Justice for All is widely agreed on to be the weakest of the Ace Attorney trilogy, for reasons I can understand. It only contains four cases out of the typical five, for one. The first case being a tutorial and the third, infamously, being brought down by the pedophile love triangle plotline. For all of that though, it still introduces incredibly important developments for the series; premiering Fransizka and finishing with the much revered Farewell, my Turnabout

As a child this was easily the least influential game for me, I absolutely could not STAND Fransizka and none of the cases stood out to me much. Now though, I definitely feel more positive about it. I still dont have much attraction for the 1st and 3rd cases but I'm pretty impressed by the overall implications the events in this game have over the rest of the series. In a way, some of it feels partly like a set up for T&T, especially the happenings with Morgan and Pearl. But heres where we start getting smarter and more thoroughly crafted cases, psyche locks also being an intresting way to interact with and progress characters outside of court. As a kid I think I preferred Maya, but honestly Pearl is very endearing and a delight to have as an assistant. Her being more "mature" than her cousin despite her age introduces a lot of funny situations and also reinforces my belief that 9 year old girls are the greatest force on the planet. Mimi Miney and Acro are two of my favorite killers in the trilogy, and I thought Mimi's situation in the 2nd case specifically was very cleverly thought out.

Unfortunately this game (all of the trilogy, really) has some bad habits which annoyed me in JFA particularly. One is just straight up showing you who the killer is- if not in the opening cutscene then just at a random point throughout the case. The other is withholding all developement until you present a random item/profile to a character- despite the fact that you may have already discussed said item with said character 2 or 3 times but you havent ACTUALLY unlocked the conversation topic for it until you show them. And it is very easy go forget what you should be showing whom as theres no way to keep track of dialouge, so that can be a tad frustrating.

Farewell, my Turnabout is a huge bombshell in terms of the logic of the series and opens up a lot of questions that it is still answering. Mainly, what it means to be a defense lawyer and what the search for truth actually looks like, if the law can even uphold that standard, and how to make the right decision within that confinement. Watching Phoenix grow throughout the game from being an anxious rookie to a genuine attorney is important, but it's really only evident through the developments in this case as his and Miles' relationship is reestablished. Miles himself has grown into the character we more or less remember him as, and in a world where prosecutors hate your guts, it is very refreshing to watch a dynamic where the two work together and mesh with each other so easily. Because of the game's length, Fransizka tended to be sidelined a great deal of the time (being the only prosecutor to not even have her own theme), but she did get her moments throughout case 4 that made my heart hurt a little. Especially the post credits scene which had me tearing up a bit at the end, it is a huge shame we dont really see more of her throughout JFA and T&T because I adore her and she should be treated better.

Overall I'm kind of just happy to finally be playing T&T now, and while I wouldnt risk it all dying on the hill of defending JFA- it IS still a very good and important game to the Ace Attorney series regardless of how much you may want to hang Trilo upsidedown by his feet and force feed him milk till he pukes.

umm, like... how do I close out a review? I kind of, like, forgot. Sorry.

The first game I’ve ever played in my life was Super Mario 64. As a kid not really aware of the significance of this title for many years to come, a lot still stuck with me like Mario’s seamless movement in 3D and the possibilities it hosted interacting with the worlds and environment in both intended and unintended means. The worlds, in particular the initial set on the first level of Peach’s castle, felt so lively and overwhelming at first in the possibilities that existed and what could be found or missed even after seemingly scoping out the entire world. Hearing the keys of Jolly Roger Bay now almost twenty years removed still shoots a pang in my heart thinking back to my 5 year old self trying to catch all the red coins, get the power star early in the jet stream or plunder the secrets of the grimy underwater cavern. It’s easy nowadays to look back at 64 and the more questionable parts like hit or miss levels of the game, constant interruption in getting the stars, and the god awful camera, but the sense of amazement and charm around each corner and crevice of the experience rode high so hard then for me and I’m actually playing it. A bygone era so deeply intertwined with my childhood nostalgia that shaped and informed how I approach this medium even today.

