I have 1 true thing to say and 1 real thing to say: First, Demons Souls Remake is a pretty alright way to play Demons Souls in the modern era. Its certainly not not worth playing. HOWEVER.... It is also my go to example of what not to do when developing a remake. By necessity remakes aim to make some changes - so an essential question to ask or keep in mind is: does this align with the original artistic intention? If a remake has to make changes, you hope these changes enhance or highlight the attitude of the original work.

To me, Demons Souls Remake was made by people (whether it was Bluepoint or Sony) who wanted to make Demons Souls slightly more appealing to a different audience. While they never change anything crucial to the experience of Demons Souls, the changes they make feel cloying and wormy. Oh, Valley Of Defilement looks too defiled and oppressive? Gotta turn on the high contrast filter to increase the magpie-shiny sex appeal? Why did they change the starting Knight set and hide the Fluted Set like it was a secret to hide in a drawer somewhere? Not every change was bad (there was no reason for Penetrators magic to be blood-red but it does make him more badass) but so many of the changes seem to dislike that Demons Souls was weird and it just rubs me the wrong way. It feels disrespectful to the original vibe, like they were ashamed or embarrassed or just not very confident in Demons Souls’ personality. The changes feel revisionary and I cant help but resent that.

Faz 4 meses que eu quero falar desse jogo mas esperei para uma ocasião especial, hoje faço dois anos de Backloggd, dois anos da minha primeira análise que foi do Super Mario 64, além de ser meu aniversário e de que forma posso comemorar aqui? Falando de um dos Remakes mais especiais e únicos que já vi.

O jogo original é um dos JRPGs mais especiais da minha vida e ter um Remake/Continuação sempre foi um sonho gamer meu mas ao mesmo tempo eu achava que era impossível por conta da Square Enix ter os direitos de muitas coisas do jogo. Na Nintendo Direct de Junho do ano passado tive uma das maiores surpresas e alegrias com vídeo games, o Remake de Super Mario RPG foi anunciado, eu lembro que tive muitas coisas se passando na minha cabeça, infelizmente eu não podia me soltar naquela hora porque eu estava na escola mas dentro de mim era felicidade 2.

Mas afinal de contas o que achei do Remake? Simplesmente perfeito, meu nome ser "Geno123" não é atoa porque eu sempre fui fã do jogo original desde quando eu era pequeno e esse Remake me fez voltar aos tempos nostálgicos das minhas primeiras jogatinas.

A apresentação do jogo é incrível, os gráficos são muito bonitinhos e os cenários receberam um gigantesco upgrade, parecendo muito mais vivo que a versão de Super Nintendo e os personagens estão uma maravilha, é simplesmente do caralho ver Geno, Mallow e todos os outros personagens em HD finalmente temos renders e modelos oficias dele (eu achava que só teríamos fan made pra sempre), o jogo original é belo e o Remake respeita muito bem o legado, basicamente são os gráficos que eu sempre sonhei com o Remake do Super Mario RPG, mantendo a essência do original e ao mesmo tempo atualizando.

Se os gráficos estão incríveis a trilha sonora também e PUTA QUE PARIU que música boa, ela foi composta pela lendária Yoko Shimomura, simplesmente a compositora original também está no Remake e ouvir os novos arranjos das músicas é chorar de alegria, algo muito legal é que algumas músicas foram extendidas na duração, ficando um pouquinho maiores. Eu simplesmente amei TODAS as músicas, posso dizer que gostei mais da nova trilha sonora do que a original mas se você por algum fucking motivo não gostou pode escolher a trilha sonora original.

As minhas músicas favoritas são:
-Beware the Forest Mushrooms (óbvio né)
-Rose Town
-Hello, Happy Kingdom
-And My Name's Booster
-Battling Culex
-Todas as músicas de batalha do Smithy
-The Wishes from the Stars

Agora é possível escolher a dificuldade entre Fácil (chamado de Breeze Mode) ou Normal, é muito bom para uma pessoa que nunca jogou um RPG mas é uma pena que não existe um modo difícil, seria muito foda ter uma versão mais complicada porque pra quem joga a dificuldade Normal ainda é tranquilo especialmente se você já conhece o jogo original.

Algumas coisas também foram mudadas como você poder carregar 9999 moedas ao invés de 999, guardar mais itens no inventário, ter um indicador no mapa e etc, a princípio não parece ser grande coisa mas ajudou demais na qualidade de vida do jogo.

O sistema de batalha está bastante parecido com o original mas teve algumas alterações muito legais como Chain e Action Gauge. Chain é uma recompensa de usar os golpes cronometrados na hora certa assim aumentando seu Chain que consequentemente aumentará seu dano mas o Chain poderá ser quebrado se você fizer alguma burrada e terá que começar tudo de novo. Sobre o Action Gauge é basicamente é uma barra que podemos aumentar se usarmos os golpes cronometrados ou defender na hora, quando a barra é 100% preenchida poderemos usar um Toad Assist (se você está muito no começo do jogo) ou um Triple Move.

Toad Assist invoca um Toad que dará um item aleatório mas o Triple Move é muito foda, você terá que ter 3 membros na equipe e é um super ataque poderoso! A combinação da sua equipe também afetará o Triple Move já que cada trio possui um Triple Move diferente, felizmente eles não são quebrados mas dão uma boa ajuda se você estiver encrencado além do que você não pode usar sem saber direito porque têm chefes que podem resistir sem problemas por causa das resistências. A parte mais legal é ver as pequenas Cutscenes, são muito épicas!

E ainda falando das Cutscenes, elas estão presentes em alguns momentos bem específicos do jogo, como a introdução, o Mallow correndo atrás do Croco e etc. São bem legais e lindas de se ver, uma pena que elas não ocorrem com tanta frequência porque parece um filme de tão bonitas que são.

Outra novidade é o Pós Game, depois de completar o jogo você poderá enfrentar 7 chefes novamente porém eles estão muito mais poderosos e com novas estratégias, Além disso os personagens ganham novas armas, no geral apesar de serem poucas batalhas são bem únicas e diferentes do resto do jogo inteiro, especialmente a verdadeira batalha final contra o Culex 3D que é uma putaria, é difícil mas é épica ao mesmo tempo, com certeza uma das melhores batalhas ou se pá a melhor batalha da franquia Mario.

Existe uma nova feature chamada Lista de Monstros, é o bestiário do jogo com um total de 235 inimigos diferentes, é uma missão secundária bem legal se você quer fazer o 100% do jogo, basta usar o Mallow e o golpe Thought Peek na hora certa para ler a mente e os status dos inimigos. Cuidado que existem inimigos que só aparecem em uma parte extremamente específica e que nunca mais aparecem mas felizmente não é o fim do mundo porque você pode usar as Frog Coins para pegar esses inimigos que você não pegou.

