Memoats
1056 Reviews liked by Memoats
Just going to get this out of way. I FUCKING ADORE THIS GAME.
At the time that I first played it, as the first game I bought when I got my PS4 back in 2021, I had no experience with anything Spider-Man. I knew nothing about the franchise and I had almost no interest in Marvel whatsoever. This game changed all of that. Spider-Man has had a major affect on me as a person and it all started from this Spectacular game.
I've never played any of the older Spider-Man games so I don't know if the gameplay is better or worse there but what I do know is that this game is an absolute blast to play. Simply traversing through the city is a fun and oddly relaxing way to pass time and it's so good that I often don't use the fast travel just for the sake of swinging. The combat is infamously very Arkham styled but with a lot of differences that make it clear that this is a Spider-Man game. Fighting groups of enemies is almost always fun however the longer you play the more stale they can get which is an issue I definitely noticed in the sequel. Another issue I find is that the bosses kind of suck. They all basically boil down to dodging attacks until the boss becomes vulnerable then beating on them until the QTEs take over. It's got a lot of spectacle but nothing super engaging.
My favorite part of this game though is the story. It really is the perfect Spider-Man story. A plot that genuinely reflects the mythos of Spider-Man. It's unique without completely straying from the source material and deters from basic Spider-Man plotlines to make something amazing. Its rare for a game to make me cry. It's even more rare for it to leave me on the floor balling. (Maybe Im just a baby idk)
Part of me feels like there is no possible way I can discuss this game without bias. It's just so special to me. I genuinely would be a very different person if not for this game and its themes are thoughts that I carry onto to this day.
Simply Spectacular!
At the time that I first played it, as the first game I bought when I got my PS4 back in 2021, I had no experience with anything Spider-Man. I knew nothing about the franchise and I had almost no interest in Marvel whatsoever. This game changed all of that. Spider-Man has had a major affect on me as a person and it all started from this Spectacular game.
I've never played any of the older Spider-Man games so I don't know if the gameplay is better or worse there but what I do know is that this game is an absolute blast to play. Simply traversing through the city is a fun and oddly relaxing way to pass time and it's so good that I often don't use the fast travel just for the sake of swinging. The combat is infamously very Arkham styled but with a lot of differences that make it clear that this is a Spider-Man game. Fighting groups of enemies is almost always fun however the longer you play the more stale they can get which is an issue I definitely noticed in the sequel. Another issue I find is that the bosses kind of suck. They all basically boil down to dodging attacks until the boss becomes vulnerable then beating on them until the QTEs take over. It's got a lot of spectacle but nothing super engaging.
My favorite part of this game though is the story. It really is the perfect Spider-Man story. A plot that genuinely reflects the mythos of Spider-Man. It's unique without completely straying from the source material and deters from basic Spider-Man plotlines to make something amazing. Its rare for a game to make me cry. It's even more rare for it to leave me on the floor balling. (Maybe Im just a baby idk)
Part of me feels like there is no possible way I can discuss this game without bias. It's just so special to me. I genuinely would be a very different person if not for this game and its themes are thoughts that I carry onto to this day.
Simply Spectacular!
I've made it expressly clear that I adore all the Insomniac Spider-Man games and seeing as how this is effectively just more game I was almost guaranteed to like it.
The plot of this game isn't as emotional as the main game and I'm honeslty pretty happy about that. The main game felt like the big major comic book arc and this DLC felt like it was just meant to be a quick bonus little Spider-Man story where he fights a threat on a much smaller scale. I really appreciate how they got some lesser known villains for this too. (Whens the last time you've seen Hammerhead appear in anything since Spectacular Spider-Man?) Black Cat making her first physical appearance in this series here too and she's voiced by Erica Lindbeck and I have a crush on every character she plays.
Alot of the plot here is mainly just to set up for Spider-Man 2 and to hint at Peter training Miles for his game. I love the JJJ Episode where he has to go to the hospital at the realization that there are two Spider-Men now. It's a very nice cooldown after all the big drama of the main game. Genuinely just a fun, small scale Spider-Man story to tide the fans over between this and Miles Morales and thats all I wanted it to be.
The issues though come from the side content. Overall I think the side content here is a tad better than the main game. Or at the very least its more story focused than most of the main game ones which I think is neat. However they are kinda bullshit sometimes. Like I appreciate the extra challenge but when the bonus rewards are asking me to get a 100 Combo chain against swarms of the most aggresive enemies in the game I kind of start to get pissed off. But that's not even the problem.
Screwball. Enough said.
Also her challenges are actually kind of fun but when you try to go for the Ultimate Score on some of them they are just actual bullshit and they kind of push me from wanting to play them. (which wouldnt be an issue if they weren't based around Screwball and you had to hear her voice during all of them.)
Anyway yeah this DLC is pretty good. Nothing crazy but a fun side story between the much bigger game releases.
Also Black Cat is sexy as fuck.
The plot of this game isn't as emotional as the main game and I'm honeslty pretty happy about that. The main game felt like the big major comic book arc and this DLC felt like it was just meant to be a quick bonus little Spider-Man story where he fights a threat on a much smaller scale. I really appreciate how they got some lesser known villains for this too. (Whens the last time you've seen Hammerhead appear in anything since Spectacular Spider-Man?) Black Cat making her first physical appearance in this series here too and she's voiced by Erica Lindbeck and I have a crush on every character she plays.
Alot of the plot here is mainly just to set up for Spider-Man 2 and to hint at Peter training Miles for his game. I love the JJJ Episode where he has to go to the hospital at the realization that there are two Spider-Men now. It's a very nice cooldown after all the big drama of the main game. Genuinely just a fun, small scale Spider-Man story to tide the fans over between this and Miles Morales and thats all I wanted it to be.
The issues though come from the side content. Overall I think the side content here is a tad better than the main game. Or at the very least its more story focused than most of the main game ones which I think is neat. However they are kinda bullshit sometimes. Like I appreciate the extra challenge but when the bonus rewards are asking me to get a 100 Combo chain against swarms of the most aggresive enemies in the game I kind of start to get pissed off. But that's not even the problem.
Screwball. Enough said.
Also her challenges are actually kind of fun but when you try to go for the Ultimate Score on some of them they are just actual bullshit and they kind of push me from wanting to play them. (which wouldnt be an issue if they weren't based around Screwball and you had to hear her voice during all of them.)
Anyway yeah this DLC is pretty good. Nothing crazy but a fun side story between the much bigger game releases.
Also Black Cat is sexy as fuck.
I wasn't familiar with this series and I literally first heard about it a couple weeks ago, however something about the vibe this game had really pulled me in so I gave it a try.
Something really interesting about this game is that it does the metroidvania style while at the same time having the entire game open to you from the start. (Not counting the final area obviously) From that description alone you're prolly already trying to wrap your head around that concept because that sounds like the exact opposite of a metroidvania but it works.
There's no unique form of platforming here. It's actually very simplistic but the way they make it interesting is the level design and mainly the enemy placements. Kaho is practically made of glass because every enemy will do like a quarter of her health with a single attack so every room kind of turns into a puzzle with the player trying to work out how to get through without taking too much damage. You can not brute force this game. It will make you take your time and strategize. (Unless you get the Red Ring that just allows you to get health for every thing you kill so the strategy just turns into destroying everything in your path.)
The best part of the game in my opinion are the boss fights. I'm not going to spoil most of them but the fights can be pretty cool. Also Lubella, who you beat by smacking her titties... This game knows what I like.
Overall this game pretty nice. The vibe and gameplay are both really unique and cool. It is the definition of a hidden gem.
Something really interesting about this game is that it does the metroidvania style while at the same time having the entire game open to you from the start. (Not counting the final area obviously) From that description alone you're prolly already trying to wrap your head around that concept because that sounds like the exact opposite of a metroidvania but it works.
There's no unique form of platforming here. It's actually very simplistic but the way they make it interesting is the level design and mainly the enemy placements. Kaho is practically made of glass because every enemy will do like a quarter of her health with a single attack so every room kind of turns into a puzzle with the player trying to work out how to get through without taking too much damage. You can not brute force this game. It will make you take your time and strategize. (Unless you get the Red Ring that just allows you to get health for every thing you kill so the strategy just turns into destroying everything in your path.)
The best part of the game in my opinion are the boss fights. I'm not going to spoil most of them but the fights can be pretty cool. Also Lubella, who you beat by smacking her titties... This game knows what I like.
Overall this game pretty nice. The vibe and gameplay are both really unique and cool. It is the definition of a hidden gem.
I can't believe the MCU ripped this game off.
Hyrule Warriors is a wild trip. As a Zelda fan, it's incredible. A perfect trip through the franchises history while still managing to tell a new and satisfying story. However, as an actual game it is WAY too repetitive. That's kind of just the flow of Warriors games to be fair but that doesn't excuse how tiresome this game can get if you play it too long.
As long as you just do the main story you probably won't run into this issue assuming you only do like 2 or 3 missions in each session but dear lord avoid the side content at all cost. This isn't even a criticism of the game. I am genuinely fearful of anyone who has completed even one of the Adventure maps.
This game's plot is surprisingly well done. Its not amazing and most of it happens purely for the sake of fanservice but they very easily could have done worse or just had put no effort into it. I think Cia is a really good villain and oddly tragic. They do the usual trope however, where the really cool new villain is just a servant for Ganon and after you fight them get completed overshadowed by him. This is especially funny because they include Zant and Ghirahim, two of the most glaring examples of this trope, and they don't give them ANY significance beyond being minions for Ganon or Cia.
I do love all the fanservice here. A majority of it is directed to Twilight Princess for some reason. Most Zelda games at least have one character to represent them or an Adventure mode map to reference them. However a lot of the 2D games hardly get representation. A Link to the Past is kind of represented with the Lorule map but not much else that I can rember. The Oracle games literally don't get anything besides a couple character alt outfits and Minish Cap literally gets NOTHING. Real shame because literally ever other mainline game gets some form of recognition.
Thats this game's charm in a nutshell. A whole lot of Zelda fanservice with some pretty mindless, albiet relaxing in the right mindset, gameplay. If you are a fan of Zelda games and do like the Warriors style of games this is more than worth the price. There is so much to do here that I'd argue there's TOO MUCH content. I dread 100% of this game.
Hyrule Warriors is a wild trip. As a Zelda fan, it's incredible. A perfect trip through the franchises history while still managing to tell a new and satisfying story. However, as an actual game it is WAY too repetitive. That's kind of just the flow of Warriors games to be fair but that doesn't excuse how tiresome this game can get if you play it too long.
As long as you just do the main story you probably won't run into this issue assuming you only do like 2 or 3 missions in each session but dear lord avoid the side content at all cost. This isn't even a criticism of the game. I am genuinely fearful of anyone who has completed even one of the Adventure maps.
This game's plot is surprisingly well done. Its not amazing and most of it happens purely for the sake of fanservice but they very easily could have done worse or just had put no effort into it. I think Cia is a really good villain and oddly tragic. They do the usual trope however, where the really cool new villain is just a servant for Ganon and after you fight them get completed overshadowed by him. This is especially funny because they include Zant and Ghirahim, two of the most glaring examples of this trope, and they don't give them ANY significance beyond being minions for Ganon or Cia.
I do love all the fanservice here. A majority of it is directed to Twilight Princess for some reason. Most Zelda games at least have one character to represent them or an Adventure mode map to reference them. However a lot of the 2D games hardly get representation. A Link to the Past is kind of represented with the Lorule map but not much else that I can rember. The Oracle games literally don't get anything besides a couple character alt outfits and Minish Cap literally gets NOTHING. Real shame because literally ever other mainline game gets some form of recognition.
Thats this game's charm in a nutshell. A whole lot of Zelda fanservice with some pretty mindless, albiet relaxing in the right mindset, gameplay. If you are a fan of Zelda games and do like the Warriors style of games this is more than worth the price. There is so much to do here that I'd argue there's TOO MUCH content. I dread 100% of this game.
I might have some bias towards this game... It was the first game I ever played and for the longest time it was my favorite Mario game. Now looking at this game with a more critical perspective, I still think this game fucking rocks.
