Moogetsuu
2022
This Entropy Centre is a puzzle game with clear inspiration by the Portal games, though it is very much its own thing. You move objects by rewinding time on them to either fix them or put them back in a certain spot to help you advance forward. The puzzles are far from mind bending, so this is more of a game to play if you want a very shallow narrative with just some intriguing gameplay. Not a long game at all, but it is a cozy one nonetheless. I cannot say it is a must play, but puzzle lovers may get some enjoyment out of this one.
Fun on the rails gameplay with mediocre characters and an okay short story. I recommend it if you wanna swing a lightsaber. Force controls are okay but a little wonky. Still very impressive for a VR game.
2011
Easily one of the best superhero games out there. This is a great Batman title with a memorizing score, amazing portrayals of villains, and a powerful ending that shakes up the storytelling of Batman that we all know. This is a must play game and has aged like fine wine. I had such a blast revisiting this game ten years later.
2020
Stop reading this review. Go in blind. This game will teach you so many things you didn't think you needed to learn. The first few hours are very slow, but when it kicks in, you'll be going on one of the most unforgettable journeys in your gaming life. I wish I could tell you anything aside from the fact this is one of the greatest RPGs of all time, with arguably one of the most unique battle systems ever made. I am grateful I played this game, as not only did it completely destroy the norms of its genre, but it also opened my eyes to a further understanding of what empathy means.
Kena is a love letter to the adventure games of our past. When playing it, you can see plenty of inspirations from classic PS2-era games, but the most obvious inspiration is The Legend of Zelda. This game takes many notes from various Zelda titles, especially Skyward Sword and Breath of the Wild.
The semi open world is gorgeous and breathtaking, and feels open enough to where you can feel the freedom in exploring without being totally lost. Combat can be iffy at times and the camera sometimes will fight you in specific bosses, but overall it was a fun treat, especially once you unlock all abilities. The story structure is very similar to BOTW but with a deeper narrative thrown in your face rather than told by world building NPCs.
The soundtrack and graphics are the biggest things to highlight. The soundtrack is mesmerizing and relaxing, while not being afraid to amp up the intensity for some of the most epic vocals I've heard in some time. The graphics... well, you know about those Pixar-like animations.
Kena is a game worth playing, especially if you go in blind. It's one of the best indie games ever made and should absolutely be experienced on the PS5. I would love a sequel.
The semi open world is gorgeous and breathtaking, and feels open enough to where you can feel the freedom in exploring without being totally lost. Combat can be iffy at times and the camera sometimes will fight you in specific bosses, but overall it was a fun treat, especially once you unlock all abilities. The story structure is very similar to BOTW but with a deeper narrative thrown in your face rather than told by world building NPCs.
The soundtrack and graphics are the biggest things to highlight. The soundtrack is mesmerizing and relaxing, while not being afraid to amp up the intensity for some of the most epic vocals I've heard in some time. The graphics... well, you know about those Pixar-like animations.
Kena is a game worth playing, especially if you go in blind. It's one of the best indie games ever made and should absolutely be experienced on the PS5. I would love a sequel.
2022
Charming and very beautiful indie game with a great soundtrack and a perfect fusion of anime/cyberpunk aesthetics that is held back by an unimaginative story and mediocre action combat.
2020
I think this is one of the greatest and most overhated games of all time. This is in fact my second favorite game ever made. The amount of love, detail, and soul put into this game has blown me away, as someone who admittedly did not give this game the time of day for the first couple of years it was out.
Once I finally gave this game a shot, I was in for a wild ride. I will keep spoilers as low as possible for this quick review, but man there is much to talk about. The gameplay has its issues at times, but honestly most of the time I struggled it was an actual skill issue. Missions I died on early in the game and get frustrated at had me returning post-game and sweeping through them easily. There is certainly a learning curve to being strategic in a shooter like this when you're surrounded, but once you finally overcome some encounters it feels REALLY good.
The music is out of this world. It's electric, moody, and makes you feel like you're in most heat filled moment of your entire life... in a VIDEOGAME! I can't stress how hearing music this crazy made me feel, especially once it drops out of the sound stage after beating an encounter. All of the combat music is so full of adrenaline that if you don't get hyped from it, nothing probably excites you. Definitely my favorite soundtrack ever.
The story. Oh man, the story. I won't say much here, but just prepare for one of the deepest emotional narratives you'll come across. It isn't one that will make you a crying wreck the entire time like some indie games, but it will touch you on a personal level. I think this game has one of the best examples of bonding with your protagonist. By the end of the game, I cared way too much about V.
This game really spoke to me, as someone who feels alone in the world at times. It felt like I really was living in Night City with V, as if we were hanging out together but never spoke a word to each other in conversation. Like I was just sitting up on her shoulders and experiencing her point of view in this messed up but poetically beautiful dystopia.