Momento 🤓: alguns nomes de personagens foram trocados pra corrigir as cagadas do Ted Woolsey como o Neosquid que agora se chama Mouth (porque é pra ser só a boca do Exor mas por algum motivo colocaram um nome nada haver) ou para ficar parecido com a versão Japonesa como Frogfucius que virou Frog Sage (o nome japonês). Simplesmente injogável, -0/10.

As novidades mais importantes do Remake eu já falei, não é um Remake que adiciona tanta coisa nova assim, ele é bem fiel, eu estava esperando algo no nível Luigi como jogável mas não aconteceu, tudo bem porque só do Remake existir é um milagre divino.

A minha única crítica é que não tem tradução para Português do Brasil, faz 4 anos que a Nintendo voltou para o Brasil e infelizmente eles estão vacilando muito, é uma tristeza porque os poucos jogos traduzidos para português são muito bem feitos e um RPG que precisamos ler TEXTO seria ideal para esse jogo mas não, simplesmente não traduziram ele, é foda porque quem não sabe de inglês vai ter a experiência muito prejudicado. No mínimo do mínimo todos os jogos teriam que estar traduzidos, é obrigação dos caras e nem isso tão fazendo, por essas e outras coisas que a pirataria na Nintendo é tão forte porque a Nintendo não faz porra nenhuma mas enfim é assunto pra outro dia.

No fim das contas o Super Mario RPG remake é um jogo foda pra caralho, conseguiu superar o original pra mim mas é claro que o jogo de SNES ainda é excelente e recomendo muito ainda. Agora eu me pergunto se com o Remake teremos finalmente uma continuação e talvez o Geno no Smash, espero que sim. Ultimamente estamos recebendo uma boa dose de conteúdo dos RPGs do Mario, como o Super Mario RPG e o Remake do Thousand Year Door e seria incrível se os RPGs do Mario voltassem com força como nos velhos tempos.

Na minha análise de Symphony of The Night eu tinha escrito isso: "jogos como Ori e Hollow Knight não cheiram e nem fedem. Joguei 8 horas de Hollow Knight no Xbox One e achei bacaninha mas nada demais, eu tava doente nesse dia então talvez se eu jogar novamente eu queime minha web língua", pois é como mudou...

Contextualizando melhor eu joguei pela primeira vez em setembro de 2022, eu achei ele legalzinho mas no dia eu estava doente e por algum motivo eu NÃO tinha comprado os mapas das áreas, o mapa estava todo capado e incompleto, eu realmente não lembro porque eu não fui atrás dos mapas mas com certeza foi a decisão mais idiota que já tive, além disso eu também tinha achado as áreas bem repetitivas e escuras. Minha experiência não tinha sido das melhores até que em abril desse ano o jogo entrou na promoção por 14 reais na Eshop. Eu pensei muitas vezes se comprava ou não e comprei, foi só em junho que joguei ele e foi uma jornada maravilhosa.

Muita gente considera ele não só como um dos melhores Metroidvania da história mas também como um dos melhores indies e até mesmo um dos melhores jogos de todos os tempos mas será que ele é tudo isso? A resposta é sim e irei explicar o porquê dele ser tão foda.

Uma coisa que me impressionou muito foi a desenvolvedora, a Team Cherry é composta por 3 programadores (não contando compositor e etc), isso mesmo 3 PESSOAS, repito 3 PESSOAS, puta merda isso é um feito do caralho porque o jogo é grande, polido e riquíssimo em conteúdo e variedade, ainda mais sabendo que eles tiveram um orçamento pequeno e mesmo com "só" isso o jogo é MUITO MUITO melhor que o Bloodstained que tinha mais gente e mais dinheiro, parabéns mesmo pros caras da Team Cherry. Agora vamos falar do jogo!

O jogo é simplesmente lindo, tudo nele foi feito com os mínimos detalhes, os personagens, a atmosfera e os belos cenários, eu tinha falado que as áreas eram muito parecidas mas hoje em dia só percebo que falei besteira porque elas são muito variadas, bonitas e charmosas ainda mais com o contexto que o reino de Hallownest está abandonado e não é mais habitado como nos velhos tempos, esses detalhes fazem toda a diferença.

Os personagens também são muito variados, desde os NPCs até inimigos e chefes, a grande maioria deles foram baseados em insetos e isso torna o jogo muito único, temos mosquitos, louva-a-deus, abelhas, besouros, larvas, mariposas, aranhas e etc. Não só de insetos o jogo é composto também há águas-vivas, cogumelos e até mesmo fantasmas de outros seres por exemplo, eu juro que eu só falei uma fração muito pequena, Hollow Knight possui muitas criaturas diversas.

As áreas não são bonitas apenas nos gráficos mas na gameplay também, o Level Design de cada lugar é espetacular de bom, contendo diversos colecionáveis, habilidades novas, segredos, mecânicas únicas, batalhas marcantes, NPCs, inimigos diferentes e exclusivos dependendo do lugar e até mesmo pedaços da Lore. O melhor é que tudo está na medida certa, não sinto que falta nada ou está com excesso diferente de um certo alguém cof cof Bloodstained.

Dirtmouth é o primeiro lugar que encontramos, basicamente é uma pequena cidade que você vai usar como "Hub World" porque lá terá NPCs bastante importantes para sua jornada como o Sly o comerciante que venderá muitos itens diferentes, Iselda é uma vendedora de mapas (se você não pegou o mapa com Cornifer) e outros acessórios como pinos que marcam diversas coisas. A cidade também possui um acesso para a Estação de Besouro e possui um poço para a Encruzilhada Esquecida que é o lugar que sua aventura começará.

As outras áreas são a parte Metroidvania e elas são sensacionais, a variedade de temas é grande, existem cidades, cavernas, esgotos, coliseu, colmeia, jardins, lugares escuros, estradas antigas e por aí vai, a Team Cherry realmente caprichou nos cenários do jogo.

O mapa é grande mas não maçante e como um bom Metroidvania é claro que existe o Fast Travel chamado Estação do Besouro, um grande besouro irá aparecer e permitir que a gente vá pela área que queremos sem precisar dar aquela longa volta, ele é extremamente útil. Não temos apenas o besouro, depois de jogar por um tempo você poderá usar o Ferrão dos Sonhos que cria portais e pode nos teletransportar para o lugar que o portal foi feito, admito que no jogo normal eu não usei muito ele mas no meu pós game foi essencial.