I'm very aware of the general views of this game and the era of Mario games that it came out in. And while yes, I fully agree that this game marks the start of an era in Nintendo where they were playing very safe with their IPs, especially Mario. What I don't agree with is the sentiment that this urge to play it safe is a bad thing. It's not. In my opinion it's just reassuring that I know exactly what kind of game I'm playing. Everyone KNOWS what a Mario game is and there's a bit of comfort in that because you'll be never surprised and sometimes that exactly what you need.
And that's exactly what this game is. The definitive 2D Mario experience. The worlds are the same Grass, Desert, Water, Lava, Jungle ect. that you expect. The level design is traditional 2D Mario game. The only thing that is unique about it is that the levels seem bigger which I assume is to take into account the 4-Player Feature which is a really enjoyable nightmare.
There really isn't much else to discuss with this game. It's a standard Mario game and not much else. There's the nostalgia but that's all it really has that makes it stand out to me. And again, that isn't necessarily a bad thing. Mario games are very good by nature and thats the same here. It's not required gaming for Mario fans but if you like Mario games you will like this too.
I'm very aware of the general views of this game and the era of Mario games that it came out in. And while yes, I fully agree that this game marks the start of an era in Nintendo where they were playing very safe with their IPs, especially Mario. What I don't agree with is the sentiment that this urge to play it safe is a bad thing. It's not. In my opinion it's just reassuring that I know exactly what kind of game I'm playing. Everyone KNOWS what a Mario game is and there's a bit of comfort in that because you'll be never surprised and sometimes that exactly what you need.
And that's exactly what this game is. The definitive 2D Mario experience. The worlds are the same Grass, Desert, Water, Lava, Jungle ect. that you expect. The level design is traditional 2D Mario game. The only thing that is unique about it is that the levels seem bigger which I assume is to take into account the 4-Player Feature which is a really enjoyable nightmare.
There really isn't much else to discuss with this game. It's a standard Mario game and not much else. There's the nostalgia but that's all it really has that makes it stand out to me. And again, that isn't necessarily a bad thing. Mario games are very good by nature and thats the same here. It's not required gaming for Mario fans but if you like Mario games you will like this too.
No More Heroes
2007
"This game is fucking brilliant. These characters are so well written and this story is so smart." I say as I jerk off my Joycon after cutting like 20 dudes in half.
Pokémon X
2013
it's a fun pokemon game it has a lot going for it and it's good that they knew their limitations with this being the first mainline full 3d game but it's also just okay and a bit forgettable to me as a result
Pokémon X
2013
I'm REALLY not a fan of Pokemon games. Even the ones that people say are really good, I rarely think are all that great. When I started this game I was really not expecting to enjoy it. This is easily one of the most disliked Pokemon games for being kind of the start of Pokemon's downfall so I was really worried because I'm already not super into these games, however to my surprise I thought it was pretty good.
The usual issues with these games that I find are still present. The battle system is basic and it's upsetting that it hasn't changed much in the main series besides Legends Arkoos and that's easily the biggest problem to me. These games are very boring especially at the start and they really esculate all that much until the endgame. This game just might be the worst case of it. I already knew about how easy this game would be so I decided to do a blind nuzlocke instead and the difficulty was still an issue. Most fights just boil down to swapping to whichever Pokemon had the effective move then executing it. I played the game in very small bursts over the course of a few weeks so it never got stale but if I had been any faster it easily would have been an issue.
Another common complaint is the story. Normally I don't think it's fair to call a Pokemon game's plot bad since they're all basically the exact same, however I can see where these complaints come from. The story had a lot of potential. I think Lysandre was actually a really cool villain but he's bogged down by being related to Team Flare who is easily the lamest evil Pokemon team. AZ was also a character I thought could have been really interesting if they gave him more time but they don't until the very end of the game. The main complaint I hear about the plot is the 4 rivals being too friendly. That's not the issue. The issue is that they're underdeveloped.The genderswap rival had some characterization but nothing super interesting or compelling. The other 3 each representing a different element of Pokemon games from filling out the Pokedex or just appreciating the Pokemon themselves. I think if fleshed out these could have been really cool characters but of course they aren't. Thankfully I think the future gens fix this even if they don't focus on more important aspects (such as making the games good.) To put it plainly, Gen 6 had A LOT of potential in its story that they just didn't go through with.
My favorite thing about this game besides the new Pokemon added has the be the region itself. At first I wasn't really enjoying it. Standard grass route and the first forest is copy paste Viridian forest from Gen 1. I was willing to ignore this though because at the time I assumed it was just them riding off the fact that the game was 3D so making the routes look super unique wouldn't be a priority. I was SO wrong. Kalos just might be the prettiest region in a Pokemon game. The early routes start off generic but they soon turned into sights that I was genuinely left me in awe. (My favorite is definitely the Pokemon League because its just this fucking massive castle where the camera starts to pan out as you approach it.)
The Pokemon designs are really good here. Gen 6 definitely went for a quality over quantity and it definitely shows. Greninja, Pangoro, Malamar, Tyrantrum, Sylveon, Hawlucha, Goodra, and Noivern are my favorites. I also love the Mega designs. My opinion of Sceptile who is my favorite Pokemon would be much lower if not for his Mega.
I no longer have high expectations for Pokemon and I don't see myself playing any of the future games, however Pokemon X and Y nail the aspects of Pokemon that I care about. The Pokemon, region and music are amazing and while I do agree that it has its flaws I don't think its fair to act like this game is the only Pokemon game that has them. This game is cozy. That's why I like it. Not my favorite Pokemon game but they definitely had way worse ones.
The usual issues with these games that I find are still present. The battle system is basic and it's upsetting that it hasn't changed much in the main series besides Legends Arkoos and that's easily the biggest problem to me. These games are very boring especially at the start and they really esculate all that much until the endgame. This game just might be the worst case of it. I already knew about how easy this game would be so I decided to do a blind nuzlocke instead and the difficulty was still an issue. Most fights just boil down to swapping to whichever Pokemon had the effective move then executing it. I played the game in very small bursts over the course of a few weeks so it never got stale but if I had been any faster it easily would have been an issue.
Another common complaint is the story. Normally I don't think it's fair to call a Pokemon game's plot bad since they're all basically the exact same, however I can see where these complaints come from. The story had a lot of potential. I think Lysandre was actually a really cool villain but he's bogged down by being related to Team Flare who is easily the lamest evil Pokemon team. AZ was also a character I thought could have been really interesting if they gave him more time but they don't until the very end of the game. The main complaint I hear about the plot is the 4 rivals being too friendly. That's not the issue. The issue is that they're underdeveloped.The genderswap rival had some characterization but nothing super interesting or compelling. The other 3 each representing a different element of Pokemon games from filling out the Pokedex or just appreciating the Pokemon themselves. I think if fleshed out these could have been really cool characters but of course they aren't. Thankfully I think the future gens fix this even if they don't focus on more important aspects (such as making the games good.) To put it plainly, Gen 6 had A LOT of potential in its story that they just didn't go through with.
My favorite thing about this game besides the new Pokemon added has the be the region itself. At first I wasn't really enjoying it. Standard grass route and the first forest is copy paste Viridian forest from Gen 1. I was willing to ignore this though because at the time I assumed it was just them riding off the fact that the game was 3D so making the routes look super unique wouldn't be a priority. I was SO wrong. Kalos just might be the prettiest region in a Pokemon game. The early routes start off generic but they soon turned into sights that I was genuinely left me in awe. (My favorite is definitely the Pokemon League because its just this fucking massive castle where the camera starts to pan out as you approach it.)
The Pokemon designs are really good here. Gen 6 definitely went for a quality over quantity and it definitely shows. Greninja, Pangoro, Malamar, Tyrantrum, Sylveon, Hawlucha, Goodra, and Noivern are my favorites. I also love the Mega designs. My opinion of Sceptile who is my favorite Pokemon would be much lower if not for his Mega.
I no longer have high expectations for Pokemon and I don't see myself playing any of the future games, however Pokemon X and Y nail the aspects of Pokemon that I care about. The Pokemon, region and music are amazing and while I do agree that it has its flaws I don't think its fair to act like this game is the only Pokemon game that has them. This game is cozy. That's why I like it. Not my favorite Pokemon game but they definitely had way worse ones.
Super Mario 3D Land
2011
A common criticism for Mario games released in the 3DS and Wii U era was that they were getting very bland. Not bad really. Just nothing new. Every game was designed to appeal to everyone. No risks of attempts to change the game like with 64 and Galaxy. Just very basic Mario platforming. Super Mario 3D Land!
This game is nothing special. It is marketed as the 3DS's mainline Mario game and that's all it was. The story is the same as usual with no new characters besides Pom Pom... I guess? Bowser kidnaps Peach and Mario has to do platforming to save her. Its the exact same you've seen a ton of times. To be fair, no one is playing Mario games for the story. You're playing it for the fun gameplay but it really does make you wish for something more than just cliff-notes after how bombastic Galaxy was.
The level design is simultaneously really interesting and also really basic. At the time we were just off the heels of Super Mario Galaxy 2, debatabley the beginning of the "Bland Era." The Galaxy games kind of did away with the open level style started by 64 and turned into a mission based style of replaying the same level with minor changes. 3D Land does this too but takes it to a whole new degree. Gameplay is designed like the New Super Mario Bros. series but in 3D. Typical 3 collectibles per level, 8 worlds with 7-9 levels each ending with a flagpole. Again, this isn't a bad thing. I'd argue with some good unique level designs and elements this could work really well, (Like in 3D World) 3D Land doesn't have this. This game is doing NOTHING you haven't seen before. The only thing keeping this game from being considered part of the New Soup series is that it is "technically" in 3D however its hard to care when the game still feels and plays like a 2D game.
I like what this game was starting. It's not a bad game. It's painfully generic but I would not call it bad. Just... another Mario platformer. And thankfully we'd get this game done right with 3D World a couple years later.
I can't recommend this game to anyone but those morbidly curious. Anything this game does is done better and more uniquely by 3D World. Play that instead because you will find nothing here.
This game is nothing special. It is marketed as the 3DS's mainline Mario game and that's all it was. The story is the same as usual with no new characters besides Pom Pom... I guess? Bowser kidnaps Peach and Mario has to do platforming to save her. Its the exact same you've seen a ton of times. To be fair, no one is playing Mario games for the story. You're playing it for the fun gameplay but it really does make you wish for something more than just cliff-notes after how bombastic Galaxy was.
The level design is simultaneously really interesting and also really basic. At the time we were just off the heels of Super Mario Galaxy 2, debatabley the beginning of the "Bland Era." The Galaxy games kind of did away with the open level style started by 64 and turned into a mission based style of replaying the same level with minor changes. 3D Land does this too but takes it to a whole new degree. Gameplay is designed like the New Super Mario Bros. series but in 3D. Typical 3 collectibles per level, 8 worlds with 7-9 levels each ending with a flagpole. Again, this isn't a bad thing. I'd argue with some good unique level designs and elements this could work really well, (Like in 3D World) 3D Land doesn't have this. This game is doing NOTHING you haven't seen before. The only thing keeping this game from being considered part of the New Soup series is that it is "technically" in 3D however its hard to care when the game still feels and plays like a 2D game.
I like what this game was starting. It's not a bad game. It's painfully generic but I would not call it bad. Just... another Mario platformer. And thankfully we'd get this game done right with 3D World a couple years later.
I can't recommend this game to anyone but those morbidly curious. Anything this game does is done better and more uniquely by 3D World. Play that instead because you will find nothing here.
Terraria
2011
There's something really daunting about discussing Terraria since its my second favorite game, after the Xenoblade trilogy. What's going to happen here is me slathering this game with praise which is gonna get old real quick. There's only so many ways to say something is good.
This game is pure satisfaction and is a master of teaching the player by figuring things out for themselves. I guess your main goal of Terraria is simply to become strong. The game is unforgiving and that is enough to drive the player to want to surpass the obstacles. On one side of the World is the Corruption and on the other side is the Jungle. Both of which are extremely difficult to travel through. So what is the player to do when they have no path to go on either side of them? Go down of course! And that's the beauty of it. You'll find all kinds of equipment from various sources that will slowly make you capable of surpassing these barriers. And when you do get strong enough then you find there's a whole new area or boss that will kick your ass. So the cycle repeats until the player is wielding the most powerful gear in the game and fighting eldritch gods. It's incredibly satisfying. You'll get more powerful simply because YOU want to. Not because the game is telling you.
