life might be worth living, actually

things irl have been kind of miserable lately so I desperately needed to play a game that would make me feel something. of all things a pokemon isekai game for babies succeeded at this and it's mostly thanks to a bisexual grovyle. It's the single game I've played all year (other than mother 1, but I started that in 2023 and finished literally minutes after new year) that has actually invoked a reaction from me other than just nostalgia like all the mainline pokemon replays i've done. this was also a replay so despite knowing how things were going to turn out I still wound up being moved by it all

one of pmd's most appealing aspects is the world you're transported to. my enjoyment of and how much im able to resonate with mainline pokemon games fringes on its regions, but the world of pmd specifically just has a totally unmatched sense of belonging. you're immediately thrust into a welcoming, tightly-knit community of people with similar goals and the congregation of these people serves as the game's hub area for its entire runtime. all of these people, including you, has a purpose, and your presence leaves a positive impact on all of them - especially your partner. i think it's a rare example of a game actually conveying to the player that they are a part of the game world and that they as a person matter - that the world would be different without them. even minor npcs are given constantly changing dialogue thanks in part to the narrative's episodic structure - shoutouts to the toxic-yaoi wurmple-swellow duo.

spoilers for this paragraph: the latter portion of the game's narrative is what ties all of this in a neat bow for me. i've already harped on about how defying fate and saving the future is one of my favourite tropes in fiction in countless other reviews and it's no different here. there's just something so viscerally empowering about characters like grovyle or lucina or future trunks with the resolve to push on even in the most bleak of circumstances and to fight for a better tomorrow. pmd2 is one of the better examples of this given you get to experience that future firsthand and it's one of the few examples of showing the sacrifices that have to be made when messing with timelines. i hadn't actually played the grovyle postgame episode before now so that likely played a big part in the game still resonating with me despite this being a replay. that or it's because Arata Iiyoshi's compositions never fail to give me goosebumps. such an underappreciated composer, their only vgm works are seemingly for the pmd series as well as various beatmania and ddr games, and no one ever seems to bring them up by name.

probably my single gripe with pmd is that characters aside from your custom named protagonist and partner just use their normal pokemon names. no other pokemon game will make me care as much about a loudred or a wigglytuff or the other guild members but giving unique names to important story characters would've gone a long way i think. all the character personalities are so easily distinguishable already though so it's ultimately a minor complaint. doesn't stop this from being peak fiction. the gameplay is also just kinda ok but I enjoy it and tbh it's really not what you're playing this for lol










it's a monster house

nintendo made a kaizo hack of their own game and charged full price for it and I somehow don't think it's the worst thing ever

I won't be telling you that japanese smb2 is some underappreciated or overhated hidden gem like other nes sequels but I will tell you that it's actually really, really funny. It just has this level of personality to it, like no other game of its time had the audacity to make you wait out a level timer or intentionally throw yourself into a pit to avoid being sent back to the very start of the game. Smb2 was always supposed to be "for experts". The devs weren't just doing this to arbitrarily extend playtime, they did this to troll people, and they probably thought it was funny too. It makes the lost levels, to me, a microcosm of a time where game development wasn't just a job, it was also hobby - it was more personal. I think this game is actually kinda awesome for being less curated, more bullshit and not well designed, and I wouldn't have it any other way.

an insanely interesting short vn. i only recommend this to play censored as the h-scenes don't bring any substance and are just weird as hell, i wish it wasn't a common trend across vns to have actual like, good stories and then bring children in the table

absoluetly love the backgrounds of saya no uta though, they're really interesting and are beautifully drawn, beautiful horror visuals, although this VN is not something i'd exactly recommend, if you're twisted enough and interested, it is worth a try

An incredible example of creating a connection between player and character, I have never felt so genuinely for someone in a game as I have (repeatedly!) in Amagami.

Kadokawa goes a different route than the classic stat-based approach of dating sims like Tokimeki Memorial, removing the genre's addictive number crunching and detailed planning in favor for systems more emotional. Here, life is represented by a great web-like grid that grows and grows the more memories you make, but also acts as a perpetul reminder that you can't experience everything in life; you will have missed opportunities and regrets; you'll look forward to things only for them not to happen; as you make connections and old ones deepen, you'll lose others. It is nothing less than a mechanical metaphor for life in all its complexity. Looking back on it as you near the end, you see your past in its patterns, marvel with nostalgia at how much has happened without you even noticing it.