Banjo Kazooie unfortunately was not part of my childhood like many people have experienced and I arrived real late on this duo’s whole thing until sometime around 2008 where I saw a commercial of nuts and bolts and its box art and being transfixed by their designs, Banjo in particular. Still, I never got around to the first game for many years to come until I stumbled upon a copy of it and its sequel randomly in my local used games store. It’s hard recalling many specific things I felt regarding the game then since it’s more than ten years removed at this point and I only progressed about as far as Clanker’s Cavern, but I wasn’t as in love with it like the acclaim it attracted but it was still a pretty captivating and colorful time. Though now I can say I 100%’d the entire game and find it to be more enjoyable than I thought before, not in a masterpiece way but still so invigorating to experience fully.

For as welcoming as this game oozes with the very cutesy and theatre kid like intro, I was caught off guard initially with how strict the movement is and levels later on tend to get later on. Banjo and Kazooie’s starting moveset is limited but opens up with each passing level to be a very unique tool kit of methodical traversal and basic enemy smashing. It doesn’t compare to the level of momentum and speed that can be generated and exploited from Mario and Sonic’s 3D outings at the time, but it still strikes a strong and enthralling identity with levels tuned and tailor-made around it with satisfying puzzles that incorporate their skills like the numerous egg-related puzzles, target puzzles with the beak bomb ability, and basic platforming and scaling done with the feathery flap, flap flip, talon trot and other abilities, even a toggle invulnerability skill. The levels are crafted very much around verticality while offering a lot to distinguish them from one another in their environments, characters and enemies, avoiding the issue of heavy reuse or too abstract territory in their level design. They are scaled near perfectly to prevent tedium from kicking in next to just how appealing it is to collect the various number of trinkets littered around the zones. I appreciate Rare’s approach to the collectibles by having both good variety and theming with the Jinjos, music notes, Jiggies, Mumbo tokens, honeycombs and other items that make collecting them appetizing outside of an overarching achievement. Music note collecting can become painful in some of the later levels with losing all your progress if you end up dying but this only became an annoyance in the later few levels that pushed the difficulty up slightly from its usual coasting fare.

The starting area of the tutorialized Spiral Mountain to Mumbo's Mountain and Treasure Trove Cove as the first two levels ease in how the game will go before truly adding some escalation with the levels onwards starting with Clanker’s Cavern. I recall my first experience of this place being a particular stinker that stopped me in my tracks because of how unwieldy I found swimming to be compared to Mario 64’s more in control feel, especially in stopping and changing direction. Playing Clanker again I didn’t find it to be much frustrating outside of turning and angling Banjo while swimming but alternating between the kicking and wing stroke (and apparently using the right bumper for sharp turns) alleviated some of the unwieldy feel. For as bad of a rap I feel this level gets, it was surprisingly fair and dare I say fun to go through and see this rise in challenge that would continue for most of the rest of the levels. Bubblegloop is a bit less exciting exploration wise and the gator mini game being too high energy until I unlocked the running shoes, but it was still interesting to see where it went and collecting the jiggies was a fun breeze. Freezeezy peak similarly felt more pulled in with the main peak of the tall snow man being the most interesting of the stage though falling on the short side; it did introduce the aerial beak bomb skill though it feels that it is missing a very needed reticle or some soft lock on as aiming is a bit too guesswork next to turning and recovering while flying being funky with the camera. Gobi’s desert ups the escalation with more treacherous terrain and an array of major and mini puzzles available such as the pyramids and the various ways of opening them and excavating the secrets within.