This game is incredibly dense for content. There are so many unique bosses, weapons and opportunities for customization that its a little bit daunting. However its also not so rigid that once you've found a style that you like doesn't mean you aren't free to change your entire class for the sake of using a cool new weapon. If you go through the entire game as a melee build you can easily swap to a mage right before the final fight if you really wanted to and it wouldn’t be much to stop you.
Every boss fight is just... so fun. Especially when you up the difficulty and they start to learn some fancy new moves. Bosses in this game aren't just another obstacle to get through like boss fights are in some other games. They are real tests of your abilities and the game will not allow you to progress unless you are able to beat them. My issue with them though is that actually starting boss fights take a lot of effort. Boss summons are expensive to get and are all consumable to you'll only get a single go before you have to craft a new summon when you fail. Like the Moon Lord, for example, is the final boss and is naturally really difficult and the Gauntlet you have to go through to summon him is agonizing to repeat. It's like losing to a boss in Dark Souls or Hollow Knight and being sent back to an earlier area in the level then going all the way back to the boss for another attempt. However in Terraria, this space in between isn't a chance to cooldown or rethink your strategy. It's just tedium. Thankfully though, this, among other minor issues, can be fixed with mods.
The game also excels in many other ways. The OST is just perfect. It's incredibly iconic and whether your vibing out in space or fighting an army of pirates, the OST will set the mood really well. The artsyle is also really nice. The only game with better pixelart in my opinion is Owlboy and when you add some mods and texture packs you’ll have something beautiful. This game on the surface looks very generic fantasy but look a little closer and you’ll see that it has an incredibly fun personality to it, whether that’s referencing just about every other game in existence or seeing what madness the community has made.
That’s gotta be one of my favorite things about the game. Terraria is such a universally loved game that just about everyone has played it or at least knows about it. And in my experience, it is one of the few fandoms worth engaging with. This is a pretty subjective point but I’ve never had a bad time around other fans and the only discourse seems to come from whether Corruption or Crimson is better and that is just such a non serious thing to discuss. It’s great. As well as with devs that are actively engaging with their fans and youtubers like Chippy giving constant support. It’s just a nice group to be a part of.
So yeah, this is easily one of the greatest games of all time and my favorite (non Xenoblade) video game. A fun game with an awesome community. Infinite replayability and a crazy good modding scene. (But I’ll discuss mods at another time…) It is perfection.
This game is pure satisfaction and is a master of teaching the player by figuring things out for themselves. I guess your main goal of Terraria is simply to become strong. The game is unforgiving and that is enough to drive the player to want to surpass the obstacles. On one side of the World is the Corruption and on the other side is the Jungle. Both of which are extremely difficult to travel through. So what is the player to do when they have no path to go on either side of them? Go down of course! And that's the beauty of it. You'll find all kinds of equipment from various sources that will slowly make you capable of surpassing these barriers. And when you do get strong enough then you find there's a whole new area or boss that will kick your ass. So the cycle repeats until the player is wielding the most powerful gear in the game and fighting eldritch gods. It's incredibly satisfying. You'll get more powerful simply because YOU want to. Not because the game is telling you.
This game is incredibly dense for content. There are so many unique bosses, weapons and opportunities for customization that its a little bit daunting. However its also not so rigid that once you've found a style that you like doesn't mean you aren't free to change your entire class for the sake of using a cool new weapon. If you go through the entire game as a melee build you can easily swap to a mage right before the final fight if you really wanted to and it wouldn’t be much to stop you.
Every boss fight is just... so fun. Especially when you up the difficulty and they start to learn some fancy new moves. Bosses in this game aren't just another obstacle to get through like boss fights are in some other games. They are real tests of your abilities and the game will not allow you to progress unless you are able to beat them. My issue with them though is that actually starting boss fights take a lot of effort. Boss summons are expensive to get and are all consumable to you'll only get a single go before you have to craft a new summon when you fail. Like the Moon Lord, for example, is the final boss and is naturally really difficult and the Gauntlet you have to go through to summon him is agonizing to repeat. It's like losing to a boss in Dark Souls or Hollow Knight and being sent back to an earlier area in the level then going all the way back to the boss for another attempt. However in Terraria, this space in between isn't a chance to cooldown or rethink your strategy. It's just tedium. Thankfully though, this, among other minor issues, can be fixed with mods.
The game also excels in many other ways. The OST is just perfect. It's incredibly iconic and whether your vibing out in space or fighting an army of pirates, the OST will set the mood really well. The artsyle is also really nice. The only game with better pixelart in my opinion is Owlboy and when you add some mods and texture packs you’ll have something beautiful. This game on the surface looks very generic fantasy but look a little closer and you’ll see that it has an incredibly fun personality to it, whether that’s referencing just about every other game in existence or seeing what madness the community has made.
That’s gotta be one of my favorite things about the game. Terraria is such a universally loved game that just about everyone has played it or at least knows about it. And in my experience, it is one of the few fandoms worth engaging with. This is a pretty subjective point but I’ve never had a bad time around other fans and the only discourse seems to come from whether Corruption or Crimson is better and that is just such a non serious thing to discuss. It’s great. As well as with devs that are actively engaging with their fans and youtubers like Chippy giving constant support. It’s just a nice group to be a part of.
So yeah, this is easily one of the greatest games of all time and my favorite (non Xenoblade) video game. A fun game with an awesome community. Infinite replayability and a crazy good modding scene. (But I’ll discuss mods at another time…) It is perfection.
I often say that I don't like games from the NES era. All of the games from this time are either rushed out to cash in on the huge gaming rise, made by inexperienced devs with no knowledge of good game design, or made infamously difficult so that playtimes are increased. I still stand by this and in my opinion the only NES games that stand up to time are Super Mario Bros. 3 and Punch Out!! However, when we hit the 90s, and the SNES era, is when I think games actually start getting good. The SNES is home to so many classics that are still amazing to this day; games that took what devs were trying to do with the NES and fleshing them out into actually great expiriences. In my opinion, no game is a better example of this than A Link to the Past.
ALttP is a treasure of a game and an all time classic. It took what worked with the first Zelda and expanded it. Going from a dull slog of working through bullshit fights and simple block moving traps to full on dungeon crawling adventure through a genuinely beautiful world.
The exploration is actually fun here. I'm sure at the time, collecting Nintendo Power and sharing gossip on the playground was super dope, but now it's just shitty design. ALttP however is designed in a way that when you explore your are actually awarded with something. It's not just cryptic, broken English hints telling you that there MIGHT be a wall you can bomb. Call it skill issue but it's genuinely not. It's good game design.
The dungeons are also evolved to something that is amazing. It's no longer just traversing through rooms of enemies just to get keys and fight a boss. Here there are actual puzzles. Actual trials that require you to use your head and think your way through instead of brute forcing your way to a dull boss fight.
ALttP, arguably, is the most influential Zelda to the future of the franchise. A lot of the lore, characters and locations, and gameplay loop started here. Even though the dungeons are greatly expanded compared to Zelda 1 they can still be pretty simplistic, which is very sad because future Zelda games, including Link's Awakening which came out right after, have some amazing dungeon and puzzle designs. However when the dungeons do start to get good in ALttP is also when the enemy placement starts to become a problem. (Beamos in this game suck.)
Overall this game is genuinely amazing in almost every way. A joy from start to finish and required playing for any Zelda fan who is somehow missing out. From the beautiful SNES graphics to the grand and heroic soundtrack, this game is spectacular. The only game preventing it from being my favorite SNES game is Chrono Trigger.
Link's Awakening is better >:]
ALttP is a treasure of a game and an all time classic. It took what worked with the first Zelda and expanded it. Going from a dull slog of working through bullshit fights and simple block moving traps to full on dungeon crawling adventure through a genuinely beautiful world.
The exploration is actually fun here. I'm sure at the time, collecting Nintendo Power and sharing gossip on the playground was super dope, but now it's just shitty design. ALttP however is designed in a way that when you explore your are actually awarded with something. It's not just cryptic, broken English hints telling you that there MIGHT be a wall you can bomb. Call it skill issue but it's genuinely not. It's good game design.
The dungeons are also evolved to something that is amazing. It's no longer just traversing through rooms of enemies just to get keys and fight a boss. Here there are actual puzzles. Actual trials that require you to use your head and think your way through instead of brute forcing your way to a dull boss fight.
ALttP, arguably, is the most influential Zelda to the future of the franchise. A lot of the lore, characters and locations, and gameplay loop started here. Even though the dungeons are greatly expanded compared to Zelda 1 they can still be pretty simplistic, which is very sad because future Zelda games, including Link's Awakening which came out right after, have some amazing dungeon and puzzle designs. However when the dungeons do start to get good in ALttP is also when the enemy placement starts to become a problem. (Beamos in this game suck.)
Overall this game is genuinely amazing in almost every way. A joy from start to finish and required playing for any Zelda fan who is somehow missing out. From the beautiful SNES graphics to the grand and heroic soundtrack, this game is spectacular. The only game preventing it from being my favorite SNES game is Chrono Trigger.
Link's Awakening is better >:]
Bravely Default
2013
Nerds: hm yes today I will strategize the best solution for to this fight using the tools available to me, making sure to carefully use every resource.
Cool sexy people after braving 4 times whenever the option appears and just tanks the three turns of damage afterwards: fuck it we ball fuck it we ball fuck it we ball fuck it we ball
Cool sexy people after braving 4 times whenever the option appears and just tanks the three turns of damage afterwards: fuck it we ball fuck it we ball fuck it we ball fuck it we ball
Ocarina of Time was my first game in the Zelda franchise. Not this version tho, Ocarina of Time 3D. I won't get into the details with that version, but I very much enjoyed it and wanted to play other games in the series. The same year, or the year after, my one uncle gave me his N64. I'm pretty sure there was only two games that came with it. Star Wars: Episode 1 - Racer and this game. Barely touched Star Wars at but OOT, well I already really enjoyed the 3D remake so I was excited to actually give the original a try. I loved it. At least I'm assuming I did, for some reason I replayed this version so many times back in the day..it became my most replayed game ever for a while. I memorized the entire game, every major bombable hole location, every gold skulltula. I don't know why I played this game so much but I think I ended up overplaying it to the point I started not loving it as much. With this Zelda marathon, I was able to replay this once again after not replaying it in like 10 years. Even now, I still felt some of those overplayed woes I had back then, but mostly in the early game. Even now, 90% of the collectables came right back to me. Even now, it was still fun playing this game and I still love it for getting me into Zelda and into other Nintendo games in general. This game is not perfect, and I do have some criticisms for sure, but this is an important game in regard to the history of gaming and an important game to me.
One of the best aspects of this game is its story and world-building in comparison to past games. The main plot is actually pretty similar to ALTTP. You are tasked with collecting 3 Spiritual Stones (pendants), have to obtain the Master Sword in the Temple of Time (the Lost Woods) and then you must awaken the seven sages (seven maidens) so you can destroy the barrier in Ganondorf's castle and defeat him. Very similar to ALTTP, except instead of traveling between the Light and Dark world, you must travel between the present and future. See, you actually start as young link but when you obtain the Master Sword, Link is sealed in it for seven years and becomes an adult. In terms of the story, this is much more interesting than the light and dark world was. The world changes around you as you travel to the future, and so do the characters. Speaking of them, this game is chalk full of em and they're way more interesting this time around. Link himself has way more personality than he ever did in past games. I still definitely prefer future iterations of him but he's solid here. Zelda is MUCH better here and actually plays a big part in the story. She has way more scenes and due to that and her Shiek persona, she's absolutely one of the best if not the best character in the game. Ganondorf is actually seen with his non-pig design here and there's a reason this game made his human form iconic. The sages, unlike the unnamed maidens, are actual characters here. Not just throughout their temples, you meet pretty much all of them as young Link throughout Hyrule and you help them out along the way. This helps in making them memorable and let me tell you they very much are. Whether it's your childhood friend Saria to the rough and tough Goron Darunia, they're all pretty different characters and again are actually characters this time around. The little side characters you meet in each location are memorable to as the dialogue they are given is translated much better. ALTTP I found to a decently plain and straight-forward English translation. Here tho, they like to be quirky and make a lot of the side characters say weird and interesting things which helps the world feel alive. Something else that makes the game feel alive is the many races that are found in this world. ALTTP had Hylians and Zora. Not only does OOT have those (and they're more fleshed out) it added Kokiri, Shiekah, Gerudo, Deku, and Goron's. All of these helps add to the world-building immensely. Something that would make the dialogue better in this version of the game is if you could skip to the end of single textboxes. You either have to read each one slowly or if you try to make it go faster, it skips to the very end of a set of textboxes. Majora's Mask fixed this and so did the 3DS remake, but I thought it was worth pointing out here because it can be a tad bit irksome.