Durante a jogatina você irá encontrar adoráveis larvas presas em um jarro, elas são uma espécie de colecionável do jogo, há 46 larvas presas no total e estão espalhadas no mapa, para liberar uma larva é simples só bater no jarro, depois disso a larva vai embora mas você ainda pode ver ela novamente. Todas as larvas que você libertou estarão em uma sala na Encruzilhada Esquecida, nessa sala irá encontrar o Pailarva que o nome é bem auto explicativo né ele é o namorado das larvas e sempre quando uma larva é coletada o Pailarva dá uma recompensa, pode ser Geo (o dinheiro do jogo), relíquias ou dois amuletos dependendo de quantas larvas foram coletadas.

No começo do jogo o cavaleiro só terá o ferrão mas conforme jogando irá descobrir magias que podem ser bastante úteis na hora de lutar contra inimigos, para usar a magia é simples, só bater no inimigo que você irá ganhar ALMA. As magias são:

-Foco: a primeira magia de todas, ela tem a habilidade de curar dano.

-Espírito Vingativo: lança um espírito que voará na frente dos inimigos.

-Mergulho Desolador: um golpe que acerta o chão, pode destruir um chão falso.

-Espectros Uivantes: um grito de almas que acertará os inimigos.

Existem as versões mais fortes dessas magias e as Artes do Ferrão que permitem você carregar golpes mais poderosos com o ferrão, além disso você ainda pode deixar o seu ferrão mais forte.

Ainda temos as habilidades, elas são upgrades permanentes que ajudam na exploração e combate. Temos habilidades como Garra de Louva-a-Deus (Wall Jump), Asas do Monarca (Pulo Duplo), Manto de Asa da Mariposa (Dash), o Ferrão dos Sonhos e etc. Para quem já jogou um jogo do gênero antes sabe que esses tipos de upgrades são bem comuns mas ainda assim o jogo tem suas particularidades como o Coração de Cristal (um impulso gigante assim deixando o Cavaleiro super rápido) e Manto Sombrio (um Dash que permite você ficar invencível por um pequeno tempo).

Acabou aí? Não! Está faltando uma parte muito importante da gameplay, os amuletos, são itens que podem modificar diversos atributos do pequeno cavaleiro como maior alcance para o Ferrão, maior velocidade do Ferrão, consumir menos quantidade de ALMA, aumentar a vida e por aí vai, no total são 40 amuletos e eles podem variar muito no quesito utilidade, alguns são excelentes, outros bons porém gastam muito espaço e tem uns que são bem meia boca, apesar disso o sistema de amuletos é extremamente importante e divertido de usar.

Os amuletos que mais usei foram:
-Bússola Caprichosa
-Canção das Larvas
-Força Frágil/Inquebrável
-Corpo Firme
-Corte Rápido
-Foco Rápido
-Portador dos Sonhos

Eu foquei muito mais nos amuletos que melhoram especificamente o Ferrão porque eu gostei mais desse estilo de ataque físico mas você pode usar outras combinações e essa é a graça, você pode fazer o que quiser com esses amuletos!

Então o combate é bem simples não é? Na teoria é só atacar com o ferrão, desviar dos golpes e usar magia para se curar ou atacar mas aí que está a graça, cada inimigo é diferente um do outro ou seja você precisa entender os padrões do inimigo e a grande maioria deles são distintos, por isso o combate é tão divertido porque existe um sistema de entender o inimigo ao invés de só ter o melhor equipamento e ficar apertando o botão de ataque que nem um doido.

Um bom lugar para testar suas habilidades de combate é no Coliseu dos Tolos ou Coliseu dos Fãs de Sonic, localizado na Borda do Reino o Coliseu dos Tolos é uma arena cheia de inimigos, existem 3 níveis:

1-Provação do Guerreiro
2-Provação do Conquistadora
3-Provação do Tolo

Os dois primeiros níveis não são tão difíceis mas a Provação do Tolo é a mais complicada, além de longo tem uma sessão que não tem chão só espinho e essa é a parte mais difícil do Coliseu inteiro pra mim e ele também tem um chefe próprio o Domador de Deuses. Todos eles dão muito Geo ao concluir elas, pra mim o melhor jeito de farmar Geo é concluir o nível 2 porque além de dar 1800 Geo o desafio não é difícil, é relativamente tranquilo.

Mas o momento que o combate mais brilha é na hora dos chefes, sem dúvidas esse é o Metroidvania que têm os melhores chefes, além de divertidos eles são difíceis, carismáticos e variados, tem muito chefe nesse jogo e eles entram no mesmo esquema de memorizar os padrões, você vai precisar disso porque alguns deles são dor de cabeça.

Os meus chefes favoritos são (sim tem spoiler foda se o jogo já tem 7 anos):
-O Cavaleiro Vazio
-Receptáculo Puro
-Rei do Pesadelo Grimm
-Irmãs da Batalha
-Campeão Fracassado
-Defensor Branco

Os chefes são tão bons que existe um lugar especial só para enfrentar novamente eles chamado Lar dos Deuses, é o Boss Rush só que dividido em 5 Panteões diferentes:

-Panteão do Mestre
-Panteão do Artista
-Panteão do Sábio
-Panteão do Cavaleiro
-Panteão de Hallownest

Os 4 primeiros Panteões apresentam 10 chefes e com excessão de um chefe ou outro não são difíceis e podem ser bem fáceis se você sabe como lutar com eles. Até que chega o Panteão de Hallownest, simplesmente agora são 42 chefes e assim como nos jogos do Kirby existem Bosses exclusivos (inclusive ambos tem uma versão mais difícil do chefe final que só pode ser encontrado no Boss Rush incluindo uma nova fase, tenho certeza que a Team Cherry se inspirou em Kirby) ou seja essa porra é difícil pra caralho, se você morrer no penúltimo chefe vai ter que começar tudo de novo... Eu como sou um fã de Boss Rush fiquei bem empolgado com esse desafio porém admito que quase desisti mas com muita força de vontade e ódio ao Nightmare Grimm, Receptáculo Puro e a querida filha da puta corna fã do Bobs da Radiância Absoluta eu consegui vencer o desafio final de Hollow Knight.

A trilha sonora foi composta pelo Christopher Larkin e ela é muito boa, as músicas transmitem perfeitamente o sentimento de que o reino de Hallownest era um lugar habitado e agora está em ruínas, diria que o mistério também está presente nas músicas tipo por que tudo está abandonado? Ou qual a razão do cavaleiro estar passando por tudo isso? Enfim são muitas coisas (avisando que tudo isso é só o que eu interpretei da música, não são fatos).

