, but the game has a total of 30 in game days). We get a little bit of lore drops, if you count events like that, there's gold robbing. Shizue has left the house and left for Tokyo, so we think, but what’s more important is that she left a key in her room. Also grab the ax as soon as you can, then head the the water field, there’s a large tree, then you can finally reach the charcoal hut where Yoh's father is meant to be… he isn’t there as of the 18th day. Nagisa has a side plot and she’s really friendly, I got the impression that she was off-put by me but she’s rather childish in nature, not in a strange way but in an endearing way, she’s nice. I really need to find that third valve. I will make an entry that is entirely tips and a small guide to side stories.
12/14/2023 FINAL OVERVIEW- I cannot state how much I love this game by the end of it, it manages to captivate me with its well knit group of characters that manage to shift and change all the while pushing a small yet intriguing narrative. Visually speaking it's a great looking game even to today's standards, maybe the 3D models aren't up to personal par but it meshes well and oozes the charm. It's a game I will most certainly look fondly back on, in fact I was thinking about this game between sessions, it gripped me. I haven't been able to see all of what you can do, like the beetle fights or the treasure at the bottom of the beach, but that only gives me more motivation to replay. There is a damn good reason why this game is listed as a PlayStation classic and you should absolutely take time to check out this game, go in blind.