The combat in this game is very different from ALTTP, simply because it's 3D now instead of 2D. This game introduces Z-Targeting. When you hold the Z button in front of an enemy, you will automatically target and face their direction the entire time. This is incredibly helpful and is almost needed with a game like this. Because this game is in 3D, this changes Link's moveset dramatically. You still swing your sword but now depending on your button inputs, you'll do different swings. You can do a vertical, horizontal swing and a jab. If you z target, have your sword out and press the a button, you do a jump attack. You can backflips, you can do side jumps. Link now auto-jumps whenever you go off a platform or a ledge. Just your basic move set is fun and imo more fun than 2D Zelda. This isn't even getting into other items like the hook-shot which had an amazing transition into 3D. That and the bow puts you into first person and it just works marvelously. The slingshot and boomerang puts you into like a over the shoulder third person view. Funnily enough, each set of items I mentioned are exclusive to each form of Link. Young Link can only use certain items and vice versa for Adult Link. Along with the enemies being more fun and interesting in a 3D environment, the combat in this game was improved from past games and it's honestly amazing for a game from 1998 and amazing for Zelda's first foray into 3D.
The overworld honestly is not the best, I think. It was their first 3D game, I'll cut them some slack but I don't care for Hyrule Field. The size was most certainly impressive back in the day, however now I just see it as wasted potential. It's pretty empty, not very interesting to look at and it's "secrets" are lame. Basically any secrets it has are holes under boulders or completely invisible holes you bomb to unlock. You can find these with the stone of agony but you need a rumble pak to even use it. Otherwise, you either have to randomly guess where they are like Zelda 1 or memorize where they, are after looking them up, on future playthroughs like I did. Wouldn't be much of an issue if some of them didn't have important stuff like gold skulltulas or a heart piece. Outside of that, you have a tedious big poe quest and a single NPC that's used in quest. Honestly if the secrets were just a little better, it was more visually appealing and there were a couple more NPC's, this main overworld, that's connected to every area, would be so much better to me. Honestly I feel like Majora's Mask fixed this issue with Termina Field, which is way better imo, but as it stands this is my least favorite part of the game imo. The area's connected to Hyrule Field are good however, Visually distinct and they have plenty of actually good secrets and collectables to find. However, actual side quests in this game aren't too great imo. The Biggoron one is memorable, but all the others aren't too great imo and are very much overshadowed by Majora Mask's fantastic side quests. Like there's literally a mask side quest where you have to obtain masks and sell them to NPC's. The reward isn't great, another mask, and it just reminds me of how MM handled its mask items way better. Tho alas, I should not be comparing it to a future game like that so I will stop.
My least favorite part of them game, besides Hyrule field, is young Link's portion. Don't get me wrong, it's not bad but the dungeons you go through don't compare to Adult Link's Temples. The Great Deku tree is a solid starting dungeon but it's also very simple. Same with Dodongo's Cavern and Jabu-Jabu's Belly. None of them are bad, they're just very simple compared to temples. Something that is great tho, and this applies to every dungeon in the game, is how visually distinct and memorable they are. 2D Zelda dungeons are great and all but they just don't compare to 3D ones. The type of stuff you can do in 3D dungeons can't be replicated in 2D ones. Jumping from the top of a tree and feeling the full depth of your fall as you land on a spider-web and bust through it due to gravity. Just can't work in 2D. I can see why people might prefer 2D ones tho. As long as they're well designed, they're usually more complicated and technically better "dungeons" where its easy to get lost. However, they lack the spectacle that I prefer in 3D ones. The first 3 young Link dungeons are very linear for example. They have puzzles ofc but it's hard to get lost in them unlike 2D ones. However, I don't mind that (tho in these first 3 dungeons case I guess I do cuz they're a bit TOO simple) and that's proven by the five temples in this game. Adult Link temples, while still probably more linear than some 2D Zelda dungeons, rock my socks. I'll just get into this now, Water temple is not bad. It was my least favorite temple this playthrough, but it's not bad..just can be a little tedious. It's the most complex and backtracky dungeon in the game, and feels kinda like a 2D dungeon but that's at the cost of being a little more tedious than the others (not only due to the design of the place but the iron boots ofc). It can be tough to figure out but I can apprecauet that. Fire temple is also good but just doesn't stick out as much as the other three. Shadow has a very disturbing atmosphere and relies on tricks and traps. Forest and Spirit temple are easily the best dungeons in the game. Forest is very atmospheric and is a very nicely designed dungeon with a great temple theme. Spirit temple is the only one to make use of both young and adult Link, and it does it well, as well as having the best dungeon boss in the game. Not every dungeon in this game is like amazing, but when it hits..IT HITS. Oh also the dungeon bosses vary in quality. Twinrova is the best boss in the game I think. She makes great use of the mirror shield and the witch sisters have actual dialogue and are actual characters that make the boss that much better. Phantom Ganon is cool as well and Ganondorf/Ganon himself is ofc badass. There are some weaker bosses like King Dodongo being piss easy or Morpha being very easy to cheese, however even these weaker bosses are cool to see now that the games in 3D.
Quick thing on the visuals. They don't look bad but they can be a bit ugly at times. Obviously, this is a game from 1998, so I can let it slide somewhat. I played on an actual N64 so the resolution and framerate are pretty bad. They had to be to even run this game at the time, so with knowledge of that and how the game looks its impressive. Still, I know I'd say I wouldn't compare it to Majora's Mask again...but that game is on the same system and looks way more vibrant to me. I know it's using the expansion pass but still..
The soundtrack is absolutely iconic. ALTTP is where Zelda's Lullaby originated, howevrr this version is way more iconic to me. Same with Kakariko Village tho I honestly might like ALTTP's version of it hehe. As for original songs, Lost Woods, Song of Storms, Gerudo Valley, Lon Lon Ranch are all bangers and are super duper iconic for good reasons. The Ocarina songs are all really good, and I actually like how the Ocarina plays a much bigger part in this game compared to the last two games it was in. My absolute favorite song in the game funnily enough, is Requiem of Spirit. Always has been, always will be. Something about it is kinda eerie yet mysterious. It's such a short song yet it's my favorite, idk why lol.
I was honestly very conflicted while playing this. Due to my complaints with Hyrule field/sidequests and me overplaying this game back in the day, part of me wanted to keep this at an 8. However, this game really was important in expanding my taste in games and is just an important landmark of a game in general. What really pushed me to bump it to a 9 though, was the ending. I've already seen it before, but I teared up. Not just teared up, I actually started to cry a bit. I don't know if it's just because the ending is very sweet and emotional, or because it reminded me the days I'd used to play this game a ton (insert anology of how I longed for my days of being a child just like Adult Link does at the end of the game or something idk). Either way, yeah I'll bump it to a 9. Game's not perfect but it is awesome, that's all that needs to be said.
I'm going to play Katamari Damacy after this and then move on to my personal favorite Zelda, Majora's Mask. Look forward to those reviews in the near future!
One of the best aspects of this game is its story and world-building in comparison to past games. The main plot is actually pretty similar to ALTTP. You are tasked with collecting 3 Spiritual Stones (pendants), have to obtain the Master Sword in the Temple of Time (the Lost Woods) and then you must awaken the seven sages (seven maidens) so you can destroy the barrier in Ganondorf's castle and defeat him. Very similar to ALTTP, except instead of traveling between the Light and Dark world, you must travel between the present and future. See, you actually start as young link but when you obtain the Master Sword, Link is sealed in it for seven years and becomes an adult. In terms of the story, this is much more interesting than the light and dark world was. The world changes around you as you travel to the future, and so do the characters. Speaking of them, this game is chalk full of em and they're way more interesting this time around. Link himself has way more personality than he ever did in past games. I still definitely prefer future iterations of him but he's solid here. Zelda is MUCH better here and actually plays a big part in the story. She has way more scenes and due to that and her Shiek persona, she's absolutely one of the best if not the best character in the game. Ganondorf is actually seen with his non-pig design here and there's a reason this game made his human form iconic. The sages, unlike the unnamed maidens, are actual characters here. Not just throughout their temples, you meet pretty much all of them as young Link throughout Hyrule and you help them out along the way. This helps in making them memorable and let me tell you they very much are. Whether it's your childhood friend Saria to the rough and tough Goron Darunia, they're all pretty different characters and again are actually characters this time around. The little side characters you meet in each location are memorable to as the dialogue they are given is translated much better. ALTTP I found to a decently plain and straight-forward English translation. Here tho, they like to be quirky and make a lot of the side characters say weird and interesting things which helps the world feel alive. Something else that makes the game feel alive is the many races that are found in this world. ALTTP had Hylians and Zora. Not only does OOT have those (and they're more fleshed out) it added Kokiri, Shiekah, Gerudo, Deku, and Goron's. All of these helps add to the world-building immensely. Something that would make the dialogue better in this version of the game is if you could skip to the end of single textboxes. You either have to read each one slowly or if you try to make it go faster, it skips to the very end of a set of textboxes. Majora's Mask fixed this and so did the 3DS remake, but I thought it was worth pointing out here because it can be a tad bit irksome.
The combat in this game is very different from ALTTP, simply because it's 3D now instead of 2D. This game introduces Z-Targeting. When you hold the Z button in front of an enemy, you will automatically target and face their direction the entire time. This is incredibly helpful and is almost needed with a game like this. Because this game is in 3D, this changes Link's moveset dramatically. You still swing your sword but now depending on your button inputs, you'll do different swings. You can do a vertical, horizontal swing and a jab. If you z target, have your sword out and press the a button, you do a jump attack. You can backflips, you can do side jumps. Link now auto-jumps whenever you go off a platform or a ledge. Just your basic move set is fun and imo more fun than 2D Zelda. This isn't even getting into other items like the hook-shot which had an amazing transition into 3D. That and the bow puts you into first person and it just works marvelously. The slingshot and boomerang puts you into like a over the shoulder third person view. Funnily enough, each set of items I mentioned are exclusive to each form of Link. Young Link can only use certain items and vice versa for Adult Link. Along with the enemies being more fun and interesting in a 3D environment, the combat in this game was improved from past games and it's honestly amazing for a game from 1998 and amazing for Zelda's first foray into 3D.
The overworld honestly is not the best, I think. It was their first 3D game, I'll cut them some slack but I don't care for Hyrule Field. The size was most certainly impressive back in the day, however now I just see it as wasted potential. It's pretty empty, not very interesting to look at and it's "secrets" are lame. Basically any secrets it has are holes under boulders or completely invisible holes you bomb to unlock. You can find these with the stone of agony but you need a rumble pak to even use it. Otherwise, you either have to randomly guess where they are like Zelda 1 or memorize where they, are after looking them up, on future playthroughs like I did. Wouldn't be much of an issue if some of them didn't have important stuff like gold skulltulas or a heart piece. Outside of that, you have a tedious big poe quest and a single NPC that's used in quest. Honestly if the secrets were just a little better, it was more visually appealing and there were a couple more NPC's, this main overworld, that's connected to every area, would be so much better to me. Honestly I feel like Majora's Mask fixed this issue with Termina Field, which is way better imo, but as it stands this is my least favorite part of the game imo. The area's connected to Hyrule Field are good however, Visually distinct and they have plenty of actually good secrets and collectables to find. However, actual side quests in this game aren't too great imo. The Biggoron one is memorable, but all the others aren't too great imo and are very much overshadowed by Majora Mask's fantastic side quests. Like there's literally a mask side quest where you have to obtain masks and sell them to NPC's. The reward isn't great, another mask, and it just reminds me of how MM handled its mask items way better. Tho alas, I should not be comparing it to a future game like that so I will stop.