Mad Monster Mansion is possibly the peak of the levels for me with how many pathways and areas are layered across the map, even the Mansion alone, that I ended up missing a few things when I first exited the level. Rusty Bucket Bay and Click Clack Wood are the ultimate tests of the experience; the former being very strict on platforming and traversal outside with the trap of oily water draining available air below and above the surface fast and inside the ship with the engine room as the most unruly part of the game, somewhat to a frustrating degree with how sensitive Banjo’s movement feels at least playing on switch when walking across smaller and narrower platforms and connecting pathways. It’s a miracle having the suspend points as I feel I wouldn’t have completed this level fully with how many times I’ve dived off the deep end from making one wrong step or overextending a leap in the engine room. Click Clack Wood is much less difficult but unfortunately falls on the tedious side with an ambitious four season structure encompassing the same level of scaling a big tree and its surrounding puzzles for all the collectables. Collecting everything in Rusty was painful but Click Clack Wood felt more exhausting even halfway through going through the mostly same menial tasks, though a few had diverging set ups that changed across the seasons to fully get the jiggies associated with them. It never reached the levels of a Rainbow Ride, Tick Tock Clock or any other of Mario 64’s less stellar levels, but it did feel more intriguing as a concept versus the execution this time around. Overall, this set of worlds are excellent across the board and do their job well in emphasizing and incentivizing exploring the zones even when collecting the 100 music notes without dying felt sometimes eye rolling with some aspects of bullshit ending my runs roughly.

I don’t have extensive comments on the music outside of it fitting very well the gorgeous and charming presentation of Banjo-Kazooie’s worlds and layout. Sound design similarly is charismatic as each character and enemy feel vividly themselves in what they sound like, even if a few bordered on annoying or eye rolling at times. I will say I have a soft spot for the power up jingle played when using the temporary power ups and the different versions played depending on which is being used. The final boss theme goes hard for a delightfully tense final encounter with Gruntilda that incorporates a good variety of the skills gained across the journey. Sure aiming the eggs and beak bombing Grunty in the air was a bit frustrating with the camera but seeing the Mighty Jinjonator bash the shit out of Grunty in the end after all the effort is such a satisfying finish that I can almost overlook the annoyance.

It’s hard to pick up anything significant I didn’t like from my experience outside of the awkward camera but that’s more a staple of the era than anything completely unique to Banjo Kazooie. This game has aged very well for how long ago it came out, especially as a Nintendo 64 title. The thought of collecting everything in Super Mario 64 is a headache with how finicky the levels and platforming can get but Banjo Kazooie was a fun ride through and through outside of some hiccups on the way.

After engaging with very long and intensive games recently, I’ve had a craving for something smaller and more focused and Banjo-Kazooie definitely fit that bill. In many ways it was pretty refreshing to revisit this more bite sized adventure after clocking in so much time with more recent, bigger and sometimes exhaustive AAA titles that are fun in their own right but have started to have some diminishing returns the more I spent with them. Nostalgia rearing around again but a part of me does yearn for this era where the scale of games even at the top weren’t too alarming yet and what’s next not too far or too cautious with the threat of studio closure or acquisition to drain their bodies; the outright tease of Banjo-Tooie in the end credits and delivery of the extra in-game secrets after getting all the collectibles is real cocky but feels so human and sweet over a little bling of an achievement saying I completed everything in the game or the usual credit roll at the end of titles. I can admit this is a bit of a too nihilistic view at times given that so much good shit is still coming out today and even in the 90s and early aughts game development and various wings of it weren’t exactly rosy, especially many things Sega like that blue hedgehog and his messy titles around the fifth generation and onwards. Even Rare couldn’t escape the more vicious parts of this industry then and exists as a shell compared to its status decades ago. Never change games industry.

Regardless, I’ve greatly enjoyed my time with Banjo-Kazooie. It’s satisfied and ignited my craving for 3D platformer collect-a-thons again that has been a bit quiet for some time with all the action and rpg titles I’ve given myself to. I’m curious how I’ll feel about Tooie now since I recall not having a fun time with it ten years back. It would be very convenient to jump into it if Nintendo’s shameless online service had it but I suppose it will be added at some point when they raise the price again, but it’s whatever and other means to play can’t be too much of a problem. Who knows, maybe I’ll power up Super Mario 64 now and actually complete all the power stars for once since I’m feeling early 3D platformers again (extreme doubt).

