When I was younger, I never got why so many people stuck with this game when Brawl and eventually Smash 4 & Ultimate would come to have so many more characters and much more content. But one day I started playing the game with a more serious effort, and it clicked. No Smash game has ever gotten even half as fun as this one in terms of movement, feel, and general competition. Melee is so unbelievably fun on a competitive and even casual level. I don't have much else to say, as every praise this game could receive has already been sung to the high heavens at this point.

This game was legendary for Sonic fans when it came out. I dearly miss this era of Sonic. What, with the awesome Jazwares toys, cool games, and a sort of retrospective look on the series when it was merely 20 years old.

Classic Sonic isn't particularly the star of the show, as his stage design is only fairly good. But I think fairly good was what we needed after the travesty that was Sonic 4 Episode I. His levels may not be Sonic 2 or Sonic 3&K tier good, but they're solid enough.

Modern Sonic really steals the show. His creative reimagining of Classic and Adventure era stages, made to be blindingly fast with tons of cool obstacles and enemies really appealed to me as a kid and still appeal to me now.

The only issue I have with this game is that the quality seemingly falls off right in the final stage, Planet Wisp. Which was done way better in Sonic Colors, the game before this. Also, the game is just so short, with only 9 levels (18 if you split the Classic and Modern sides up). I 100%ed the game, it's many missions, and achievements in under 23 hours. Now imagine how much faster that'd have been if it was just a normal playthrough.

Half-Life was a game I was extremely late to the party on. I didn't really tap into the PC gaming market until around 2022. That said, this game has aged like a fine wine. I simply cannot write more than the following: It has amazing levels, charming dialogue, and some of the most memorable moments in any shooter ever. To explain it in a more flowery way would honestly do this game a disservice, since I think it's a game every single gamer should play at least once. Don't spoil the experience for yourself. You will have fun.

I'll sum my thoughts up briefly here, then go in depth in the paragraphs below. It's a great time for newcomers to the series, while having interesting story beats for long-time fans. 4.5/5 stars. Now here's the long version:

This was my first full Project Moon game, having only lightly dabbled in Lobotomy Corporation beforehand. Personally, there are a few issues at the time of review, 2/28/2023. I think the story's pacing is a tad slow to start, there are too many characters introduced at the start, and that the few bugs there are are really noticeable. The bugs I see being patched with time. That said, there are many more positives.

Firstly, it's a great gacha. The rates and pulls are all very fair, with a non-intrusive battle pass system for those who want even more out of an already generous system. I seriously don't get the hate for the Battle Pass, as I have a supremely good set-up without paying even one cent.

On the story, the emotional core of this game is amazing for a game of this stature. I really suggest you finish the dungeon at the end of chapter one before assessing this game's world. Something about its bleak yet hopeful view on love, war, and power-dynamics really resonated with me. And, while there are too many character at first, they really start to break into their own as the game continues. My personal favorite is the focus of much of chapter one, Gregor. The Korean voice acting is also perfectly on par with that you'd see on television in Korea.

The OST also begs to be listened to on repeat. Every last battle theme (which there are already many of at launch), every last cutscene track, and even the vocal credits themes are all amazing. If this game is to continue to add more great tracks in future updates, it may be climbing towards my top 10 game OSTs of all time.

This game also has a phenomenal visual appeal. Every last design, background, and cinematic meshes well to create a colorful, entertaining world that somehow doesn't conflict with the darker tone of the story and music. All 12 of the party members also have great designs, but that is expected of a gacha.

On the gameplay, I've heard this game is a tad simplified from the previous entry, Library of Ruina. As someone who has never played that game, I'm glad I played this first. The mechanics (which there are many of) are a bit hard to break into at first, but create for simple (yet challenging) gameplay that is great for on-the-go play. Hearing LoR is a bigger challenge makes me excited to inevitably sink my teeth into that game as well.

Project Moon, you've gained a new fan.