My least favorite part of them game, besides Hyrule field, is young Link's portion. Don't get me wrong, it's not bad but the dungeons you go through don't compare to Adult Link's Temples. The Great Deku tree is a solid starting dungeon but it's also very simple. Same with Dodongo's Cavern and Jabu-Jabu's Belly. None of them are bad, they're just very simple compared to temples. Something that is great tho, and this applies to every dungeon in the game, is how visually distinct and memorable they are. 2D Zelda dungeons are great and all but they just don't compare to 3D ones. The type of stuff you can do in 3D dungeons can't be replicated in 2D ones. Jumping from the top of a tree and feeling the full depth of your fall as you land on a spider-web and bust through it due to gravity. Just can't work in 2D. I can see why people might prefer 2D ones tho. As long as they're well designed, they're usually more complicated and technically better "dungeons" where its easy to get lost. However, they lack the spectacle that I prefer in 3D ones. The first 3 young Link dungeons are very linear for example. They have puzzles ofc but it's hard to get lost in them unlike 2D ones. However, I don't mind that (tho in these first 3 dungeons case I guess I do cuz they're a bit TOO simple) and that's proven by the five temples in this game. Adult Link temples, while still probably more linear than some 2D Zelda dungeons, rock my socks. I'll just get into this now, Water temple is not bad. It was my least favorite temple this playthrough, but it's not bad..just can be a little tedious. It's the most complex and backtracky dungeon in the game, and feels kinda like a 2D dungeon but that's at the cost of being a little more tedious than the others (not only due to the design of the place but the iron boots ofc). It can be tough to figure out but I can apprecauet that. Fire temple is also good but just doesn't stick out as much as the other three. Shadow has a very disturbing atmosphere and relies on tricks and traps. Forest and Spirit temple are easily the best dungeons in the game. Forest is very atmospheric and is a very nicely designed dungeon with a great temple theme. Spirit temple is the only one to make use of both young and adult Link, and it does it well, as well as having the best dungeon boss in the game. Not every dungeon in this game is like amazing, but when it hits..IT HITS. Oh also the dungeon bosses vary in quality. Twinrova is the best boss in the game I think. She makes great use of the mirror shield and the witch sisters have actual dialogue and are actual characters that make the boss that much better. Phantom Ganon is cool as well and Ganondorf/Ganon himself is ofc badass. There are some weaker bosses like King Dodongo being piss easy or Morpha being very easy to cheese, however even these weaker bosses are cool to see now that the games in 3D.
Quick thing on the visuals. They don't look bad but they can be a bit ugly at times. Obviously, this is a game from 1998, so I can let it slide somewhat. I played on an actual N64 so the resolution and framerate are pretty bad. They had to be to even run this game at the time, so with knowledge of that and how the game looks its impressive. Still, I know I'd say I wouldn't compare it to Majora's Mask again...but that game is on the same system and looks way more vibrant to me. I know it's using the expansion pass but still..
The soundtrack is absolutely iconic. ALTTP is where Zelda's Lullaby originated, howevrr this version is way more iconic to me. Same with Kakariko Village tho I honestly might like ALTTP's version of it hehe. As for original songs, Lost Woods, Song of Storms, Gerudo Valley, Lon Lon Ranch are all bangers and are super duper iconic for good reasons. The Ocarina songs are all really good, and I actually like how the Ocarina plays a much bigger part in this game compared to the last two games it was in. My absolute favorite song in the game funnily enough, is Requiem of Spirit. Always has been, always will be. Something about it is kinda eerie yet mysterious. It's such a short song yet it's my favorite, idk why lol.
I was honestly very conflicted while playing this. Due to my complaints with Hyrule field/sidequests and me overplaying this game back in the day, part of me wanted to keep this at an 8. However, this game really was important in expanding my taste in games and is just an important landmark of a game in general. What really pushed me to bump it to a 9 though, was the ending. I've already seen it before, but I teared up. Not just teared up, I actually started to cry a bit. I don't know if it's just because the ending is very sweet and emotional, or because it reminded me the days I'd used to play this game a ton (insert anology of how I longed for my days of being a child just like Adult Link does at the end of the game or something idk). Either way, yeah I'll bump it to a 9. Game's not perfect but it is awesome, that's all that needs to be said.
I'm going to play Katamari Damacy after this and then move on to my personal favorite Zelda, Majora's Mask. Look forward to those reviews in the near future!
This review contains spoilers
No joke this time, I just want to highlight this motherfucker named Kanna. I want to know who at Inti Creates decided to give this girl a whole ass DLC minigame, half a year after release, JUST for herself, and it's like, 5 minutes, too. I know, the funny plant girl, but JEEBERS. Damn, when’s the Kanna’s Downfall DLC for Blaster Master Zero III, turning Zero III into Devil May Cry?
Blaster Master Zero is one of my favorite games of all time. So naturally, Zero II should follow. And… yeah. It's peak. Shocker. I mean, I already said that Zero 1 was “a 10/10 in my heart”, and I then followed that up by saying that Zero I was “truly the worst the [Zero] series has to offer”, so it's no shock that I find Zero II and Zero III more appealing by default. So, I could just end the review there. Zero II is a great follow-up to Zero I, and expands on its gameplay greatly. But, no! Because Blaster Master Zero II, is really, REALLY GOOD. Shockingly so. This was one of my favorite games ever, the 5th spot on my list of GOATed favorites. It's stayed pretty stagnant since Zero III forced it out of the Top 5 slot, but Zero II is still definitely up there in terms of my favorites. But I will say, I honestly forgot about what made Zero II so great. I hadn’t played it in a long while, so I decided to do so for this review, and man. Once I heard the music again, got into the groove of it all, that was it for me. Because I knew Zero II would be near perfection. Not the perfect game (i can name a few of those), but the perfect game to me. And, a perfect game with no major version differences. Like Zero II, the game is the same across platforms, you just need to buy the DLC. Hooray! So, what say you? Here's my review of BLASTER MASTER ZERO II!
A few months after the True Ending of Blaster Master Zero I, after Jason, the young scientist, saved Eve, the support droid for Sophia III, from the Mutant Core, the two live in harmony. While Sophia III was left to die with the Mutant Core, Sophia Zero manages to come out unscathed. Eve however, does not. In Blaster Master Zero I, Eve’s body was taken over by the Mutant Core, altering her appearance to be incredibly veiny. Although everything seemed okay after the fact, Eve would begin to undergo what I'll dub her “Corruption”, where the mutant cells began to overtake her body. This radically changes her appearance from a sweet, innocuous girl, to a half-mutant, with only a bloody tear to convey her pain. Also, cats. Both figuratively, and literally, because yeah, Eve got a breast implant. I’ll chalk it up to her “Corruption”, but the comments about her being a Mutant [SPOILERS] in Zero III? Yeah, can’t blame ‘em if you’re picking up what I’m putting down. BUT ANYWAYS... This sends Jason into a panic, as he attempts to save Eve once more. He attempts to find a cure for Eve’s mutation on Earth, but fails to find one. So, with the creation of Gaia-Sophia, born from the parts of Sophia Zero, now with the possibility of space travel, the trio blast off into space, not knowing where to go or what to do next. But, not before showing Eve trembling, sweating, almost looking half-dead. It’s a thrilling note to start the game on, and tells the player if that the mission fails, Eve is pretty much dead. I really like how they portray this in the main quest and promo material, too. Following the release of most Inti Creates games, they release some free to download wallpapers, and Zero I is no different. But in these promo materials, Inti was like, “uhhhh so like what if we made a sequel to this game????” So then with each release of a wallpaper, a part of Eve’s skin turns increasingly green. So yeah, if you thought Inti was fucking around, you'd better think twice, because Zero II would be beloved within the community. Also, in the game’s story, Eve will often go under without prior warning, providing that greater sense of urgency for the player, really pushing them to act fast, lest the worst possible outcome were to occur. So yeah, hop on your tank, and lets go!
When it comes to the Tank gameplay, there aren’t many changes overall, which is great, because it barely needed any change, because Zero I had already perfected the formula. The main change is the “Gaia System”, which allows you to recover some SP after falling, or taking damage. Otherwise, it’s largely the same. To be honest, I really did not care about the Gaia system. It’s not intrusive at all, but I never found that it added to exploration. It was nice when I needed to recover some SP, but other than that, it’s largely disposable in my eyes. Although, they do something neat with it in the final boss, but yeah. Not a game changer, but an acceptable addition overall. I think they tried to use it as a sort of comeback mechanic, because in Zero II, you no longer regenerate SP, so maybe they tried to negate camping strategies? I'm not really sure, to be honest. Other than that, Gaia Sophia is basically the same. But, that's totally okay. Because Sophia III kicked ass in the first game, and continues to do so here with Gaia Sophia. So Gaia Sophia is a success here. But what about the worlds you traverse in?
Arguably the best improvement in Zero II is the phenomenal level design. Zero I had good level design that lacked focus, but Zero II’s level design is extremely concentrated and fast paced. There is not a single dull moment in Zero II. Everything is always changing, shifting, to make for some varied and fun levels to blast through. To help with the pacing, each “area” is now divided into a subset of levels. One big level, combined with several sub-areas. This makes the pacing sooooo much more faster than one could expect. Especially when it comes to 100%. I never had the biggest issue with 100%ing Zero I, but Zero II has it better, straight up. All of the items are listed in the Info tab of a planet, so if you miss something, it's readily apparent. I wish you could check the status of an entire world’s collectibles, though that’s a nitpick. Because it's really not that hard to 100% a planet in one go. And with the tinier planets offering only one or two items, 100%ing isn’t an issue at all. So when you finish the big level in an Area, the side planets offer a nice break between the bigger levels. I never got tired of Zero II, because it’s such an easy game to pick up and play. When you see that fully completed world, it simply feels satisfying. And the levels you travel within? OH MY GOD. These levels are WAY better than the first one’s! Non-stop, constant speed, and each level gimmick is so varied, intertwining your abilities with the level’s perfectly. As soon as the first screen shows up, you can see a Life Up that’s just barely out of your reach. But when you get the Hover ability, that Life Up is yours. Already, you feel like you’ve made significant progress. Combined with the side worlds, and you have a satisfying gameplay loop that any fan of the genre can fall in love with. And combined with the quality-of-life features I haven’t even mentioned, like weapon shortcuts, this transforms Zero II into a very different game that transcends the quality of the first game. From fun in Sophia the III, into one of the best metroidvanias to be released to date. And that’s just Sophia! Because folks, we have a few other Metal Attacker pilots to mention.
Yeah, Jason ain’t the only one in town with a tank. With the new worlds of Zero II, comes all new pilots, support droids, and Tanks, too! From a casual farmer with a nature loving southern fox (I think?) girl, to a more father-daughter relationship, and even a voluptuous plant girl. A voluptuous plant girl. Okay??? Thanks, Inti. You attracted all of the Plants Vs Zombies artists. Ughhhhhhh. Jokes aside, I really like the cast of Zero II, although a part of me wishes we saw them outside of just their own worlds. All of them have some really fun dynamics between Jason and co., but it’s only temporary. Gonbei is the down-to-earth guy, Stein is a hard worker, and Kanna is, well, as silly as her own design is. It’s a shame that they’re a one-and-done deal though. Outside of [SPOILERS], though, that doesn’t really count, because they barely show up there, either. Sure, the collectible emblems give the characters a bit more screentime, as well as leading into the True ending, but even then, I really wish these characters were more developed, as I said, they’re really fun to be around. I appreciate the world building of the Zero series though, as this could hint at the possibility of more Metal attacker pilots in the future. But as the “Jason” saga came to a close in Zero III, it’s uncertain if the series has a future with the current chronology. But hey, we’ll see. Hey, speaking of pilots...