Como sempre irei listar as minhas músicas favoritas:
-Dirtmouth
-Crossroads
-False Knight
-Greenpath
-City of Tears
-Kingdom's Edge
-Sealed Vessel
-White Defender
-Nightmare Grimm
-Pure Vessel

E por fim eu quero falar dos "problemas" (é só eu chorando mesmo), são críticas tão bobas que não afetam em absolutamente nada porque o jogo é realmente bom mas vou citar elas:

1-Eu acho que o amuleto Bússola Caprichosa não precisava existir, a função dele é mostrar a localização do cavaleiro no mapa e para obter ele é bem simples, só comprar da Iselda por 220 Geo mas o que eu quero dizer é que essa função deveria estar no jogo sem ter que usar o amuleto, pelo menos gasta pouquíssimo Slot.

2-O Panteão de Hallownest possui 42 chefes mas eu tiraria 7 deles, sendo eles as versões normais dos Chefes dos Sonhos, Guardião Cristalizado, Hornet (Protetora) e Grimm, todos  compartilham uma coisa: eles possuem versões mais difíceis, eu acho meio desnecessário você ter que enfrentar as versões mais fracas e as mais fortes no mesmo Panteão, eu só deixaria as versões mais fortes mesmo.

3-Alguns chefes tiram 2 máscaras de dano o que significa que você deve ter no mínimo o cêntuplo de atenção no chefe e ter o Instinto Superior Completo porque têm uns que são pedreira tipo os últimos três chefes do Panteão de Hallownest (especialmente o último), esse "problema" coincidentemente só surgiu nesse Panteão específico por razões óbvias mas eu acho que todos os inimigos deveriam dar 1 de dano mesmo.

Essa foi a minha análise de Hollow Knight, um jogo que eu tinha preconceito e que no final virou um dos meus jogos Indies e Metroidvania favoritos, é bastante impressionante que a Team Cherry só tinha feito um joguinho bosta no Newgrounds e hoje em dia Hollow Knight é considerado como um dos maiores jogos da geração. Agora tenho a maldição de esperar o Silksong pelo resto da minha vida...

BÔNUS: eu estava pesquisando o que o Christopher Larkin tinha feito no passado e teve um negócio que eu não estava esperando, de acordo com uns sites ele fez música para alguns jogos (sendo o Hollow Knight obviamente o mais conhecido) e para dois desenhos animados, porém um deles é The Adventures of Figaro Pho, acho que 99% do mundo nem sabe que porra é essa mas quando pesquisei no YouTube eu instantaneamente desbloqueei memórias de 20 séculos atrás, obrigado Hollow Knight por me fazer lembrar de um desenho estranho de 12 anos atrás 👍

THE TOTALLY NOT COINCIDENTAL 200 FOLLOWERS CELEBRATION!!!!! HOORAY!!!

Inti Creates release cycle. Make good game, with fun foundations that everyone playes. Make a cooler sequel that stands among the greatest in the genre that everyone loves. Make an even better sequel that nobody plays. It’s a dreadful problem.


It’s an unassuming day in September of 2023. School fires up once more, and I’m back to the daily grind that is the torture of High School. Everything is numb to me, and that’s totally okay. That is, until I check my phone notifications, where I see that I’ve received a gift on Steam. That one game, the masterpiece that I present to you today, would change my life forever. Call it, the “Reversal of Fate”, if you will. The underrated masterpiece that everyone should play. Not THE perfect game, but THE game. The game is...

Blaster Master Zero III is my second favorite game of all time, probably tied with Isaac Rebirth in terms of sheer perfectionism. And honestly, I haven’t talked enough about how simply perfect Zero III is. Zero III is a beautiful end to the Zero Trilogy, and I adore absolutely everything about it. From the music, to the gameplay, to the perfect conclusion to everything that the Zero saga has told. It’s a game that I wouldn't hesitate to call perfect. Everything here was crafted out of pure love, with the lessons learned from Zero I and II, while doing its own thing with utmost perfection. It's been a fun ride in Sophia in these past few games, but now, Sophia must be retired. As the next era, beyond the Jason saga rises, the old era falls. But before we get into all of that, I must command a MAJOR spoiler warning. I get that the game has been out for three years, and plus, I never gave Zero I and II any spoiler warnings minus the built-in tags, but Zero III’s story is much more complex, and dare I say better than the previous games. If you haven't played Zero III and still want my thoughts, Control + F, “189 plays”. I don't wish to spoil anything for anyone, because Zero III is truly that great in my eyes. But if you don't care or have already finished Zero III in its entiret- did you hear that? The glass breaking? Welp, looks like it's time for the reversal of fate, folks. Because THIS is my review of BLASTER MASTER ZERO III!

Already, off to a great start with the introduction to Blaster Master Zero III, the fucking introduction kicks off with a remix of the original Blaster Master’s opening theme; Lost Box. Already, you can tell that not only did the team actually care about Blaster Master, but that Blaster Master Zero III is the final game in the series. No game has made me feel like that within the first MINUTE. When I heard it, I audibly squealed a little, I won’t deny. Oh, internally? I went batshit! Okay, but reference aside, Blaster Master Zero III takes place directly after Zero II. Quite literally, within minutes of Zero II ending. The most direct of direct sequels. If you’re unfamiliar with the story, basically; Boy finds Frog, Frog says “Fuck this”, dimensional portal, boy chases portal, boy finds girl, boy finds frog, boy incidentally saves earth, boy loves girl, first game over. Part 2, bitches. Girl says “Oh shit, I’m fucking dying, please fucking help me please, I’m fucking dying”, Boy builds tank-spaceship hybrid, encounters a farmer, Miss Melons, and father-daughter, oh, and some other guy tries to kill them all. Boy tells the other guy to fuck off, saves another world AGAIN, then everyone, even the fucking universe, almost dies, girl says “Mom said it was my turn to be the main character”, other guy tries to kill girl, she tells them to fuck off again, spirit girl jokes about other guy’s dead partner, goddamn, girl gets tank, girl saves the world again, boy nets the final blow, they get home to Planet Sophia, girl loves boy, happily, forever, afte- OH SHIT, I forgot this game existed. Yes, I could do a summary of this story again, but to tell you, I don’t really feel like it. I have two full length reviews, read them please, thank you, bye-bye. Okay, now we can get to the good part. So after the trio’s hard earned break, the Sophia Force immediately tries to shoot them down, wrecking their tank that they worked towards over the course of two full-fledged adventures. Fun times, let me tell you. Damn you, metroidvanias and your cursed physical amnesia. While the three survive the attack, they’re all immediately arrested and separated from one another. And just when all hope seems lost, the reversal of fate occurs once more in Jason’s saga. The Prison suddenly gets attacked, allowing Jason to free himself and the new and improved Gaia Sophia SV. SV, for Supreme-Vehicle. Not wasting a second, he immediately blasts out of the Sophia Force’s cell, kickstarting the first area of the game.