Wolfstride is unabashedly cool and clearly a labor of love from the developer, so it's a real shame that it seems to have been so overlooked. While the gameplay itself lacks a certain degree of polish, everything else within this game feels delicately crafted; whether it be the distinctive visual presentation, the remarkable western-inspired soundtrack that I catch myself humming on a daily basis, or the lively characters that all conceal their own baggage that I was always eager to unpack.

This being a tale of self-redemption at it's core, the narrative did a great job of pulling on my heart strings and I truly wanted the best for all of the central characters by the time the conclusion rolled around. It's not often I yearn for a sequel, especially in cases like this where everything is wrapped up so pristinely, but I'd love an opportunity to hang out with this cast again in the future.

Mf thinks life is all sunshine and rainbows

Despite my fondness for the Kirby series and the pink ball’s equally adorable friends, it’s kind of surprising how I haven’t played many of this cute eldritch horror’s older adventures. Case and point, it was only relatively recently that I finally played Kirby’s Dream Land,  and while it was certainly a simple and fun enough adventure —and a necessary stepping stone all things considered—, it didn’t quite click with me the same it does for others. It has its moments and highlights, like the shoot ‘em up boss fight, and as a short, easy-to-access platformer, it does a good job, but I find it reaaaaally hard to get invested in its not-so great levels, and Adventure’s existence and how fun and complete that game feels while also accomplishing everything Dream Land does doesn’t exactly help things.

All this to say I had no  clue what to expect from the sequel; I knew I had to play this, this is the first outing in Shinichi Shimomura’s less action oriented take on Kirby compared with what Sakurai would end up pursuing in Super Star and that fact alone made it far more interesting, and I also knew some other things here and there, like the fact it features copy abilities and what-not, but overall… Yeah, I didn’t know much about aside from ‘’this is the direct continuation to Dream Land’’. I wasn’t expecting anything bad, hell, I don’t even consider the original game a bad work at all, but I would lie if I said I had high expectations going in…

… so what if I told you I kinda really jammed with this game?

I… Wow, if we see this and the two previous games and some sort of original trilogy, then the evolution is clear as day; as I said, I knew this game lifted some elements from Adventure like the copy abilities, but I never expected to see so many translated so well to the charming brick that is the Game Boy. Levels once again have the adorable introductory cutscenes, but instead of being limited to one-stage run-throughs, there are actual defined hub-worlds, and while there’s less optional stuff than in Adventure (by less, I mean none), the hub areas themselves feel much more compacted and representative of the world they are set in, and it’s hard to describe how, but these areas and the game as a whole manage to feel very lively despite normally featuring no color at all.

And on the levels themselves… You can play as a hamster, so I think that says more than enough. The original Dream Land attempted things such as vertical challenges and annoying mazes, and while those are very much present here, they are accompanied by far more interesting overall lay-outs; the game is still easy, but beating the stages feel like an accomplishment either way thanks to the more varied and fitting challenges, mini-bosses that are actually super fun,  and a but more of a puzzle-like feeling thanks to the collectables and the varying paths.

There are still 1ups here and there, but the existence of star bits and being rewarded with a life after collecting enough is a incredibly simple change that goes a long way in encouraging you to approach the stages in a slower-paced, different way, and that’s not even getting into the main collectables that give you the real ending.

Most of the stuff in or added to Dream Land 2 seems like the most basic shit imaginable, and maybe it is, but it’s all done with such care and intent that it’s hard to not be profoundly enthralled by simply getting a new power-up or uncovering a secret. The design, the animations, so reminiscent of both games that came before yet even more adorable, and charming, even the music for crying out loud! Most are rather short loops, sure, but what they lack in length, they deliver in quality, have you even heard Coo’s theme? You know this bird is the real deal when this starts playing.