Jason in this game is absolutely CRAZY. The weapon system received yet another overhaul. While the weapons can still deplete like normal, the weakness has an even greater emphasis than before. While Wave is still the top dog in terms of damage, the other weapons have seen way more love. It’s less viable to spam Wave, as the weapon begins to rapidly lose damage with each shot, which restores the less you fire it. While Wave is still the best in terms of raw damage and universal weaknesses across the game, in order to maximize the capabilities of Jason, you need to switch up your game plan a whole lot more than Zero I. Because of this, the Whip became a personal favorite of mine. It has piss poor range, but it does great damage, and is immune to weapon staling. That's not to say the rest of the bunch aren't slacking, though. The Seeker is solid, and Guard can be useful in a pinch, but that's about it for me. I really wish they gave you more reason to stick with other weapons. Staling weapons is a start, but other than that, there's still little reason to not stick to your guns, literally. But believe me, folks. We haven't even touched the best ability by far. BLAST COUNTER!! Blast Counter is cool as hell and you cannot tell me otherwise. If enemies have a reticle above their head, hit the Y button, and BAM! It stuns most enemies, and also looks cool as hell, but when you get the Speed Striker, it just annihilates the boss of Montoj. It’s like, “Fuck you, I don’t have time for this shit”. It’s great. Spamming counter is ill-advised as timing it correctly is the only one that makes enemies weak. But this ability alone makes the combat of Zero II so much more refined and dynamic, and some of the most fun in the series. Hell, pop in the Empress DLC, and... DAMN. They don’t call her The Empress for nothing! Even then, what the hell? I know nothing about Dragon Marked For Death, but if The Empress can pull this off in her own game, sign me up! Well, that is... if Dragon Marked For Death wasn’t a dead multiplayer game itself! LMAOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO shut the fuck up it’s not funny. Bad jokes aside, Zero II would be perfect. IF the bosses weren’t so mediocre.
THE MOUNTAIN OF CHAOS, MY FUCKING BEHATED. There is genuinely zero skill needed for this fight. Mash this shit like it’s Cookie Clicker, and THEN you get to play the video game! Oh, and if you accidentally fall off as Jason? That’s a wrap! Jason is so fucking fragile in this game. He can fall, like 2 blocks and that’s a reset. Oh, and the Unknown Cell-046? Can you AIM? If so, you just beat the fight. Just like that! The Dig-Rawer, too. It’s laughably easy. There aren’t too many bosses in Zero II, but too many of them err on the lame side of things. And, yeah, this applies to the final boss, too. But first, let’s head back to the story.
As Jason makes his way through the galaxy, a mysterious, hostile figure shows up, dubbed Leibniz. They constantly try to impede Jason’s progress, whether by fighting them directly or otherwise. It’s unclear what Leibniz wants, as they continue to insult and berate Jason and co with no clear motivation behind the attacks. Hell, Leibniz even attacked Kanna, and embarrassingly lost to Miss Melons. This comes to a head in Area G, where Leibniz and Jason duke it out for the final time. Turns out that Leibniz was a victim of the now infamous Planade-G. Before the events of the game, Leibniz and his now deceased support droid lived on that Planet, right until the planet was invaded by mutants. Everything was destroyed, with Leibniz surviving, but with their support droid dying with Planade-G. This drives Leibniz into madness, killing anything that comes in Garuda’s path, as a false sense of payback ensues over them. And in this encounter is where Leibniz’s backstory is revealed. They believe that killing Jason is a better fate than taking Planade-G head on, believing that the two are trying to save Planade-G. In reality, Planade-G stands right in their path to the planet Sophia, and regrettably, they cannot avoid it. So like it or not, they have to take this thing on. Concerningly, Eve ran some simulations about what would happen if they actually won. Should that happen, the energy within Planade-G would malfunction, essentially dooming the universe that they’re within, including the tunnel to Sophia itself. Either way, Planade-G is a big enough threat to the universe anyways. So concerningly, Sophia charges towards the giant, purple planet.
Planade-G is probably my least favorite boss in the entire game, and probably the entire Zero saga. God, this one is just so fucking dreadful. It’s basically luck if you can even land a hit or not. You have to stomp the energy out of Planade-G with the Gaia-Sophia system, but doing so is a tedious process in of itself. The debris flying in the sky is supposed to help you deal more damage, but it often intercepts you giant Gaia stomp, making the process frustrating. Hell, even if you don’t run into the debris, an enemy that spawns on the floor can just straight up cancel your stomp, no matter how hard you fall. Oh, and not to mention, at low HP, the planet will start rotating, with NO TELEGRAPHING! Christ! This may very well be one of the worst bosses in Inti Creates HISTORY, and you KNOW they never miss with their bosses. But what in the hell happened here? I might say that this is THE worst boss in Blaster Master, not just the Zero series, but Blaster Master 2 exists, so... good job, I guess? This is also where the first ending comes into play.
Once again, the Bad Ending is the one most players will see on their first playthrough. As the two pre-maturely celebrate, as Eve predicted, Planade-G’s tunnel becomes unstable, flinging the crew into a black hole, Area Ω, separating them in the process. Although the universe avoided it’s inevitable destruction, the team are essentially left for dead, with no one to save them. Eve recants on the journey that just occurred, how Jason was a fearless leader, reflecting on the other pilots we’ve seen throughout the course of the game, but also beginning to believe that the mission was a bust from the start. Her last regret was not spending more time with the pilots, but as her consciousness begins to fade, Eve calls out to Jason one last time. Cutting to Leibniz, they receive the distress signal that Eve sent out, before the signal cuts off. Leibniz is initially ecstatic over the news, laughing at the two’s downfall, as well as their home planet’s, before returning to a striking silence, as the game fades to black. This is a pretty blatant bad ending for the crew. I mean, everyone on the team was wiped out, never to be seen again, and Sophia suffers, as Leibniz says. No more, no less. But, if you actually have a sense of joy and/or happiness, you’ll want to aim for the true ending. You thankfully don’t need to 100% the game in order to do so, but you’ll need to instead collect the emblems you get from the other pilots. These have no apparent effects, but upon defeating Planade-G again, everything plays out, realizing everything that Jason did for her. However, she realizes that she must be her own person. Sure, Jason is a great acquaintance, but Eve is nothing without Jason. That all changes, when Eve stands up, corruption be damned, determined to do what Jason did for her all those months ago. And thus begins Area Ω.
Eve is... intentionally bad. She has no ranged game, only getting a bitch slap, also being as fragile as Jason, and has the ability to slow down time with the powers of kittens and cats alike. It reflects her deteriorating state at this point in the story. The player is forced out of their comfort zone at this point in the story, with this level being the hardest Area in the game, in my opinion. This is where the game becomes more puzzle-like, as the player needs to get with the grips of fall damage. Without any tank, even a short fall can kill Eve. Hell, you even fight a few bosses with her, which aren’t too ballbusting, thankfully. After a bit of exploring, Eve finds a Blaster rifle, which alarms her, as it may potentially belong to Jason. She hopes for the best and trudges on, but apparently, she pissed off a religious figure, because Leibniz shows up, and tries to go in for the kill. Eve is like, “Girl, bye”, finding a tank behind Leibniz, alongside a spirit of a former support droid, Elfie, killed by the Mutant Cocoon. Elfie’s support droid is Roddy. Yes, this is a reference to Blaster Master: Blasting Again, where Eve and Jason’s children are named Roddy and Elfie. They’re not the same characters, but you gotta applaud the amount of care this team has. It should be criminal. I mean, shit, almost all of the new character names are references to previous Sunsoft games, and hell, even some of the worlds are references in of themselves. I love this fucking company. Anyways, Elfie consoles Leibniz about their loss of their pilot, with Leibniz in denial. Elfie then namedrops Leibniz’s support droid, Lucia, sending them into a moment of silence. Leibniz blasts off, telling Eve to keep eye on the Emblems that she acquired. Elfie lets Eve pilot her tank, with Eve noticing that the structure of the tank, Andreia, is a near-replica of Sophia III’s. Eve blasts off in her fancy new talk intent on completing the mission that Elfie started. At this point, there is very little else in Zero II. Only a few HP ups before the big showdown with the Mutant Cocoon, so we can cover that now. The Mutant Cocoon towers over a stone-cold Jason. His vitals are still present, though waning. It’s believed that he tried to take on the Cocoon himself, before failing and succumbing to the Mutant Cocoon. Eve is hopeless, yet tries to save Jason either way, before realizing her attempts are fruitless without the Acceleration Blast, which is unusable. When all hope seems lost, Gonbei and the others come in to save Eve and defeat the Mutant Cocoon, revealing that the Emblems are teleporters, of sorts. Eve fends off the Cocoon as the crew starts to show up to save Eve. While the Acceleration Blast may destroy Andreia, Elfie accepts this, and allows Eve to proceed. Using her Mutant cells as fuel, she destroys that bitch-ass Mutant Cocoon, and Jason returns to normal. The fight is not over just yet, as the Mutant Cocoon reveals its true form; the Drolrevo Mastro. Despite my qualms with the bosses in Zero II, this fight is a solid time, although it ends way too quickly for my tastes. But, once Mastro falls, the grand Planet Sophia lays in front of Jason and Eve. With the beautiful planet in front of their eyes, Eve only has one thing she has to say. What is this confession? Play Zero III to find out!
In an undisclosed location, Leibniz catches a distress signal from Earth. The mutants strike again, calling for Gaia Sophia. Leibniz doesn’t stand around and watch, though. This time, they take initiative, joking around at how he’s the hero of the story this time. And, in the final words of the game, Leibniz proclaims, “Let’s go... Lucia...”
Yeah, if I didn’t make it clear, Zero II is amazing. Genuinely. Like, shockingly good. Zero I was great, but this blew away all expectations, and transformed an already good game into a TRUE masterpiece. Zero I was a fair bit divisive when it was released, but I’ve seen NOBODY shit on this game so far, and that’s when you KNOW a game is good. I love it, just like everyone else. And to think that it’s the SECOND BEST ONE! Zero III... might just be... a good game. Hell if I know! But, we’ll just have to wait and see. What say you? Let’s go... uh... Geese... But yeah. Buy this game. Don’t have the money? I’ll fucking gift it to you, how about that? Because you MUST play this game. Please do. I’ll love you forever and ever if you do.
Well, shit. We hit 200 before Zero III. Uh... yeah. I really don’t have more to say. Zero III will be the chef’s kiss, so be on the lookout. But other than that, gotta promote the Discord server again. It’s a tight-knit, yet active community. So, hop on in! https://discord.gg/CUH3RSFSSB But that’s really all I’ve got. Not even a Bayonetta Origins jo- oh, whoops. Okay, have a good night, play Blaster Master Zero, every single one of them, and support Inti, because goddamn. They’re the kings of making good games that nobody plays. Bye!
Blaster Master Zero is one of my favorite games of all time. So naturally, Zero II should follow. And… yeah. It's peak. Shocker. I mean, I already said that Zero 1 was “a 10/10 in my heart”, and I then followed that up by saying that Zero I was “truly the worst the [Zero] series has to offer”, so it's no shock that I find Zero II and Zero III more appealing by default. So, I could just end the review there. Zero II is a great follow-up to Zero I, and expands on its gameplay greatly. But, no! Because Blaster Master Zero II, is really, REALLY GOOD. Shockingly so. This was one of my favorite games ever, the 5th spot on my list of GOATed favorites. It's stayed pretty stagnant since Zero III forced it out of the Top 5 slot, but Zero II is still definitely up there in terms of my favorites. But I will say, I honestly forgot about what made Zero II so great. I hadn’t played it in a long while, so I decided to do so for this review, and man. Once I heard the music again, got into the groove of it all, that was it for me. Because I knew Zero II would be near perfection. Not the perfect game (i can name a few of those), but the perfect game to me. And, a perfect game with no major version differences. Like Zero II, the game is the same across platforms, you just need to buy the DLC. Hooray! So, what say you? Here's my review of BLASTER MASTER ZERO II!
