Manny
50 hours in, I need a break. This game is simply overwhelming and I don't have the mental energy to keep track of everything it requires me to. Plus I did not find it that captivating. Might pick it up again in the future or not.
Things I liked:
- colorful graphics
- the world is packed with all kind of things
- a lot of dialogues, all voiced
Things I liked less:
- generic fantasy "stock" story and characters, the kind you forget completely a week after you finish it.
- played on classic difficulty, it's not very newcomer friendly. On the 2nd chapter I gave up and started looking for guides online (including how to properly skill my characters) because most combats were frustratingly difficult. I shouldn't have to look at external resources in order to make the game bearable.
- the inventory can become messy really soon to the point you need 15-20 seconds to find an item. There is no way to search for a particular item and the sorting options are limited. Same goes for the quest menu. In general, the UI could use a lot of QoL improvements. Another example: you can't compare the pickable quest rewards with the items you have in inventory, so if you don't remember the stats of what you are currently wearing you could end up with a reward item that is worse or that you don't need.
Things I liked:
- colorful graphics
- the world is packed with all kind of things
- a lot of dialogues, all voiced
Things I liked less:
- generic fantasy "stock" story and characters, the kind you forget completely a week after you finish it.
- played on classic difficulty, it's not very newcomer friendly. On the 2nd chapter I gave up and started looking for guides online (including how to properly skill my characters) because most combats were frustratingly difficult. I shouldn't have to look at external resources in order to make the game bearable.
- the inventory can become messy really soon to the point you need 15-20 seconds to find an item. There is no way to search for a particular item and the sorting options are limited. Same goes for the quest menu. In general, the UI could use a lot of QoL improvements. Another example: you can't compare the pickable quest rewards with the items you have in inventory, so if you don't remember the stats of what you are currently wearing you could end up with a reward item that is worse or that you don't need.
2013
It's not a game for me. It tries to do a lot, but nothing of what it does stands out.
The gameplay consists in driving through the city and shooting, but neither is fun. Driving in this game is simply a slog, and the shooting is rather basic. And there is a lot of driving. It's basically a driving game in disguise.
The writing is good, however it felt like the plot was there mostly as a backdrop.
The gameplay consists in driving through the city and shooting, but neither is fun. Driving in this game is simply a slog, and the shooting is rather basic. And there is a lot of driving. It's basically a driving game in disguise.
The writing is good, however it felt like the plot was there mostly as a backdrop.
2023
It does everything right except for the the most important thing: the music.
There are a few recognizable songs reserved for special moments, but the rest of the soundtrack is filled with generic, forgettable pieces.
There are a few recognizable songs reserved for special moments, but the rest of the soundtrack is filled with generic, forgettable pieces.
+ A lot of the sub-quests are silly and hilarious in classic Yakuza fashion
+ The mini-games. You can even play freaking Virtua Figther 5 in the arcade.
+ Ijincho really comes to life and is really fun to explore. I rarely felt like using fast travel until late in the game.
+ The pokemon-style enemy types
- Too many pointless details in the plot. As the story progresses, more and more gets added into the mix and the explanations come through long cutscenes with nothing but awfully dull dialogues. Extremely boring.
+ The mini-games. You can even play freaking Virtua Figther 5 in the arcade.
+ Ijincho really comes to life and is really fun to explore. I rarely felt like using fast travel until late in the game.
+ The pokemon-style enemy types
- Too many pointless details in the plot. As the story progresses, more and more gets added into the mix and the explanations come through long cutscenes with nothing but awfully dull dialogues. Extremely boring.
2019
In short:
Pro: Gameplay is addicting
Cons: Shallow characters and convoluted story.
I expected more of P4, which I loved, but the vibe here is very different. P4 feels relaxed and friendly (normal life in a seaside town, hanging out with your school friends, etc.), P5 is the kind of game where "you are the chosen one and must save the world", right from the start. It constantly pushes you to complete the main plot, as if you're in a rush. For this reason, despite having the same kind of gameplay and side activities as P4, I haven't found it as enjoyable.
The other element I feel is a letdown are the main characters. Most of the aspects of their backstory, personality and development come straight from common anime tropes. As a result they appear very shallow, which makes it hard to care for them. Given the nature of the game, for me this is the biggest flaw.
The plot is also very "anime-y", in that it's convoluted and over the top. This is true especially for the final segment, which I haven't particularly appreciated.
Pro: Gameplay is addicting
Cons: Shallow characters and convoluted story.
I expected more of P4, which I loved, but the vibe here is very different. P4 feels relaxed and friendly (normal life in a seaside town, hanging out with your school friends, etc.), P5 is the kind of game where "you are the chosen one and must save the world", right from the start. It constantly pushes you to complete the main plot, as if you're in a rush. For this reason, despite having the same kind of gameplay and side activities as P4, I haven't found it as enjoyable.