The first area is the strongest of any metroidvania that I have yet to play. Already, you know this game’s gonna be special from that music and intro alone. Right off the bat, the intro is high octane. For the people who skipped out on Zero I and II (why would you do that?), there’s a few text boxes that pop up that explain what the general gist of the world is, but all you need to know is that Tank = Power, Power = Die. The Sophia Force decided to steal all of your upgrades for research, but you still have the basics. The Crusher Shot, Missiles, and, of course, the Gaia System. The SP system has been split in two; one for shot modules, and sub weapons. Like normal, deplete one of these, and you suffer a temporary weapon cooldown until the SP system restores. Now though, if both are depleted and you take damage, you straight up die if you take a lick of damage. It’s a very, very rare occurrence when this happens, if at all. I had to try to lose both of them on purpose, and even when I did, the insta-kill scenario is still incredibly rare. Other than that, Sophia herself mostly stays the same, outside of the new upgrades. I’m not the biggest fan of some of the changes they made to the homing missiles and the dash, but the new shots are seriously awesome. The Rain Cluster especially, man. This shit tears enemies in half if you’re close enough. I love playing aggressively, so once I got it, I almost always had it equipped. It was that good. And, as before, the level design is incredibly strong, without a single dud to the game’s name. It kinda sucks that the mini-planets are gone now, but either way, Zero III still retains the incredible pacing of its predecessor. There's some complaints about Zero III’s linearity, but I personally never really noticed it. There’s also Fast Travel now, a convenient but non-essential feature, uhhh... yeah, other than that, Sophia remains mostly... the... what the hell are those cracks? Upon pressing the bumpers simultaneously, you’re transported into Hyperspace, essentially an alternate version of the level. And yeah, this shit is cool. Is it basic? Ehhhh, maybe. Is it kinda gimmicky? Ugh, yeah. It may be... ugh, gimmicky, I hate that word, I absolutely LOVE Hyperspace. Like, come on. This shit looks cool. In the overworld, it’s sometimes required for progression, but when you get to the Jason segments, that’s where it really shines. But, we’ll talk about him later. Because right after finding Fred, we see a familiar glow in the sky. The Sophia Force shoots them down, for no apparent reason. Weird, but Jason pushes on, to meet...

KANE GARNER, THE ONE AND ONLY. The protagonist of MetaFight, the original, unlocalized Blaster Master. Yes, the same Kane that sent the team Sophia Zero, and the same Kane that fathered Eve. And as a thank you for saving his daughter, he takes Jason head on! Win or lose, Jason is desperate to escape this dreaded base once and for all. However, in order to save his reputation, Kane had to fight Jason in order to aid his escape, creating the cover story. You see, thanks to the two’s duel, Kane’s Metal Attacker suffered battle damage, allowing for him to lie about Jason winning the fight and escaping. While this makes sense, there remains one question. Where in the world is Eve? Good question, because not even Kane knows where she is. Before Jason broke out, she was nowhere to be seen either. Although it’s not known for certain, it’s heavily speculated by the Sophia Force that the mutants are tied to the escape of Eve, which could make plausible sense given that Eve was half-mutant in Zero II anyways, purification be damned. That could also explain why the Sophia Force shot the tank down, as Eve could be considered a mutant. But Eve would know better than to help the mutants, no? And Kane sure as hell wouldn’t attempt to kill his own daughter. After all, that goes against her purpose stated in Zero I, to save Earth from the mutant epidemic. Well, regardless of Eve’s intended purpose, the Sophia Force too has an intended purpose; to protect Sophia at all costs. Before the debate can continue on, reinforcements begin to file in, so without hesitation, Jason blasts into Sophia Metropolis, a city in ruins thanks to mutant activity. Thankfully, Jason finds a signal to Eve’s whereabouts, only to be greeted by… slimy Eve. Ew. Welp, better than nothing, Oh, and Leibniz just casually waltzed into Gaia Sophia while Jason was out. They’re gonna act as our somewhat cruel support droid for the rest of the game. While Leibniz is still their usual cruel self, they lighten up throughout the game. They don’t have the biggest role in the story, but hey, traveling with Leibniz rather than nobody is better. After that short intermission, it’s revealed that Jason has the ability to travel across dimensions with the new VRV system, thanks to a recording from Eve, and Jason promptly enters Hyperspace the first chance that he can. And, as you can guess, yep, it’s time for the Jason segment!

OH MY GOD, HOW DOES INTI DO IT? Inti Creates has always managed to make Jason even more fun with each installment, and Zero III is the best Jason has ever played in the franchise’s history. First off, Jason gets a new Jetpack in the overworld to save his poor knees. 10/10. Secondly, the new and improved weapons system is INCREDIBLY convenient. Now, Jason has access to all 5 weapons at once, but they start off much, much weaker than beforehand. This ensures that you always have access to every single weakness, which is great, and given the more limited weapon selection, it’s almost a given that you can find the weaknesses of every enemy, giving you a fighting chance if you take one too many hits. Personally, I mained Wave for its high range and damage, the Whip for even stronger damage, and the Electric one for its high AOE damage. Now, the energy powers up your weapons rather than giving you new ones, encouraging even more experimentation, as well as still giving other weapons more value. They finally fixed the Wave dominance issue from the past 2 games! Oh, and Counter is a bit more snappier and integrated into the combat a whole lot better. Occasionally Zero II’s Blast Counter felt too stiff, but Zero III fixes that. Now, you fire as you press the button, not when the animation ends, something I like a whoooooole lot more. Also, now Energy Guard is now a consumable rather than time based, which might be off putting to some, but hey, it protects both Energy and your HP, so I feel that it was somewhat warranted. Energy guard is now way less powerful, but within reason. It’s a nerf, but one that feels justified thanks to Zero III’s MUCH more challenging nature. Zero III has the best difficulty balance in the series. Like I said previously, Zero I and II had some difficulty issues, but Zero III has a near static difficulty progression. Nothing ever felt like a cheap shot, nor did anything feel too difficult or easy. Each boss feels perfectly crafted to provide a proper, solid challenge. I never felt that I could bruteforce bosses without risking my own loss, and while it's definitely not the hardest game ever, I was shocked at how Zero III never pulled punches, especially coming from the same series that gave us Zero I. So... with a fundamentally perfect gameplay structure between Sohpia and Jason, as well as a near-perfect difficulty curve, is there anything else that gets in Zero III’s way from being THE perfect game?