Oh, that reminds me of the friend animals, actually… Nah, just kidding, I could never forget Rick and his incredibly silly dance, I smiled so much when I saw the lil’ guy go… Rick, Coo, and Kine are so much more than what they seem at first; they aren’t only  funny fellas that give new ways to move around, they are also broken as hell in every sense of the word! Each power-up acts different depending if you are accompanied by them or not, and they are pretty much the key to finding the game’s more hidden secrets, and… I don’t know man, they are just so much fun to play as and make you view levels in a completely different way.

Out of the bunch, Kine is probably the least useful: his land movement is ass and pretty frustrating, and it’s not like it makes swimming easier than it already is, and getting him without the possibility of getting rid of it can make certain sections into a nightmare. Other than that, they are genius additions that not only seem like an inspiration for the sections in Kirby 64 alongside other friends of Kirby and even the ability combination mechanic, but also feel like a sort of preview for the far more complex move-sets Super Star would give us.

It's a super charming and fun experience that only has two big problems, those being The Iceberg and the Dark Castle; the former is an ice world, and even tho that alone doesn’t have to mean anything negative, it sadly has some of the most annoying, stressful, and frustrating levels in the entire game, with a vertical sections that is either the easiest thing ever or the most bullshit platformer challenge I’ve ever tried depending on if you have an animal pal or not. And the latter is relying solely in drawn out sections that aren’t that fun to begin with and content to see in other worlds, which is a huge shame considering how cool the whole setting is. Two whole worlds that drag down what’s otherwise a fun and wonderfully simple platformer, it's still Kirby after all, but what intrigues me is how it manages to be Kirby, if that makes sense.

It's clear to me now how much this game not only would highly influence both Dream Land 3 and 64, but after also the Kirby series in general: other playable characters aside of the main puffball, puzzle-like elements  and collectables that would return at full force in the modern 2D games, the long running tradition of Dedede getting possessed, and the beginning of the whole Kirby background story as we know it. What surprises me is not so much that it introduces these elements, but just how well they work right here, right now.

It's true that it has two worlds that feel like a bit of a chore, it’s true that most of the puzzle can be summarized as ‘’you need x ability to break x block’’, it’s true that it borrows a ton from Adventure, and all of that matters, but it also matters just how much of a fun and well-thought out adventure this is. I’ve used the word ‘’charm’’ a couple of times, but it’s the word that defines it best….

Also, if the three animal fellas don’t appear in the next 3D Kirby game (If there is one) I will RIOT, I NEED MORE OF THESE ADORABLE MACHINES OF DESTRUCTION AND THEIR SILLY DANCES, DAMMIT!

what the... fuck is this?

just to be clear: i have not played this. but, uh. how i am only learning, for my first time ever, about some kind of internet 1.0 david bowie online chat world, second-life-but-it's-doom (with bowie all over it) thing? in the middle of 2024? i can see it passing me by in 1995 (i was still using local dial-up bbs forums back then), but... somehow this never entered my radar even in the later '90s? possibly because it was always trash, but i have to wonder. and that's all i can ever do, i think, since apparently now it's just some shitty nft storefront.

oh well

I never know how to write shit about Mario Party cause like you generally know what the fuck you're getting into with these games. Like there's just not all that much to talk about with it. I do think this one has more than enough content to work towards that is more interesting in actual replayability, the star bank and being able to unlock a map, some more minigames and characters is nice, it's mainly why this was like my childhood MP.

I think the games are absolutely who ya play them with and the little moments ya share with them. So like before I played this with two of my besties (Appreciations and Weatherby) and had pretty great times.

Ya got shit like Bowser Jr hitting a like 3080 on the snowboarding minigame like the cheating little shit he is, us all clowning on Bowser Jr constantly, me losing at that one dogshit bumper car bump-o-rama battle minigame cause the controls are so so so ass, buying cheap wine and just laughing about stupid bullshit happening in game.

Mario Party ain't about Mario Party, it's about chilling with people and slamming back some cheap ass wine while the game itself fucks you over in the dumbest ways possible or clearly sets you up to just lose the entire game. Even if I never play this again I will always keep these memories pretty close to my heart as very special cherished times.