I love this game so much, and I can't wait to play Phantom Liberty. Thank you CD Projekt RED. <3
Once I finally gave this game a shot, I was in for a wild ride. I will keep spoilers as low as possible for this quick review, but man there is much to talk about. The gameplay has its issues at times, but honestly most of the time I struggled it was an actual skill issue. Missions I died on early in the game and get frustrated at had me returning post-game and sweeping through them easily. There is certainly a learning curve to being strategic in a shooter like this when you're surrounded, but once you finally overcome some encounters it feels REALLY good.
The music is out of this world. It's electric, moody, and makes you feel like you're in most heat filled moment of your entire life... in a VIDEOGAME! I can't stress how hearing music this crazy made me feel, especially once it drops out of the sound stage after beating an encounter. All of the combat music is so full of adrenaline that if you don't get hyped from it, nothing probably excites you. Definitely my favorite soundtrack ever.
The story. Oh man, the story. I won't say much here, but just prepare for one of the deepest emotional narratives you'll come across. It isn't one that will make you a crying wreck the entire time like some indie games, but it will touch you on a personal level. I think this game has one of the best examples of bonding with your protagonist. By the end of the game, I cared way too much about V.
This game really spoke to me, as someone who feels alone in the world at times. It felt like I really was living in Night City with V, as if we were hanging out together but never spoke a word to each other in conversation. Like I was just sitting up on her shoulders and experiencing her point of view in this messed up but poetically beautiful dystopia.
I love this game so much, and I can't wait to play Phantom Liberty. Thank you CD Projekt RED. <3
After playing Ai: The Somnium Files recently I found myself unable to resist jumping into Nirvana Initiative right after. Ai NI is a sequel that departs a little bit from the first game in some ways, but it is in fact a true sequel with the same amount of comedic heart and focus on a lot of it's characters in different timelines with specific routes for them. I found myself enjoying most of these routes with the exception of probably Komeji's route, but the game overall was a much more wild ride than the first one. Without getting into spoiler territory, I think this game was mindblowing clever, and some of the twists at first had me baffled, but when I went back to replay some parts of the game I could see a lot of the foreshadowing and clues. By the end of the game I was completely blown away and even 20 hours later I still am processing a lot of it, ESPECIALLY the secret ending chapter diverge. This game brings a lot of questioning into morals and what's truly right and wrong, similarly like a game I played this year called Lost Judgment (which is funny because Date and Yagami have the same VA and they're both detective murder mysteries). Anyway, this game is peak fiction just like the first one. It took a while to really start hooking me in but it definitely did after my least favorite route. I really loved this game and I can see myself replaying it in a few months with the twists in mind. I love Ai and I think the hate for this sequel is kind of unwarranted. Just have a fun time with these characters and you'll be good because remember, it's a comedy at heart while presenting a deep narrative. It doesn't have to be FULLY taken seriously. If you pay close attention, the game even explains some serious plot holes for the first one, which is what a sequel should absolutely accomplish.
2018
Remarkable platformer. Absolutely what I'd describe as art with a captivating narrative and characters joined by one of the most finely crafted (and sometimes really groovy) soundtracks I've heard in videogames. I can't even begin to think of words to say about this game except that while it is mind breakingly difficult at times, it is one of the most rewarding experiences out there. If you want to play something that will genuinely touch you and give you some feels, this game is what you're looking for... just be prepared for some good frustration at your lack of skills!
Faithfully recreates Ufotable's anime in a 3D engine with signature music. Definitely a pleasure when it comes to rewatching moods, however, the combat is dry and takes too much from Naruto Storm 4 in almost every aspect. You can quite literally notice the game shamelessly flaunting elements from it. If you love Storm 4, be wary that while this is a clone, it is much inferior and has terrible hitboxes. Story mode exploration is mind-numbingly empty and fake, absolutely nothing to do but venture off a path for a hot second to get a collectible. And you run at the speed of a snail. Bosses are definitely from the DBZ Kakarot team, which isn't exactly made for such small areas. Moves are either pathetically generic or are outright insane and sometimes undodgeable. Rough platinum run but easy, I had a tough time S ranking the final two chapters, and especially the special missions. They will break you if you don't memorize patterns. I spent $62 on the deluxe edition and regret it. Wait for $30 or less and don't bother with anything besides the standard edition unless you want to burn money.
2020
Underbugeted musou game with a great idea but a lot of ends that needed polishing. Difficulty is inconsistently unbalanced even on Easy with some bosses being very easy and some being complete damage sponges. Pacing is off the walls with no breather room, which is understandable for a musou game, but not for a Persona title. Despite some pacing issues, the writing is almost on the level of the original and the new characters fit just right in this game and bring some great fun to the already existing cast. The 60FPS (despite anti-aliasing bring absent) is a treat to look at while playing such fast paced action. I also found myself severely missing some life sim gameplay. Without the life sim aspects, this game personally feels rushed as it tries to cram all forms of development in single scene nights that go by quick or in the Jails themselves. Also, and small nitpick, most of the time you're not in a hub world, characters are standing on a flat backdrop with lazy trickery to make it seem like they're in an actual room. It's very noticeable that most of the budget at the time was put towards Royal since they were in development together. The gameplay is super fun when the difficulty isn't a hinderence and l will give it that, it's an excellent blend of both worlds at the right moments. I'd play another attempt at Persona musou, but I would love them to add some more budget and fix some of these issues, as it really added some frustration to my playthrough. If you want a great Persona 5 sequel and you can deal with gameplay frustration, go for it, because this is an amazing sequel in terms of story and is at times better written than the original. Sophia best girl.