I could talk about the grid until I sound like some crazed conspiratorial weirdo (and I have....to myself, which doesn't help the image) but the real heart here is the characters. And what characters! Wonderful, multi-dimensional people who buck stereotypes. They are heightened, yes, but act with complexity and a sense of realism. They hide parts of themselves big and small; they have surprising interests and talk about the mundane or pointless; they laugh. And brought to life with writing that is quietly stunning in how effective it is, it takes only a very little amount of time before eyes darting to the side become the most romantically charged thing you've ever seen in a video game. There are so many moments here that should, by all accounts, be minor, pointless things, but instead are overwhelming.

A perfect fusion of gameplay and story. An all-time great example of how games don't have to be action-packed, mechanically complex, or even all that interactive. Amagami is a beautiful work of empathy and, I think, one of the greatest games ever made.

also this version has a bonus mahjong story mode so like, triple the points. 15 stars.

Linda Cube is divided into 3 main scenarios and a bonus scenario. The first two scenarios are story based shorter scenarios that can be completed in about 2 in-game years, the 3rd one is an open world scenario with very little in terms of required story, primarily revealing events through NPC dialogue and sidequests. The first two kind of function as tutorials to get you used to the world before you really get into exploring Neo Kenya to rescue every animal in the 3rd. This 3rd scenario is a very enjoyable open world game. Small compared to modern games, but quite dense compared to them as well. Many questions are raised about the nature of the world, but often we are just left with implications rather than answers. There’s lots of themes to be seen from the game too. There's the obvious fact that the indigenous people of Neo Kenya are a lower class than the earth humans, but scenario A takes this further with the Christmas themed pharmaceutical company and indigenous villages being slaughtered on Christmas in the past.

Linda Cube’s battle mechanics are mostly straightforward RPG mechanics, but the fact that animals need to be captured, not killed creates its distinctions. Rather than worrying about grinding, often you need to worry about causing too much damage and killing an animal. I was often using skills to make sure I don’t deal heavy damage. Sometimes there's a weak animal that's best killed by throwing fresh poop at it till it's captured. But don't keep it in your inventory for more than a season or it will dry and only do one damage at a time. Actually there is one specific use for that too. Knowing each animal's behavior and how to encounter it can be a challenge too. Only female anglerfish are found in the wild, like real life. So the easy way to get a male is to capture a few and dissect them for eggs to hatch into males. Sometimes you don't need to battle though. You can buy animals, capture them in traps, and buy them in illegal auctions.

The animals themselves have quite odd designs. All are named after earth animals, though their familiarity varies from wolves being very similar to reindeer only being vaguely similar. Compared to the original Turbografx designs, the PS1 versions maintain weirdness, thought they are less creepy. I prefer the Turbografx designs, though the PS1 has improvements such as only keeping a single palette swap (Frog and tree frog). The small amount of Turbografx exclusive animals seem to be odd and generally a mismatch from the appeal of a somewhat familiar animal. The Stand may be disturbing, but it’s not disturbing in the way that I appreciate the other animals are. Even with these animals being so weird, they still need to be saved.

Speaking of Turbografx differences, the summer theme there is a lot better. Hope that gets translated too eventually.

[Like Dating Someone Unafraid of Being Themselves]

"'[Linda] has this combination, this dangerous combination, of being an anime girl with capable skills who also knows exactly how hot she is. That is not- uh, that is just not a good scenario for any mediocre dude to get himself into." - Tim Rogers [1]

There is no one perfect, attractive person that can attract every other single person. And yet, for every person, there does exist a match, somewhere out there in this universe. What might be considered a physically attractive feature to one person might be an absolute turn off for another. But what matters is that for a given human, there exists someone out there on this weird, strange, wacky planet of ours that will be a compatible match, someone who loves every single little imperfection and curious trait owned by another, that makes a complete pair. They just have to be found.