A few months after the True Ending of Blaster Master Zero I, after Jason, the young scientist, saved Eve, the support droid for Sophia III, from the Mutant Core, the two live in harmony. While Sophia III was left to die with the Mutant Core, Sophia Zero manages to come out unscathed. Eve however, does not. In Blaster Master Zero I, Eve’s body was taken over by the Mutant Core, altering her appearance to be incredibly veiny. Although everything seemed okay after the fact, Eve would begin to undergo what I'll dub her “Corruption”, where the mutant cells began to overtake her body. This radically changes her appearance from a sweet, innocuous girl, to a half-mutant, with only a bloody tear to convey her pain. Also, cats. Both figuratively, and literally, because yeah, Eve got a breast implant. I’ll chalk it up to her “Corruption”, but the comments about her being a Mutant [SPOILERS] in Zero III? Yeah, can’t blame ‘em if you’re picking up what I’m putting down. BUT ANYWAYS... This sends Jason into a panic, as he attempts to save Eve once more. He attempts to find a cure for Eve’s mutation on Earth, but fails to find one. So, with the creation of Gaia-Sophia, born from the parts of Sophia Zero, now with the possibility of space travel, the trio blast off into space, not knowing where to go or what to do next. But, not before showing Eve trembling, sweating, almost looking half-dead. It’s a thrilling note to start the game on, and tells the player if that the mission fails, Eve is pretty much dead. I really like how they portray this in the main quest and promo material, too. Following the release of most Inti Creates games, they release some free to download wallpapers, and Zero I is no different. But in these promo materials, Inti was like, “uhhhh so like what if we made a sequel to this game????” So then with each release of a wallpaper, a part of Eve’s skin turns increasingly green. So yeah, if you thought Inti was fucking around, you'd better think twice, because Zero II would be beloved within the community. Also, in the game’s story, Eve will often go under without prior warning, providing that greater sense of urgency for the player, really pushing them to act fast, lest the worst possible outcome were to occur. So yeah, hop on your tank, and lets go!
When it comes to the Tank gameplay, there aren’t many changes overall, which is great, because it barely needed any change, because Zero I had already perfected the formula. The main change is the “Gaia System”, which allows you to recover some SP after falling, or taking damage. Otherwise, it’s largely the same. To be honest, I really did not care about the Gaia system. It’s not intrusive at all, but I never found that it added to exploration. It was nice when I needed to recover some SP, but other than that, it’s largely disposable in my eyes. Although, they do something neat with it in the final boss, but yeah. Not a game changer, but an acceptable addition overall. I think they tried to use it as a sort of comeback mechanic, because in Zero II, you no longer regenerate SP, so maybe they tried to negate camping strategies? I'm not really sure, to be honest. Other than that, Gaia Sophia is basically the same. But, that's totally okay. Because Sophia III kicked ass in the first game, and continues to do so here with Gaia Sophia. So Gaia Sophia is a success here. But what about the worlds you traverse in?
Arguably the best improvement in Zero II is the phenomenal level design. Zero I had good level design that lacked focus, but Zero II’s level design is extremely concentrated and fast paced. There is not a single dull moment in Zero II. Everything is always changing, shifting, to make for some varied and fun levels to blast through. To help with the pacing, each “area” is now divided into a subset of levels. One big level, combined with several sub-areas. This makes the pacing sooooo much more faster than one could expect. Especially when it comes to 100%. I never had the biggest issue with 100%ing Zero I, but Zero II has it better, straight up. All of the items are listed in the Info tab of a planet, so if you miss something, it's readily apparent. I wish you could check the status of an entire world’s collectibles, though that’s a nitpick. Because it's really not that hard to 100% a planet in one go. And with the tinier planets offering only one or two items, 100%ing isn’t an issue at all. So when you finish the big level in an Area, the side planets offer a nice break between the bigger levels. I never got tired of Zero II, because it’s such an easy game to pick up and play. When you see that fully completed world, it simply feels satisfying. And the levels you travel within? OH MY GOD. These levels are WAY better than the first one’s! Non-stop, constant speed, and each level gimmick is so varied, intertwining your abilities with the level’s perfectly. As soon as the first screen shows up, you can see a Life Up that’s just barely out of your reach. But when you get the Hover ability, that Life Up is yours. Already, you feel like you’ve made significant progress. Combined with the side worlds, and you have a satisfying gameplay loop that any fan of the genre can fall in love with. And combined with the quality-of-life features I haven’t even mentioned, like weapon shortcuts, this transforms Zero II into a very different game that transcends the quality of the first game. From fun in Sophia the III, into one of the best metroidvanias to be released to date. And that’s just Sophia! Because folks, we have a few other Metal Attacker pilots to mention.
Yeah, Jason ain’t the only one in town with a tank. With the new worlds of Zero II, comes all new pilots, support droids, and Tanks, too! From a casual farmer with a nature loving southern fox (I think?) girl, to a more father-daughter relationship, and even a voluptuous plant girl. A voluptuous plant girl. Okay??? Thanks, Inti. You attracted all of the Plants Vs Zombies artists. Ughhhhhhh. Jokes aside, I really like the cast of Zero II, although a part of me wishes we saw them outside of just their own worlds. All of them have some really fun dynamics between Jason and co., but it’s only temporary. Gonbei is the down-to-earth guy, Stein is a hard worker, and Kanna is, well, as silly as her own design is. It’s a shame that they’re a one-and-done deal though. Outside of [SPOILERS], though, that doesn’t really count, because they barely show up there, either. Sure, the collectible emblems give the characters a bit more screentime, as well as leading into the True ending, but even then, I really wish these characters were more developed, as I said, they’re really fun to be around. I appreciate the world building of the Zero series though, as this could hint at the possibility of more Metal attacker pilots in the future. But as the “Jason” saga came to a close in Zero III, it’s uncertain if the series has a future with the current chronology. But hey, we’ll see. Hey, speaking of pilots...
Jason in this game is absolutely CRAZY. The weapon system received yet another overhaul. While the weapons can still deplete like normal, the weakness has an even greater emphasis than before. While Wave is still the top dog in terms of damage, the other weapons have seen way more love. It’s less viable to spam Wave, as the weapon begins to rapidly lose damage with each shot, which restores the less you fire it. While Wave is still the best in terms of raw damage and universal weaknesses across the game, in order to maximize the capabilities of Jason, you need to switch up your game plan a whole lot more than Zero I. Because of this, the Whip became a personal favorite of mine. It has piss poor range, but it does great damage, and is immune to weapon staling. That's not to say the rest of the bunch aren't slacking, though. The Seeker is solid, and Guard can be useful in a pinch, but that's about it for me. I really wish they gave you more reason to stick with other weapons. Staling weapons is a start, but other than that, there's still little reason to not stick to your guns, literally. But believe me, folks. We haven't even touched the best ability by far. BLAST COUNTER!! Blast Counter is cool as hell and you cannot tell me otherwise. If enemies have a reticle above their head, hit the Y button, and BAM! It stuns most enemies, and also looks cool as hell, but when you get the Speed Striker, it just annihilates the boss of Montoj. It’s like, “Fuck you, I don’t have time for this shit”. It’s great. Spamming counter is ill-advised as timing it correctly is the only one that makes enemies weak. But this ability alone makes the combat of Zero II so much more refined and dynamic, and some of the most fun in the series. Hell, pop in the Empress DLC, and... DAMN. They don’t call her The Empress for nothing! Even then, what the hell? I know nothing about Dragon Marked For Death, but if The Empress can pull this off in her own game, sign me up! Well, that is... if Dragon Marked For Death wasn’t a dead multiplayer game itself! LMAOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO shut the fuck up it’s not funny. Bad jokes aside, Zero II would be perfect. IF the bosses weren’t so mediocre.
THE MOUNTAIN OF CHAOS, MY FUCKING BEHATED. There is genuinely zero skill needed for this fight. Mash this shit like it’s Cookie Clicker, and THEN you get to play the video game! Oh, and if you accidentally fall off as Jason? That’s a wrap! Jason is so fucking fragile in this game. He can fall, like 2 blocks and that’s a reset. Oh, and the Unknown Cell-046? Can you AIM? If so, you just beat the fight. Just like that! The Dig-Rawer, too. It’s laughably easy. There aren’t too many bosses in Zero II, but too many of them err on the lame side of things. And, yeah, this applies to the final boss, too. But first, let’s head back to the story.
As Jason makes his way through the galaxy, a mysterious, hostile figure shows up, dubbed Leibniz. They constantly try to impede Jason’s progress, whether by fighting them directly or otherwise. It’s unclear what Leibniz wants, as they continue to insult and berate Jason and co with no clear motivation behind the attacks. Hell, Leibniz even attacked Kanna, and embarrassingly lost to Miss Melons. This comes to a head in Area G, where Leibniz and Jason duke it out for the final time. Turns out that Leibniz was a victim of the now infamous Planade-G. Before the events of the game, Leibniz and his now deceased support droid lived on that Planet, right until the planet was invaded by mutants. Everything was destroyed, with Leibniz surviving, but with their support droid dying with Planade-G. This drives Leibniz into madness, killing anything that comes in Garuda’s path, as a false sense of payback ensues over them. And in this encounter is where Leibniz’s backstory is revealed. They believe that killing Jason is a better fate than taking Planade-G head on, believing that the two are trying to save Planade-G. In reality, Planade-G stands right in their path to the planet Sophia, and regrettably, they cannot avoid it. So like it or not, they have to take this thing on. Concerningly, Eve ran some simulations about what would happen if they actually won. Should that happen, the energy within Planade-G would malfunction, essentially dooming the universe that they’re within, including the tunnel to Sophia itself. Either way, Planade-G is a big enough threat to the universe anyways. So concerningly, Sophia charges towards the giant, purple planet.
Planade-G is probably my least favorite boss in the entire game, and probably the entire Zero saga. God, this one is just so fucking dreadful. It’s basically luck if you can even land a hit or not. You have to stomp the energy out of Planade-G with the Gaia-Sophia system, but doing so is a tedious process in of itself. The debris flying in the sky is supposed to help you deal more damage, but it often intercepts you giant Gaia stomp, making the process frustrating. Hell, even if you don’t run into the debris, an enemy that spawns on the floor can just straight up cancel your stomp, no matter how hard you fall. Oh, and not to mention, at low HP, the planet will start rotating, with NO TELEGRAPHING! Christ! This may very well be one of the worst bosses in Inti Creates HISTORY, and you KNOW they never miss with their bosses. But what in the hell happened here? I might say that this is THE worst boss in Blaster Master, not just the Zero series, but Blaster Master 2 exists, so... good job, I guess? This is also where the first ending comes into play.
Once again, the Bad Ending is the one most players will see on their first playthrough. As the two pre-maturely celebrate, as Eve predicted, Planade-G’s tunnel becomes unstable, flinging the crew into a black hole, Area Ω, separating them in the process. Although the universe avoided it’s inevitable destruction, the team are essentially left for dead, with no one to save them. Eve recants on the journey that just occurred, how Jason was a fearless leader, reflecting on the other pilots we’ve seen throughout the course of the game, but also beginning to believe that the mission was a bust from the start. Her last regret was not spending more time with the pilots, but as her consciousness begins to fade, Eve calls out to Jason one last time. Cutting to Leibniz, they receive the distress signal that Eve sent out, before the signal cuts off. Leibniz is initially ecstatic over the news, laughing at the two’s downfall, as well as their home planet’s, before returning to a striking silence, as the game fades to black. This is a pretty blatant bad ending for the crew. I mean, everyone on the team was wiped out, never to be seen again, and Sophia suffers, as Leibniz says. No more, no less. But, if you actually have a sense of joy and/or happiness, you’ll want to aim for the true ending. You thankfully don’t need to 100% the game in order to do so, but you’ll need to instead collect the emblems you get from the other pilots. These have no apparent effects, but upon defeating Planade-G again, everything plays out, realizing everything that Jason did for her. However, she realizes that she must be her own person. Sure, Jason is a great acquaintance, but Eve is nothing without Jason. That all changes, when Eve stands up, corruption be damned, determined to do what Jason did for her all those months ago. And thus begins Area Ω.