2021
Best written romance in videogames for me with a memorable cast that I could never forget. OST is great, writing could have been better in the exact middle, but overall it was an enjoyable story with some surprises in there. Great entry point for the Tales franchise and I'm excited to play more!
bugged trophies
This review contains spoilers
This game is just so breathtaking.
I don't think I've played many games with a story that had me hooked straight from the beginning to the end. So many points in Ai left me speechless and shocked due to the genius writing style. Despite the abundance of comedy writing in this game, it gets dark really really fast. And it does not pull any punches.
Kaname Date is a protagonist I did not expect to compel me, especially as hard as he did after the Annihilation route kicked in. Spoilers ahead........ but once he began to realize his past and that he wasn't even in his own body, I started to feel his anger and disgust at all of the knowledge I was piecing together. Pair this with a hauntingly beautiful soundtrack and you have a masterclass narrative in place. One track that specifically defines the emotion of this game is -kokkAi- Confession (Falco's Theme). And it comes in at the most gut wrenching part of the game: Manaka's death.
This is getting a bit too specific for a review, but I'd like to just provide an example of how this game touched me on a personal level. Once I realized Manaka's corpse in the fishery warehouse was deceased for over 10 years in that fetal position, I felt my gut twist. It really disturbs me to think she was just a lifeless body that died in complete innocence, unaware of the current state of her own child. It just really makes me depressed. That's someone's mother, one that they didn't get to meet, and they've been there the entire time just cold, frozen, alone and devoid of the positivity it once carried.
And there are not really any games that have made me feel such a negative and horrified feeling. Honestly this should not be a positive, but it just shows how real this game was. There is so much more I could say, but this is what's fresh on my mind. So many remarkable and well thought-out plot twists, no plot holes, everything made sense, especially twists like the over-dosage gag that ended up being a serious plot point. I screamed in disbelief as I once mentioned how I couldn't tell if it was a gag or not, and lo and behold it ended up being crucial to a plot twist.
What a fantastic game. Definitely going into my top 10.
I don't think I've played many games with a story that had me hooked straight from the beginning to the end. So many points in Ai left me speechless and shocked due to the genius writing style. Despite the abundance of comedy writing in this game, it gets dark really really fast. And it does not pull any punches.
Kaname Date is a protagonist I did not expect to compel me, especially as hard as he did after the Annihilation route kicked in. Spoilers ahead........ but once he began to realize his past and that he wasn't even in his own body, I started to feel his anger and disgust at all of the knowledge I was piecing together. Pair this with a hauntingly beautiful soundtrack and you have a masterclass narrative in place. One track that specifically defines the emotion of this game is -kokkAi- Confession (Falco's Theme). And it comes in at the most gut wrenching part of the game: Manaka's death.
This is getting a bit too specific for a review, but I'd like to just provide an example of how this game touched me on a personal level. Once I realized Manaka's corpse in the fishery warehouse was deceased for over 10 years in that fetal position, I felt my gut twist. It really disturbs me to think she was just a lifeless body that died in complete innocence, unaware of the current state of her own child. It just really makes me depressed. That's someone's mother, one that they didn't get to meet, and they've been there the entire time just cold, frozen, alone and devoid of the positivity it once carried.
And there are not really any games that have made me feel such a negative and horrified feeling. Honestly this should not be a positive, but it just shows how real this game was. There is so much more I could say, but this is what's fresh on my mind. So many remarkable and well thought-out plot twists, no plot holes, everything made sense, especially twists like the over-dosage gag that ended up being a serious plot point. I screamed in disbelief as I once mentioned how I couldn't tell if it was a gag or not, and lo and behold it ended up being crucial to a plot twist.
What a fantastic game. Definitely going into my top 10.
2021
This game has a lot of issues even for the typical Bandai Namco jive. It has the potential to be a truly remarkable anime game but it does not succeed, and on top of that it fails HARD. it tries to provide a deep narrative that becomes overly complex and throws plot twist at you every 10 minutes, then throws the plot point out the window completely and never brings it up. I wish I was exaggerating but even right before beating the game, I could NOT tolerate it. The combat is great, but enemies are overpowered and SAS powers are inconsistent in efficiency even on Very Easy mode. It's really sad that a game so aesthetically pleasing ends up going down the shitter in quality. How are you going to render cutscenes in game, then make them transition mid-scene to a v-novel style and use that for 75% of the story? just disgraceful for a PS4/XB1 game. This is PS2 level of budget cutscenes. Just a lot is wrong with this game, definitely a skip and should NOT have been nominated at The Game Awards last year.