No. The answer is no. If you were expecting a rant about some final area, hey, can’t blame you, because Zero III is the exception to the status-quo. But, y’know. Story. So shortly after defeat of the boss in Sophia Metropolis, Jason finds a piece of Eve’s… DNA? A questionable occurrence, given that Eve is a robot. After calling Kane, Jason is instructed to meet him and Jennifer Gardner at the NORA Satellite Zone, with Jason taking a detour to the Mass Driver Facility to reach the destination. After jamming out to the third best song in the track (seriously, why is it so catchy), he arrives promptly. After researching Eve’s “DNA”, it's discovered that Eve is now legally considered a mutant. Even after her purification in the last game, she still retained a majority of her mutant cells, albeit dormant. This is the reason why Sophia was shot down in the beginning of the game, too. It's also theorized that Eve’s escape was thanks to the ruptures in reality, which aided in Eve’s escape, which are, you guessed it, tied to the mutants. Because of this, any prior ties or Eve’s intentions be damned, Eve is now grouped with the very thing the Sophia Force is trying to fight against. This puts Jason and Kane in a predicament. Sure, Eve might be a sweet girl at her core, but the Sophia Force isn't keen on playing favorites. The only options they have are to A. fight against an entire army just to save one person, or B. kill Eve. Despite everything that faces Jason, he still believes that there's hope for Eve. And what is the place used to defying all odds? STRANGA! Guess what, bitches? Kanna's back and better than ever! Yeah, I don't even know how they got Kanna back in this story, but they did. It's almost like they knew fans were big fans of her for… varying reasons. Because they announce, proudly on screen, “Your girl, Kanna is heeeeere~!” Even got her popping out of frame a bit, here (can I pop into her now? oh wait, nevermind!). Kanna's colorful personality aside (no joke, I genuinely like her as a character), Jason asks for a Nu-Nasae Herb in order to research its neutralization of mutant cells. She helps lead Jason to the Nu-Nasae Herb, leading them to another dimensional rupture, with the Mutant Cerbeboss cock-blocking the Herb. After tossing Cerbeboss in the tras- Kanna's Raising Simulator is canon??? I'm not mad, but like… why? Oh, great. Infinite Kanna is technically canon, by that logic. FUCK, guess I gotta do ANOTHER review, now. Anyways, Nu-Nasae Herb in hand, with Jennifer frantically beginning her research, where a bad situation goes to even worse. The Sophia Force has finally discovered Eve’s whereabouts, alongside a signal to the dreaded Mutant Core. With the Sophia Force being as trigger-happy as ever, it's only a matter of time before Jason loses Eve forever. Before he blasts off, Jennifer gives him a few upgrades to Sophia, thanks to the Nu-Nasae Herb research; one that protects Gaia Sophia from Dimensional Distortions (thank god, fuck the Dimensional Distortions), and the other that destroys mutants in a heartbeat, and potentially curing Eve in the process, should Jason channel his heart into the shot. Thanking her for everything, Jason blasts off for the final time towards Eve’s location; The Forbidden Sector. It's in said sector where Jennifer continues to research more about Eve’s DNA. After the defeat of Drolrevo on Zero II, something crossed over into Eve, allowing her to rule over the mutants entirely, which she dubs as the “Mutant Queen”. Even more damning is that the attack on Sophia Force in the beginning of the game wasn't even of Eve’s own volition, with her being crowned as the “Mutant Queen”. She is held captive by the mutants in hyperspace, and should she spend too much time there, she risks losing her physical form, turning into… space itself. It's kind of silly, but as a fan of Evangelion, Scott Pilgrim, and Slay The Princess, I please ask that you stay with me here, folks. The Sophia Force already have guns pointed at Eve, but in a shocking reversal of fate, Kana orders the Sophia Force to postpone fire, due to Jason’s presence potentially compromising the attack. It's left ambiguous if this is even viable, as it's a last second decision, but Kane takes responsibility for anything that may happen. Kane gives Jason the final push to save Eve, and thus starts the final boss.

Bloodstained Planade-G guards the Mutant Queen, assuming responsibilities as the Mutant ruler. With a clear threat in front of them, Jason narrowly takes down the mutant promptly. Before its demise, Bloodstained Planade-G escapes into Hyperspace with Eve. Jason gives chase, as Sophia itself breaks. With a well aimed Elemental Blaster shot, heart and soul inside, Planade-G no longer remains, as well as Jason’s suit, leaving only Eve. Eve is stoic, and coldly serious, even to Jason. She realizes the gravity of the situation, with her own life dictating the fate of the world. Should Eve die, the mutants would riot, so she plans to seal herself away, alongside the mutants, fulfilling her original purpose, whilst losing everything she holds near and dear to herself in the process. She's deadset on the plan, hence why the Elemental Blaster failed to cure herself, as her heart was set in stone. She agrees to a non-aggression policy with herself and Kane. Jason can only watch as the love of his life slips between his fingers. His only option is to enter hyperspace himself, but just as he gets ready to enter, he suddenly freezes. He begins to watch idly, as Eve walks away forever, see all of the puzzle pieces connect in his mind. He has no right to interfere with Eve’s business, anyways. Jason is just some random kid who happened to come across Eve’s gracefulness, while Eve is a ruler of another race entirely, now. He lets her go, without any words or goodbyes. As years pass, Sophia as a planet thrives, creating an interstellar alliance with other planets. Peace is being achieved, but Jason cannot feel as if something, perhaps someone, is missing within him. Perhaps he could've reversed his and her fate. With a heavy heart, Jason continues on with his life, with the presence of Eve haunting him.

It's pretty clear what you need to do in order to obtain the True Ending. Should you explore Hyperspace for an unspecified amount of time, Jason will gain 2 rings on the submenu screen. And with that, pressing the bumpers as the screen cracks allows Jason to enter hyperspace, against the wishes of Kane Gardner. Eve cannot turn her face to Jason, as she must keep a straight face. She ponders on her own existence, on how she's willing to suffer just to keep everyone safe, even willing to embrace her own death just to save the world in which she's been wrongly arrested. After all, that's her purpose. So save humanity from the threat of mutants. But some boy had to be one of the only positive reinforcements in her life. Be the everlasting flame that she needed. And her only regret is leaving him. She hates it all. She wants to turn around, but she can't. In one final defiance, she frees her heart, letting everything pour out. Her love for Jason. A more human side comes out of her, a brief smile, followed by a brief return to form, before the Eve she wants to be. She knows that the impossible is ideal, but her heart knows that it's far out of her influence. But Jason reassures her that he'll see her again one day. As she disappears, Jason's promise never leaves. I'll be honest. I might've dropped a single tear in this scene. I'm sorry man, but after playing all three games back to back, having all of my past playthroughs of even the other Blaster Master games be so consistently… validated, in a way, gave me too many good feels for one goose to handle. Yes, Blaster Master Zero III is a game of many things. It's got a great gameplay loop, fun bosses, and amazing level design, but the story is a major part of the reason why I love the Trilogy so much. They did not need to go as far as they did with the Jason saga. But, if this is the ending of the Jason saga, it ended on a bittersweet note. I love Blaster Master Zero III.