The other element I feel is a letdown are the main characters. Most of the aspects of their backstory, personality and development come straight from common anime tropes. As a result they appear very shallow, which makes it hard to care for them. Given the nature of the game, for me this is the biggest flaw.
The plot is also very "anime-y", in that it's convoluted and over the top. This is true especially for the final segment, which I haven't particularly appreciated.
In short:
Many good ideas but their execution isn't always great.
+ The world is well crafted and with a fair amount of activities.
+/- The combat is fun when it works, it becomes a complete mess when fighting alone against 3 or more opponents.
+/- The main storyline is enjoyable, but the characters are very clichéd. Most are a mixture of overused medieval tropes, and the protagonist is just bland and forgettable. On this front, immersion is almost non-existant.
+/- The dialogues quality is inconsistent. They are generally ok, but some bits are embarassingly bad.
- Some of the mechanics range from useless to annoying (i.e. repairing / grindstone / hunger / tiredness)
- A bit too janky. The horse controls in particular can be dreadful at times.
- Bugs. I encountered quite a few, some of them even forced me to reload the save.
Many good ideas but their execution isn't always great.
+ The world is well crafted and with a fair amount of activities.
+/- The combat is fun when it works, it becomes a complete mess when fighting alone against 3 or more opponents.
+/- The main storyline is enjoyable, but the characters are very clichéd. Most are a mixture of overused medieval tropes, and the protagonist is just bland and forgettable. On this front, immersion is almost non-existant.
+/- The dialogues quality is inconsistent. They are generally ok, but some bits are embarassingly bad.
- Some of the mechanics range from useless to annoying (i.e. repairing / grindstone / hunger / tiredness)
- A bit too janky. The horse controls in particular can be dreadful at times.
- Bugs. I encountered quite a few, some of them even forced me to reload the save.
2019
It's an okay action game, the visuals are the only aspect that stands out. Mechanics, level design, enemy variety, etc. Everything works well enough, but it feels like it's a new iteration of a game I've played dozens of times already.
This is however only part of the reason why I abandoned it. The loading times were absolutely atrocious on my PC. Installed on an SSD, it took close to two minutes to load after every death and fast travel, which are frequent.
Overall, it was not worth the time.
This is however only part of the reason why I abandoned it. The loading times were absolutely atrocious on my PC. Installed on an SSD, it took close to two minutes to load after every death and fast travel, which are frequent.
Overall, it was not worth the time.
Pros:
- Good and well told story with many memorable characters. Main strength of this game.
- Incredibily rich and immersive world. The amount of details, NPC dialogues and encounters is simply insane.
Cons:
- The gameplay is only serviceable. Most of the missions consist in: 1) ride your horse from point A to point B 2) follow the tracks/sneak up on the enemies 3) shooting sequence with auto-aim mechanics, possibly on-rail.
In the end, it works, but none of that is particularly fun.
- Good and well told story with many memorable characters. Main strength of this game.
- Incredibily rich and immersive world. The amount of details, NPC dialogues and encounters is simply insane.
Cons:
- The gameplay is only serviceable. Most of the missions consist in: 1) ride your horse from point A to point B 2) follow the tracks/sneak up on the enemies 3) shooting sequence with auto-aim mechanics, possibly on-rail.
In the end, it works, but none of that is particularly fun.
2013
Great controls, level variety and art. Unfortunately, it's not very challenging and not much fun as a result. The problem isn't the difficulty in itself (some sections are quite hard) but the huge amount of checkpoints per level that makes you feel as if you are using save states.
1992
I have to leave a comment for this...
This is hands down the most difficult and frustrating video game I've experienced in my life. I played it when I was 6 and parts of the first two worlds are still imprinted in my brain due to the many times I had to repeat them. It took me months to get past that first freaking boss, only rarely got past the second one.
Haunting.
This is hands down the most difficult and frustrating video game I've experienced in my life. I played it when I was 6 and parts of the first two worlds are still imprinted in my brain due to the many times I had to repeat them. It took me months to get past that first freaking boss, only rarely got past the second one.
Haunting.
2012
Pros:
The graphic style, the general cheerfulness and the soundtrack work perfectly together. This game has a charm that few others have.
Cons:
The controls are plain bad. Controlling your character is a challenge that requires an entire playthrough worth of practice to get decent at. Since the levels often expect you to be very precise with your jumps (and have a time limit), it's a particularly frustrating problem.
The graphic style, the general cheerfulness and the soundtrack work perfectly together. This game has a charm that few others have.
Cons:
The controls are plain bad. Controlling your character is a challenge that requires an entire playthrough worth of practice to get decent at. Since the levels often expect you to be very precise with your jumps (and have a time limit), it's a particularly frustrating problem.