Linda Cube Again defies genre both in story and in gameplay. Its story is broken up into three primary Scenarios, each with its own story beats and retellings of potential events that could take place. Scenario A involves rescuing Linda from Ken's evil twin brother, Nek who is clad in a Santa suit, Scenario B, features an unfortunately designed mad scientist who really really wants you to like his daughter, and Scenario C throws all of that character-driven drama to the wayside and tells you the tales of the planet of Neo Kenya (yes, the planet is called Neo Kenya) itself. By the end of Scenario C, you'll be rolling at just how many self-indulgent reference the game makes at its own stories. The gameplay is also one that that defies classification. At points it's an animal collecting game with an open world (eat your heart out Palworld and Pokemon), the point of the game after all is to collect a certain number of animals (one of each sex) on a giant Ark that can travel the cosmos sent by GOD HIMSELF. At other points it's a traditional turn-based menu-focused, Dragon Quest-y-Shin Megami Tensei-y puzzle role playing game with a half baked set of attacks. Yet still it is a psychological horror game with thrilling moments of suspense, disgusting body horror, considerations of life in the shadow of a looming apocalypse, and traumatic themes and events that constantly leave the player on their toes. But in full, this game is about Linda.

Linda! Linda! Linda!

Linda Cube Again is not a game for everyone in the same way that Linda herself is not for everyone. Linda is zany and crude, but utterly confident in herself and her ability to do what must be done. Likewise, Linda Cube Again is a game that wears its own quirks and design decisions with such confidence, that one cannot help but be attracted to it even if only for a moment. Linda defies a classification of a person. She is a wholly deep, fascinating human character, with her fair share of flaws.

The player's relationship with Linda over the three story scenarios is one of a blossoming relationship. While Ken knows Linda from their childhood experiences, the player has no context of who this "Linda" character is, or what she's supposed to mean. Therefore, her amnesia in Scenario A allows us, the player, to develop a more organic relationship with her. By the end of the scenario when we rescue her from Nek, the Santa Claus costume-garbed antagonist of the scenario, the player and Linda have had the opportunities to each mutually write upon their otherwise blank slates. In Scenario B, now Linda is your (read Ken's) fiancee, complete with a simulated marriage ceremony. But again Linda is taken away by intruders, and is physically deformed. In parallel, the game and the antagonist of the scenario introduces a second, more submissive and traditionally appealing, lady, Sachiko. Sachiko is a temptation for the player, but the player quickly realizes that Sachiko, both in the story and in combat, pales in comparison to Linda. The scenario continues on with Ken and Linda reaffirming their relationship to fix Linda by whatever means necessary, and continue their promises made as children to be together. By the third Scenario, Ken and Linda are married (albeit with some slipping-on-banana-peel-blacking-out-and-entering-a-coma-and-getting-married-during-this-period hijinks), and the gameplay reflects this union through a consistently powerful party both in combat, and through playful and friendly dialogue options throughout various gameplay circumstances. You're supposed to fall in love with Linda.

But maybe you don't like Linda that much. Maybe she doesn't appeal to you. Maybe her bombastic declarations of emotion and passion are a bit too much for you. That's okay, she appeals to Ken at the very least. But at the very least, Linda is a reliable party member in whom you can place your trust over the course of the gameplay. You can trust her to be exciting, yet rational when it counts. You can trust her to hit you on the back of the head with a two-by-four by then nurse you back to health.

Linda Cube Again is a lot like Linda. Linda cube Again is a wholly deep, fascinating game with its fair share of flaws.

The process of collecting animals takes on a variety of forms which range from mindlessly mashing the O button to do a basic attack to chip down an animal's HP to under 10% of its maximum HP to capture it, to carefully executing a plan so as to not do damage that exceeds 150% of an animals health, lest you destroy the animal, fail to capture it and gain no experience points. This mechanic of essentially destroying the enemy is unique to Linda Cube Again, and forces the player to be considerate of their strength and how it compares to the world around them. For example, animals like Monkeys might chase after you in the first hour of play and pose a significant threat, but after Ken's level surpasses 7, these monkeys will now pose minimal threat, and by level 15 the player has to take care that Ken doesn't just annihilate these monkeys with a basic slash of a weapon. While there are no other mechanical changes from what is otherwise a pretty standard turn-based RPG, the game presents a constantly changing gameplay loop on a micro level that forces that player to think about what they want to do on an encounter-to-encounter basis. Remember: the goal of the game is to RESCUE animals, not kill them. The game is about preserving life. If you want to kill the animals, just leave; there's a giant meteor coming to wipe out any forms of life in about eight years. But hey, if you find this gameplay loop of hunting down animals boring, I don't blame you. The game is essentially turning grinding into its core gameplay focus.