OH SHIT, THERE'S ANOTHER AREA?

In an undisclosed location, we find Kane in hyperspace, with the Metal Attacker, intent on killing Eve once more, as someone within hyperspace opened yet another rupture, this time, on Earth. As YOU, the player, traverses through some of the Zero I locations, fighting the pilots from Zero II, as they attempt to protect a certain something, with even more difficult attacks in their boss fights. And I MEAN it. Some of these fights can be brutal, Leibniz and EIR especially cooked my ass. Note that you're also essentially playing as a replica of the first game’s tank, so you have a more limited weapon selection. Missiles, Homing Missiles, and Lightning, alongside the upgrades to said tank (and also distortion immunity). And you know what that means, no HP ups, either. Thank god that you're showered in Energy Guards. Oh yeah, did I mention that? Sophia also has an Energy Guard system… huh, neat. Also, note that subweapons now have their own individual SP bars, too, and without a Gaia System, if you get too trigger-happy like previously, you can run out of SP, and fast. I think this is a solid challenge to present to the player, as the Metal Attacker is similar, but not the equivalent to Sophia. Getting used to it isn't hard, but it still has its innate challenges. I'm pretty fond of the endgame of Zero III, but two bosses go above and beyond quality, and may very well be my favorite gameplay segments in the history of gaming.

Once the main trio of teams are dealt with, an unexpected ship shows up in Kane's way. LEIBNIZ! He wants to get revenge on Kane for shooting his ship down in the first place. Kane asks why Leibniz is even defending this “something” in the first place, as well as lamenting on Leibniz's acquisition of Garuda, which was stored in NORA for repairs. As Kane begins to stand his ground, Leibniz retaliates with one of my favorite cutscenes in gaming. God, I lock up every time I hear the song itself. I'm not even gonna paraphrase this shit.

“Ooooh, ‘determined’... Is that right?”

“…I was asked to do this. I have to protect something precious… from you.”

“Up until now, I've never been able to protect what I've truly cherished.”

“...But I was still given this task. Me, of all people.”

“It's truly a mystery, even to me. But I'll protect it to the very end…”

“Even if it means making an enemy of you.”

“I have no idea how deep your ‘determination’ goes, but…”

“My determination…!”

“Runs deeper than you can ever imagine!”

“If you don't think I'll do what it takes, you're dead wrong!”

“I'll put an end to you here…! Come on, RISING GARUDA!!”

AND THUS STARTS ONE OF THE COOLEST FUCKING BOSS FIGHTS EVER. HOLY SHIT MAN, they didn't even need a good ass fight with that cutscene! It's just so… good! It's THE hardest fight in the game, bar NONE. Leibniz just throws out attacks at a non-stop rate. And yet, it's so perfectly telegraphed. The music is fucking awesome. LEIBNIZ IS BEAUTIFUL! The Mask break is just… OH MY. The way the fucking cut in just blasts on screen, the way Leibniz looks, just WOW. THIS is how you end a game. And this is the worst of the 2 bosses!

Kane finally reaches his destination, with Jason knowing his exact intention. Sporting a much more blue colored appearance, he too has made the transition from humanity to hyperspace, and is thus one with the mutant. To say he’s a bit of a bootlicker to Eve is an understatement (who wouldn't be), as she technically has control over Jason, now that he's in hyperspace. Eve also lost her physical body too, and is now a hyperspace lifeform. Standing beside them is the vessel she leaves behind. This is what Kane is seeking to destroy, but Jason isn't going down without a fight. Kane once again cites the violation of their agreement, but Jason interjects him by stating that nobody could cross the rupture without the VRV system, something that was destroyed alongside Planade-G. With seemingly no resolution, the two begin to battle. And guess what, YOU, the player get to do? Select which character to side with! God, I love this game. If you side with Jason, you get… the easiest fight in the game. This is essentially Kane from the first Area, but the fully upgraded talk SHITS on Metal Attacker. It's a cool way to show how far you've come, but not exactly all that great. BUT, if you side with Kane…

THIS IS THE COOLEST FUCKING BOSS EVER MADE, AND THERE IS NO ARGUING. I WIN, BYE BYE. REVIEW OVER. HOLY. Fucking. SHIT! EVERY single piece of Kane's kit is used in tandem to create a cool as hell final boss that ends the Zero Trilogy on a PERFECT NOTE. There is no bullshit to be found here. Like Leibniz, every attack is telegraphed PERFECTLY. Each ability that Jason got throughout the game is used in such creative ways as Jason bounces and blasts through the arena. Eve shows up in the middle to give Jason some crazy ass explosions, he wall jumps over and over to get his power back, it's just so GOOD. And FUCK MY HANDS! If it weren't for Rising Garuda, Jason would be THE hardest fight in the game, but it's so GOOD. Who gives a fuck, man? Certainly not Eve! As the two nearly clash again, the vessel begins to glow, and Eve… is real and well! Alongside two HUMAN twins; Roddy and Elfie. Kane is surprised that they had… (not even joking, the game cuts this line off too) The vessel was so that Eve could raise her children to birth, so she could leave a lasting legacy. Eve herself is transitioning from her humanoid self, into a being of pure thought, assimilating into the cosmos itself. While Jason and Eve cannot raise the two, Leibniz agrees to raise them under their own arm. In fact, not for Leibniz, Roddy and Elfie may not have existed at all! However, the fight for peace does not end with the sealing of hyperspace. The “Lightning Beings”, ones who deliberately disobey Eve’s wish for peace, threaten the world, with Jason and Eve committed to stopping them. With everything cleared up between the Sophia Force and Jason, Kane only wishes for the best for the family. In the last line of the game, Kane proudly proclaims, “Godspeed! Blaster Master!”

In the post-credits scene, as the two couples share a hug, Jason has a faithful wish for Roddy and Elfie on Earth. And, should the two never be able to see their parents, Leibniz will say that they died. Doubts about the kin’s wellbeing, Jason and Eve remain committed to returning to Earth one day. They have so many stories to tell together as one, and with that, the Sophia-J1 blasts off, for the final time.