Eve is... intentionally bad. She has no ranged game, only getting a bitch slap, also being as fragile as Jason, and has the ability to slow down time with the powers of kittens and cats alike. It reflects her deteriorating state at this point in the story. The player is forced out of their comfort zone at this point in the story, with this level being the hardest Area in the game, in my opinion. This is where the game becomes more puzzle-like, as the player needs to get with the grips of fall damage. Without any tank, even a short fall can kill Eve. Hell, you even fight a few bosses with her, which aren’t too ballbusting, thankfully. After a bit of exploring, Eve finds a Blaster rifle, which alarms her, as it may potentially belong to Jason. She hopes for the best and trudges on, but apparently, she pissed off a religious figure, because Leibniz shows up, and tries to go in for the kill. Eve is like, “Girl, bye”, finding a tank behind Leibniz, alongside a spirit of a former support droid, Elfie, killed by the Mutant Cocoon. Elfie’s support droid is Roddy. Yes, this is a reference to Blaster Master: Blasting Again, where Eve and Jason’s children are named Roddy and Elfie. They’re not the same characters, but you gotta applaud the amount of care this team has. It should be criminal. I mean, shit, almost all of the new character names are references to previous Sunsoft games, and hell, even some of the worlds are references in of themselves. I love this fucking company. Anyways, Elfie consoles Leibniz about their loss of their pilot, with Leibniz in denial. Elfie then namedrops Leibniz’s support droid, Lucia, sending them into a moment of silence. Leibniz blasts off, telling Eve to keep eye on the Emblems that she acquired. Elfie lets Eve pilot her tank, with Eve noticing that the structure of the tank, Andreia, is a near-replica of Sophia III’s. Eve blasts off in her fancy new talk intent on completing the mission that Elfie started. At this point, there is very little else in Zero II. Only a few HP ups before the big showdown with the Mutant Cocoon, so we can cover that now. The Mutant Cocoon towers over a stone-cold Jason. His vitals are still present, though waning. It’s believed that he tried to take on the Cocoon himself, before failing and succumbing to the Mutant Cocoon. Eve is hopeless, yet tries to save Jason either way, before realizing her attempts are fruitless without the Acceleration Blast, which is unusable. When all hope seems lost, Gonbei and the others come in to save Eve and defeat the Mutant Cocoon, revealing that the Emblems are teleporters, of sorts. Eve fends off the Cocoon as the crew starts to show up to save Eve. While the Acceleration Blast may destroy Andreia, Elfie accepts this, and allows Eve to proceed. Using her Mutant cells as fuel, she destroys that bitch-ass Mutant Cocoon, and Jason returns to normal. The fight is not over just yet, as the Mutant Cocoon reveals its true form; the Drolrevo Mastro. Despite my qualms with the bosses in Zero II, this fight is a solid time, although it ends way too quickly for my tastes. But, once Mastro falls, the grand Planet Sophia lays in front of Jason and Eve. With the beautiful planet in front of their eyes, Eve only has one thing she has to say. What is this confession? Play Zero III to find out!
In an undisclosed location, Leibniz catches a distress signal from Earth. The mutants strike again, calling for Gaia Sophia. Leibniz doesn’t stand around and watch, though. This time, they take initiative, joking around at how he’s the hero of the story this time. And, in the final words of the game, Leibniz proclaims, “Let’s go... Lucia...”
Yeah, if I didn’t make it clear, Zero II is amazing. Genuinely. Like, shockingly good. Zero I was great, but this blew away all expectations, and transformed an already good game into a TRUE masterpiece. Zero I was a fair bit divisive when it was released, but I’ve seen NOBODY shit on this game so far, and that’s when you KNOW a game is good. I love it, just like everyone else. And to think that it’s the SECOND BEST ONE! Zero III... might just be... a good game. Hell if I know! But, we’ll just have to wait and see. What say you? Let’s go... uh... Geese... But yeah. Buy this game. Don’t have the money? I’ll fucking gift it to you, how about that? Because you MUST play this game. Please do. I’ll love you forever and ever if you do.
Well, shit. We hit 200 before Zero III. Uh... yeah. I really don’t have more to say. Zero III will be the chef’s kiss, so be on the lookout. But other than that, gotta promote the Discord server again. It’s a tight-knit, yet active community. So, hop on in! https://discord.gg/CUH3RSFSSB But that’s really all I’ve got. Not even a Bayonetta Origins jo- oh, whoops. Okay, have a good night, play Blaster Master Zero, every single one of them, and support Inti, because goddamn. They’re the kings of making good games that nobody plays. Bye!
Axiom Verge 2
2021
When the original Axiom Verge came out, the nonlinear adventure scene was a desert. Nintendo had stopped releasing quality Metroid titles in the late 2000s, with little to fill the void. A love letter to the series’ strengths was very alluring and those fans got their wish granted with an endless ocean of indie tributes that continues to expand as I write this. Even Nintendo would regain their footing with Metroid Dread in 2021 and a glorious remaster of Metroid Prime last year.
The critical and commercial success of the first game meant a sequel would likely sell fine even with the sudden influx of competition. I’m relieved Thomas Happ chose the experimental road, both to keep his series relevant and demonstrate why the genre can feel stale today.
Power-ups have defined Metroidvanias as much as exploration, and yet if you look at the indie scene, you will find plenty with ho-hum upgrades. Hollow Knight and Blasphemous rightfully received praise for their flexible world design, but how much more open can you make an already nonlinear adventure? These experiences now saturate the market. How can we feel awed if the world conforms exactly to our freeform expectations?
I’m willing to bet Happ grappled with this problem, because even more so than its predecessor, Axiom Verge 2 wants to be memorable. First, the combat. The original game had a national army’s worth of guns to discover. It was cool to have tons of options, but one-dimensional enemies and bosses meant the overwhelming majority of weapons never got the opportunity to shine. The sequel trims down combat options to swinging an axe, throwing a boomerang, and hacking foes to disable them. This is a lot more restrictive, but I’m not so stubborn to say this can’t be a nice change if done well. Unfortunately, the results are mediocre at best. The main issue is that each of these tools have miniscule depth. Charging a melee weapon for more damage is a staple of action games and the skill tree perks are basic stat increases nowhere near as creative as the power-ups they represent. Even the hacking, which initially seems more fully-featured, falls painfully short when the most you can do to the vast majority of enemies is slow them down or befriend them to fight other enemies that easily perish anyway. The bosses are almost entirely optional now, and this would have been a great opportunity to test the player’s reflexes and knowledge of their abilities. Instead, they are best tackled by hacking them both electronically and physically while tanking through their elementary attack patterns. They’re somehow more docile than those from the first game, which were already a huge letdown. I respect Happ’s desire to de-emphasize combat in favor of interesting exploration, but he went a little too far here.
The exploration itself is thankfully excellent. The world design isn’t very friendly to sequence-breaking or offering multiple paths to your objective, which is likely why a lot of players reported getting stuck. However, I did notice the correct path forward was always close to where I obtained a power-up. Never are you forced to backtrack to a forgettable square on the map from two hours ago to progress. If you just follow the main story, you will be constantly covering new ground, harkening back to Super Metroid’s sense of progression. The overworld is also connected to an alternate dimension known as The Breach, functioning exactly like the dark world from A Link to The Past. Unlike the SNES classic, however, the Breach is laid out completely differently from the overworld. There’s a lot of clever environmental puzzles that were gratifying to figure out despite most of the extrinsic rewards being skill points I didn’t need after several hours of play. The intrinsic satisfaction was enough for me, but I acknowledge this may not apply to you.
No spoilers for power-ups, but suffice to say Happ recaptured the first game’s excitement of not knowing what the next ability will be. The world has far more verticality than last time and the new movement options take full advantage of this. I cannot express enough how much the genre would benefit from a more inspired approach to power-ups. When you expect to get a double jump, dash, or grappling hook, and the game neglects to prove you wrong, the experience can feel like being on autopilot.
It’s debatable whether the audiovisuals have improved or regressed compared to the first game. I think it looks great. The use of Sumerian architecture is highly imaginative with sunbaked houses, temples, and Lamassu statues adding variety while preserving the organic appeal of lush grasslands, damp caves, and stepped cliffs. I guarantee if this were a AAA game, the world would be modeled after Ancient Egypt or Persia, so it’s respectable Happ didn’t take the easy way out. Some might miss the retro alien aesthetic being everywhere, and I won’t pretend this has the best pixel art ever, but the organic overworld compliments the blocky and surreal-looking Breach perfectly. The music is also great, though not as well-rounded as the original. Many of the overworld tracks use vocals by Mayssa Karaa. She has a lovely voice, but some of these samples are so high-pitched they become grating when revisiting areas. I could turn the music down, but that also drowns out the rest of the instruments. Better audio balancing on Happ’s part would have helped. The Breach tracks are an earworm though. Shoutout to Argentum Alias.
Axiom Verge 2 is a game you’re going to love or hate. It does feel like two steps forward and one step backward, but it does preserve the idiosyncratic spirit of the original, and that’s all it needed to be memorable. There’s countless games I could play for satisfying combat, but only a handful have genuinely unpredictable exploration and progression.
The critical and commercial success of the first game meant a sequel would likely sell fine even with the sudden influx of competition. I’m relieved Thomas Happ chose the experimental road, both to keep his series relevant and demonstrate why the genre can feel stale today.
Power-ups have defined Metroidvanias as much as exploration, and yet if you look at the indie scene, you will find plenty with ho-hum upgrades. Hollow Knight and Blasphemous rightfully received praise for their flexible world design, but how much more open can you make an already nonlinear adventure? These experiences now saturate the market. How can we feel awed if the world conforms exactly to our freeform expectations?
I’m willing to bet Happ grappled with this problem, because even more so than its predecessor, Axiom Verge 2 wants to be memorable. First, the combat. The original game had a national army’s worth of guns to discover. It was cool to have tons of options, but one-dimensional enemies and bosses meant the overwhelming majority of weapons never got the opportunity to shine. The sequel trims down combat options to swinging an axe, throwing a boomerang, and hacking foes to disable them. This is a lot more restrictive, but I’m not so stubborn to say this can’t be a nice change if done well. Unfortunately, the results are mediocre at best. The main issue is that each of these tools have miniscule depth. Charging a melee weapon for more damage is a staple of action games and the skill tree perks are basic stat increases nowhere near as creative as the power-ups they represent. Even the hacking, which initially seems more fully-featured, falls painfully short when the most you can do to the vast majority of enemies is slow them down or befriend them to fight other enemies that easily perish anyway. The bosses are almost entirely optional now, and this would have been a great opportunity to test the player’s reflexes and knowledge of their abilities. Instead, they are best tackled by hacking them both electronically and physically while tanking through their elementary attack patterns. They’re somehow more docile than those from the first game, which were already a huge letdown. I respect Happ’s desire to de-emphasize combat in favor of interesting exploration, but he went a little too far here.
The exploration itself is thankfully excellent. The world design isn’t very friendly to sequence-breaking or offering multiple paths to your objective, which is likely why a lot of players reported getting stuck. However, I did notice the correct path forward was always close to where I obtained a power-up. Never are you forced to backtrack to a forgettable square on the map from two hours ago to progress. If you just follow the main story, you will be constantly covering new ground, harkening back to Super Metroid’s sense of progression. The overworld is also connected to an alternate dimension known as The Breach, functioning exactly like the dark world from A Link to The Past. Unlike the SNES classic, however, the Breach is laid out completely differently from the overworld. There’s a lot of clever environmental puzzles that were gratifying to figure out despite most of the extrinsic rewards being skill points I didn’t need after several hours of play. The intrinsic satisfaction was enough for me, but I acknowledge this may not apply to you.
No spoilers for power-ups, but suffice to say Happ recaptured the first game’s excitement of not knowing what the next ability will be. The world has far more verticality than last time and the new movement options take full advantage of this. I cannot express enough how much the genre would benefit from a more inspired approach to power-ups. When you expect to get a double jump, dash, or grappling hook, and the game neglects to prove you wrong, the experience can feel like being on autopilot.
It’s debatable whether the audiovisuals have improved or regressed compared to the first game. I think it looks great. The use of Sumerian architecture is highly imaginative with sunbaked houses, temples, and Lamassu statues adding variety while preserving the organic appeal of lush grasslands, damp caves, and stepped cliffs. I guarantee if this were a AAA game, the world would be modeled after Ancient Egypt or Persia, so it’s respectable Happ didn’t take the easy way out. Some might miss the retro alien aesthetic being everywhere, and I won’t pretend this has the best pixel art ever, but the organic overworld compliments the blocky and surreal-looking Breach perfectly. The music is also great, though not as well-rounded as the original. Many of the overworld tracks use vocals by Mayssa Karaa. She has a lovely voice, but some of these samples are so high-pitched they become grating when revisiting areas. I could turn the music down, but that also drowns out the rest of the instruments. Better audio balancing on Happ’s part would have helped. The Breach tracks are an earworm though. Shoutout to Argentum Alias.
Axiom Verge 2 is a game you’re going to love or hate. It does feel like two steps forward and one step backward, but it does preserve the idiosyncratic spirit of the original, and that’s all it needed to be memorable. There’s countless games I could play for satisfying combat, but only a handful have genuinely unpredictable exploration and progression.