But that diminishes one of Linda Cube Again's greatest strengths: its unpredictability. I promise no spoilers in this review, but the quantity and quality of depth of exploration I've encountered in this game rivals almost no game I've played before. Capturing each animal is its own puzzle: some animals are basic and found on the overworld, but others are a bit more tricky. One species of animal only appears when Ken's HP is below half of its maximum. another only shows up once you've exterminated 20 different from of a different species during a specific season. Even more complex, one species of animal is thought to be extinct , but as it turns out there's an old man who collects endangered species and has them cryogenically frozen but he's also on his deathbed and craves turtle egg soup to recover, and then will also ask you to somehow find eggs of a protected species, and then after that will accidentally BOIL the animals, forcing you to find a flower that revives any animal, but can only be obtained from completing a DIFFERENT sidequest which involves finding "Hot Dung" (not Warm Dung, mind you), yes HOT DUNG to act as a fertilizer to revive a garden of wilted Cherry Blossoms so that a young girl can help convince her grandpa that he should leave the planet with her and not die alone on the planet when the meteor crashes in eight years. Then, and only then, can you obtain this species of animal (assuming you can't find it anywhere else on the planet), oh and by the way you'll need to somehow find a second set of this specific species to unlock access to ANOTHER HIDDEN ANIMAL. For what its worth, you can figure all of this out just from talking to NPCs and playing with every skill in Ken's arsenal, but hoo boy. Let me tell you, 100% completing this game is not for the faint of heart. But this all returns to the idea of exploration and unpredictability. It is the player's duty to explore the world placed before them to save the lives of at least a pair of every animal, no matter how big, small, useful, dangerous, cute, or ugly, and the game has to make this process feel exciting and surprising when and where possible so as to not make a task of this magnitude not feel overwhelming nor boring. And really, it's best to play this game without guide, as scary as that might seem in the year 2024. You're supposed to fall in love with Linda Cube Again.

(also it's important to note that there is a dogfighting area but actually doing dog fights is entirely optional and I did not partake in any myself. If dogfighting is against your morals even in video games, the game respectfully allows you to abstain, thanks Linda Cube Again, very cool).

I'd be remiss if I did not compliment the fan-translation team for their efforts on adapting everything in this game into English. It is clear from my near fifty hours in my initial playthrough that Cargodin, Esperkinght, Mr. Nobody, Mono, Gwendolyn, MatatabiMitsu and Radicaldreamerr but an incredible amount of care into translating presenting the game's absolutely bananas textual presentation. NPCs are as informative as they are hilarious to talk with (that is to say they actually made me have to pause the game from regular fits of laughter), and that's not something that any uncaring translation team could dream of accomplishing. Beyond the work of the original creators, this team's efforts help propel an otherwise menial game about collecting animals to new unhinged heights, and I must applaud everyone involved.

So take Linda out on date, see if you're compatible. Play Scenario A, it takes no more than 10 to 12 hours to play if you play with intention (you might even want to take notes while you play). See if it's for you, and if it is, play through Scenario B and C while keeping track of what you find in the world, and where you found it. And if you decide the game's not for you, that's okay. There is no truly perfect game that will appeal to every single gamer on the planet, so it falls to the gamers of the world to find the right game for them. If you're not compatible with a game or a person, it's better not to force it. I know this game will not appeal to everyone, but it doesn't need to. But with all of its inspired design choices and imperfections, I found myself absolutely obsessed with and devoted to this game. And to that end, I'm lucky enough to declare I've found a new favorite game.

Linda! Linda! Linda!

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[1]: This is where I'd link to the source of the quote, but Mr. Action Button said he'd yell at me if he ever saw me if I did link the source and I don't want that to happen. So I'll just say that this comes from a Patreon-specific backer reward and leave it at that. Maybe you can make like Ken and go exploring for yourself, maybe see what you can find.