My continued vendetta against Bowser Jr grows stronger with each passing day. One day I'll get him back for stealing 5 of my stars that son of a bitch.

This game is a technical marvel and it plays really well too. Taking a horizontal shmup series and putting it into the gameplay of something like Space Harrier is no easy task. The game features lots of spectacle, challenge, and lots of opportunities to get a huge high score. The presentation and audio is still as good as usual for the Cotton series with the only unfortunate absence being the cutscenes for every level now being only for the opening and ending of the game. It’ll probably take you a few attempts to beat the game as it can be pretty hard and you only have one life and a few continues. Try to play well to achieve more life.

While the impressive presentation is an amazing achievement for the system, it comes with the unfortunate problem of the framerate being a bit low. It’s not the worst but it sucks that there will probably never be a good FPS version of the game. With that said however you should definitely try the game out as it’s one of the finest shmups on the system with a lot of replayability. It also has seen a modern rerelease though be warned that make sure you update it as it launched with inaccurate emulation. It also features a new translation but a fan one also exists. Sadly getting an original copy is expensive, especially brand new. Hope you enjoy this incredible game or at least get to enjoy the visuals and fast pace.

At the risk of using the game journalist's fallback comparison, I just want to say that Crash Bandicoot is really, really hard. This is a do-or-die 3D platformer if I've ever played one. Each individual jump expects commitment. It wants you to be ready to go to college, get married, and raise a family every time you hit that X button. Crash Bandicoot can sense hesitation, and will not hesitate to off himself if he thinks you're not giving it your all. Couple this with fairly repetitive level designs and concepts, and I think this game is just tailor-made to hate you.

I'd accept Crash Bandicoot as a hard game if not for the stupid save system. First you find three severed heads hidden in boxes throughout a stage, then you skim past a bonus stage (that you can fail), and THEN the game blesses you with the opportunity to save your game. Worse yet, the game doesn't remember how many lives you had when you reset it. Slapping a fistful of lives at the beginning of each level doesn't really excuse this fact. Crash is a game where you can lose lives just as fast as you can earn them. Actually, you're probably gonna lose 'em faster if you're like me, someone unfamiliar with Crash's game.

Honestly, I only played this game as a rite of passage for the PS1 kick that I'm currently on. Gotta respect your elders, and boy oh boy, that bandicoot sure has aged. Crushed my ballsicoots.

Well I’m finally here. The end of the line for the Madou GG games. It took me long enough to do them. The last entry is quite an interesting game as it’s sort of a port of the A portion of Madou Monogatari ARS. I never really hear anyone talk about this game and it came out around the time the Game Gear was dying so it was interesting to find out what this game was like.

About that plot, like in Madou III they rewrote it a bit. Just like that game too, Satan is now shoehorned into the story and is even the main antagonist. Arle is off to visit her grandma but unfortunately for her, Satan is tearing the Fairy Forest down to make an amusement park. Arle won’t have any of it and with help from the fairies, she’ll save the forest. It also should be noted that Arle is a child like how she was in Madou I. She’s even younger here being at age 4. Personally I’m not a big fan of the changed story but at least it visually looks better than the previous game’s intro.

You’ll begin the adventure and might notice some small differences as the engine is completely different than the previous three games. There’s some cool improvements like the game being a lot faster and battles feel a bit livelier as enemies move and your attacks now have more flare to them visually. It seems pretty promising. The voice clips for Arle were also changed once more and will sound familiar to other games starring child Arle at the time. Though it unfortunately can’t keep the streak going as the difficulty curve is at the worst here making it the worst beginning of the four games. You just don’t have a lot of health or magic at the start and while starting with healing magic and a shop nearby is handy, don’t be alarmed when you see how many game overs you’ll get in the first 30 minutes. Seriously I got killed at full health by the first enemy type due to an unlucky crit and a second attack. It’s a little jarring.