Blaster Master Zero III is a game that should not exist. It's a beautifully crafted game, enhancing and mastering the formula of what makes Blaster Master the perfect metroidvania. Crazy how I'm able to say that twice on this account, huh? I genuinely have no major complaints when it comes to Zero III as a package. Like, genuinely. Even with the laundry list of complaints that I gave to Isaac Repentance, my FAVORITE game of all time, Zero III has none. I couldn't find one tiny detail to nitpick because the game is THAT GOOD. Seriously, go buy the games on Steam. I barely clutched this review as the sales were starting, so you have no excuse not to buy the games at this point. Trust me, you won't regret playing any of them. Welp, time to check Backloggd to upload this review!


Oh, no fucking shot. 189 PLAYS?!? You mean to tell me that this peak type shit hasn’t even cracked 200??? That is not NEARLY enough. And you know what? I’m going to change that. In each and every one of these reviews, I've been thanking the people, but I call YOU. Yes, YOU. I present a call to action; Get Blaster Master Zero III to at least 1K plays on Backloggd! I know it’s weird to proclaim this on a semi-obscure website that probably has more than half a million users, but hear me out. I don't know how much influence I have on the site that is Backloggd, but what I do know is that Power is in Numbers. So, if you're reading this, I need you to do something. Go to Steam. Playthrough the Zero Trilogy. And FUCKING LOG IT! We all know that the (respectfully, no offense MrProg) Sleeper hits section really isn't a good way to spread the word about underrated games, but word of mouth is infinitely more powerful! I love Zero III, and I want to spread that love with the world. So, let's do it! #GetZero3To1K. There. I did it. Spread the word ‘round town, because zeusdeegoose is taking a stand. Woop woop!

In all honesty I don't think 1k would happen but boy would it be funny if it actually happened

Welp, that's another zeusdeegoose series done, and more importantly, one that’s not Bayonetta! Looking back? Y’know, it's kind of weird. I really love Blaster Master Zero. I really do. But it's weird how I never covered it until now. Same with Isaac, too. I've put a bunch of hours into what I'll call, “The Games that were So Good that They Changed My Life”, but… I can't help but feel I'm missing something. There was Isaac, and before that there was the Zero saga, but BEFORE the Zero saga, was there a… dark void of nothingness? Eh. Hell if I know, or really care. Oh, wait, I forgot to mention in this entire series’s existence, I've barely brought up the soundtracks! You know, Black Box, Pandora's Box, and the Lost… Box…? Oh, no. It hit me. The trilogy of darkness. I've refused to look in said boxes for years now, sealed shut into a safe. But even then, man nor goose cannot help at least one peak every once in a while. The past is scary, yet tempting, but I have to accept what I did back then.

But, the question lingers with me, since the very day I closed those damned boxes.

To open, or to not open?

I've yet to speak of what those boxes contain, but now may be the opportune time. Could I change what's been in those boxes?

So many questions. So many decisions. So many puzzle pieces which produce a picture of love, to hatred in a few simple words.

Yet, so little time…

The original Shin Megami Tensei V was released shortly after I started my journey with Megaten, finishing a few games and falling completely in love with the series, elevating it to the status of one of my top three favorite series. So at that time, my expectation to follow my first release of a new Megaten, and not just any new Megaten but a mainline one, was enormous.

My review (in my native language) at the time shows that I found the game good but disappointing, because not only I expected more but also knew that the series could deliver much more than that. Interestingly, I finished it with "I really hope they give this game another chance, re-releasing it for stronger platforms and reworking its weak points."

Fast forward to 2024, and being a pretty much a Megaten veteran now, having played all the officially localized games and another handful of fan-translated games, saw this re-release as Atlus's chance to redeem a lackluster launch.

And I can say the result is even better than I expected.

Of course, there were some things I knew wouldn't be fixed and was already used to how it works (more specifically, how debuffs work in the game, closer to Persona games and different to III, IV and Apocalypse), but other aspects had a lot of room for improvement.

The story was definitely the biggest of them, and here I can say they did an exemplary job. Yoko indeed steals the scene completely in the new route, but not only that, all the original characters were reworked to be more present in the story. Even though the series is focused on training and fusing demons, I like the idea of guest characters. Except for how it was implemented in IV, it worked very well in all other games in the series that had them. And I believe you can make the game feel alien enough with good atmosphere, soundtrack, and level design even if your main character is not alone.

With that, the story this time has a rhythm and a reason to exist, and with the new villains, the game gains a new face and identity of its own. I understand the game wanting to use many ideas from Nocturne as a starting point, even being a soft sequel to it since that was the big creative point of the series, but a greater sense of its own identity was necessary. For me, that is one of the points that make Megaten what it is: its identity, its feeling, its "vibes". Megaten lives and dies for its vibes.

And to avoid spoilers, I also like how the new route becomes more and more different from the original game. All in all I was pretty engaged each time I got to see new content and the last hours were probably the best ones when in the original the game felt like it overstayed its welcome. Also in the original, with each new area, you had less and less space for the story to breath. Maybe due to Nocturne's influence, maybe due to development problems (highlighted by the interviews with the director) but that type of execution is very difficult to copy and repeat.

The gameplay, as usual, is better than ever. It's true that it made the game a bit easier, as it is standard for Atlus's re-released games, but it's very fun to play. The original SMTV wasn't a difficult game; I actually found it more frustrating due to the long stretches without shortcuts through the game's maps (something corrected by the ley lines) and the weird level scaling (also corrected). Particularly, I don't mind the save anywhere feature either, although I understand it might take away some of the gameplay tension.

I like the small new areas behind the ley lines, I enjoyed the quests, I really liked the new additions of monsters, and Demon Haunt is one of the best ideas in the series' history. The demon writing, in particular, is sharper than ever, and the localization in my native language had the same quality as Persona 3 Reload. This is the kind of interaction that was missing in the original V, and Vengeance delivered it in spades. And what about the music of this place? It definitely ranks among the best tracks in the series.

Speaking of music, excellent job once again, Kozuka! SMTV OST was already the best the game had to offer and when I thought they couldn't impress me any more, we have tracks as incredible as Demon Haunts, Beast of Bloodshed, Beelzebub, and the battle music against the Qadistu... again, the new group of villains that are quite present in the new route and help give a greater sense of the game's atmosphere.

Anyway, Vengeance is pretty much the definitive version of SMTV and clearly stands at the very high level of previous games in the series in my eyes. The original had many problematic absences, making it less than the sum of its parts in my eyes, but Vengeance goes to great lengths to correct almost everything, and I couldn't be more satisfied.

It feels good to be excited and hopeful about the future of Megami Tensei again. Bring it on, Atlus!