Speaking of battles, despite all I had just said. This is the easiest entry in the series. Once you get past that 30-50 minutes, the rest of the game is shockingly easy and kind of feels like you’ll be on autopilot the whole way through. They even kept the golden apple in most rooms like III did so you’ll rarely if ever have to grind. Your attack power confuses me in this one because I swear those fire/ice/lightning icons actually do mean damage. You also get a ton more crits here, it’s ridiculous. Why is there even an item for a better chance of crits if they’re just gonna feel 50/50 anyway. Even enemies can crit in this game. I swear so many enemies are frail in this game, dying to just a single diacute and spell. The bosses are even worse, these are the weakest they have ever been and it’s depressing. They didn’t even bother to make unique bosses besides Satan. Though I could look past all that if it wasn’t for how many damn times you’ll miss in this game. It can happen like 4 times in a row!! Why!? It actually discouraged me from fighting enemies when they give so little EXP because why bother if I’ll waste 4 turns not hitting anything. It’s obnoxious. You can also get a cannon weapon late into the game but sadly I never got to use it which is a shame. This game doesn’t even have the lipemco spell which is LAME!

The layout of the areas is also a little uninspired. Sometimes there’s the occasional decent gimmick but most of them aren’t challenging or don’t feel the most well thought out. This game also still loves invisible walls but after Madou III, I’ve gotten used to it. I feel like this game has a lot of dead ends and repetitive rooms which is something I never really felt from the past games. The game loves to lock out rooms until you find keys since most of the game lacks the traditional going up or down floors. The warp spell isn’t even here because of it. The final area of the game also felt quite lacking besides one enemy type that actually felt like a challenge because otherwise it’s a pretty underwhelming and short final area. The final boss is also such a joke that I beat him in 20 seconds.

While I have been negative, it at least might appeal to people who didn’t enjoy some of III’s mechanics. The warnings for enemies showing up are gone and since Carbuncle isn’t here, you won’t have to worry about feeding anyone this time. Not that those ever bothered me but I know it could for some. The game is also still humorous but not as good as the previous games imo. They also removed the easy EXP exploit with dancing as it now makes you watch the whole animation.

The game graphically is nice but I feel the overuse of the forests tends to make the majority of the game feel pretty samey. I already praised some aspects of the presentation already like the moving enemies and the new look for attacks. I do wish the game had more cutscenes but the ones that are here are good. The art for stuff like sprites are also a lot nicer here. I also really appreciate the :3 face Arle makes when healing and the :P face when eating or drinking. However there is one major gripe I do have, ever since I first played Madou Monogatari, I enjoy how the health is portrayed which is using Arle’s mood. It’s really creative and it makes for a good idea to convey it fast. There was even the text in battles that could help or the you’re about to die music that can play outside of battles. In Madou A sadly they made the mood thing way worse. It’s never obvious just how much health you have because Arle smiles for every single one even when on the verge of death. You have to look at the eyes but it’s still not that helpful. There’s no other entry with this issue so I'm confused why this one does. I can’t even compliment the music because while it’s good, it’s because most of it is from Madou III. They actually don’t fit in well either and I’m wondering why only a couple of tunes like the battle theme are original this time around.

I had a hard time coming up with a conclusion on my opinion with Madou A. It has issues but I keep asking myself “Do I like it more or less than II?” Personally despite the grinding frustrations, I think II is just more memorable and interesting in the good it has. I feel like this game is borderline good. It still has stuff that makes the series good but I not only find some of it downgraded but some changes just aren’t great. You can still have fun here but I personally find this the worst of the four games. Regardless of what I’ve said though, I’m still happy I’ve beaten each entry now, I can rest easy. I guess before I go I should say that the R and S versions were considered for GG but sadly the system was almost done for before it could happen which is a shame. I would link the twitter post I saw for it but I sadly couldn’t find it. This also won’t be the end for me talking about the franchise in general as you’ll eventually hear me talk about Madou Monogatari: Hanamaru Daiyouchi Enji for the Super Famicom. Hope you enjoyed reading the review everyone and hope you all play through these games someday in your life!