7 Reviews liked by RahulBhatia10


Still working my way through this one but to say that waiting over a decade, obsessing over every one of Tanaka's drawings in Cannabis Works for it, trying to imagine what the hell this game could possibly be, only for it to still exceed expectation is more than enough for me. A game made exactly for me 30 years in advance.

TL;DR- A fascinating and freaky Noah's Ark "psycho thriller and hunting" JRPG on Sega Saturn which never made its way Westward, Linda Cube Kanzenban's wonderful art design, unique and challenging gameplay systems, top of class world-building, unforgettable characters, and dramatic, parallel-world storylines have made it a cult classic in Japan for good reason, and it's well worth playing if you get the chance.

Linda Cube is a Noah's Ark JRPG, or as its creator Shoji Masuda referred to it, a "psycho thriller and hunting RPG." Both are appropriate, valid descriptions. Linda Cube is not like other JRPGs—it has many unique systems and a unique setting which are not seen in other games of the genre. At the same time at its heart it is very much a JRPG with top notch JRPG essential elements. Despite my 5 star score I do not think Linda Cube is a perfect game—there is no such thing—however, it perfectly executes what it sets out to do.

Linda Cube takes place on Neo-Kenya, a planet doomed to death by a giant meteor in 8 years time at the start of the game. One day, a huge ark falls out of the sky, with a message from a mysterious god calling himself Anubis. It's a call for one human male and female to capture one male and female of every species of animal on the planet and upload them to the astro ark and launch it into the sky toward an unidentified target location before the meteor hits.

That call is answered by teenage protagonist Ken Challenger and his slightly crazy, blue-green haired tomboy girlfriend Linda. Having made a careless early childhood promise to get married one day, the two are already in a relationship when the game starts. Linda is brought to life by a stand out performance from Minami Takayama, the voice of Detective Conan, among many others. The relationship between the two of them forms the basis for the dramatic story elements of the different scenarios.

A defining feature of the game, Linda Cube is composed of three closely adjoined parallel worlds referred to as Scenarios A, B, and C. Different Scenarios are selected from the title screen, and a game save can only exist in that Scenario. This is the first of many unique systems the game uses to differentiate itself. Scenarios take place in different Regions of Neo-Kenya—each Region is essentially its own unique mini-world map. All Scenarios take place in the Eastern Region, with Scenario A also taking place in the icy Western Region of Neo Kenya, Scenario B also taking place in the blazing Southern Region, and Scenario C taking place in all of those Regions and one more. Each Scenario has its own unique story and main characters, as well as a unique number of animals required to be uploaded to the ark in order for Ken and Linda to launch it into space. The Scenario length and number of animals required to launch the ark increases from A to B to C.

One of the best uses of this Scenario System is how characters change between them. Characters who are villains in one Scenario may be allies in the next, and relationships between characters are usually similar but slightly different. A harmless comment or throwaway joke by a character in one Scenario will take on a sinister meaning when it appears in another. Other small details like Linda's last name will change between Scenarios. It's also impossible to catch all of the animals in the world in the first two Scenarios, which are more like tutorial Scenarios for Scenario C, where the player must upload at least 100 different species into the ark.

Capturing animals is the meat of the game. Animal sprites can be seen wandering region maps or in dungeons and bumping into them initiates combat. Some animals will run away from the player, some will run at the player. Animal behavior also changes depending on the season in game. Animals tend to run in large packs during summer and are found hungry and solo and closer to towns during the winter. Females may become more aggressive during egg laying season, and males more aggressive during the rut. Different animals will appear in different areas depending on the season, if they attacked the party while they were sleeping, if it is snowing, or if other more esoteric requirements are met.

Ken moves at a decent clip already, but the player can hold a button to make him run. Running takes a toll on Ken and requires a small amount of HP to maintain outside of towns, so running in bursts while hunting is more advantageous than just holding the run button down. This adds a nice element of strategy to hunting, and if the player attacks from the side or behind, it gives them an advantage in combat. Other elements like forcing an aquatic animal to fight on land will also give the player an advantage.

At first glance combat is your standard first person turn-based Dragon Quest or Phantasy Star style affair, but it has a unique twist. Animals can come at the party from one of four different cardinal directions. Each direction has its own mini-battlefield, and the player can freely change directions between these battlefields on their character's turn. Animals attacking from behind the party will inflict more damage, so it's good to keep an eye on where the animals are and have a party member face them during combat. Some animals will bounce between battlefields, and some of the player's moves will hit every animal in a battlefield, which helps make the combat interesting.

Another interesting combat element is hunting dog party members. Dogs can be purchased at Dog Centers or captured in the wild and tamed. Linda learns to tame dogs as her hunting skills improve, with that ability eventually allowing her to tame a few other animals into "hunting dogs." Up to two dogs can be in the party at a time. Dogs act and level independently in combat depending on their natural disposition and how strong their bond is with Ken. If the enemy is too strong or the dog has fallen in combat many times in the past, it's more likely to run away, taking damage from enemies and returning to the party only after combat is over. If a dog runs out of HP it must be taken to a Dog Center to be healed, where the vet will give the player a ridiculous list of symptoms and a bill. As Ken's hunting skills improve, he is able to give general orders to the hunting dogs and freely switch them out during combat with dogs in reserve. This is extremely valuable when trying to capture weaker enemies, as lower level dogs can be swapped in to fight weaker enemies without splatting them.

Animals are automatically captured by Ken's Trans Cargo System after their HP is reduced to 0 or a small range above or below 0. But, if an animal is hit too hard and their HP goes well below 0, they splat into tiny pieces. Splatted animals are not captured and give no XP. This adds an element of physicality and skill to hunting, as the player is encouraged to explore and engage with animals around their level, while dodging higher and lower level animal species. Animals visible onscreen can be examined for more info including what level they are as well as various data about them from the in-game hunter's manual. The natural volatility of these animals is also why modern firearms are not allowed in Neo-Kenya, as well as why the player uses simple weapons crafted from various parts of these animals to fight. A splatted animal is worthless.

But a captured animal is very valuable. Utilizing ancient technology discovered in the mysterious ruins of the planet, Ken's Trans Cargo System digitizes weakened animals which can then be uploaded from the system into the ark. Animals uploaded to the ark become a part of not only the astro ark, but a part of Ken and Linda. Depending on the sex of the animal uploaded the correspondingly sexed party member will receive permanent stat boosts, as well as unlock special skills and beast transformations which can be used in combat. Knowing which animals correspond to which special skills and transformations gives the player various options for pathing during repeat playthroughs.

Captured animals can also be turned into weapons, armor, and various treated meats. It takes 10 males of a species to make one weapon, 10 females to make a full set of armor, and 1 animal to make a treated piece of meat. Each of these items is unique depending on the animal used, and knowing which animals make great weapons, armor, and meats, is essential to becoming a full-fledged hunter. Treated meats are the main healing tool in the game, with Ken commenting on the unique flavor each time he consumes one, I.E "Tastes like earlobes," "Tastes like rust." Meats also have a danger value, which is a chance of giving the player a negative status effect. Meats can also be thrown on the overworld, in dungeons, and in battle itself, to lure animals or give them a negative status effect.

But the most defining systems in the game are the time-related ones. Spend enough time hunting and the seasons pass. Like Earth, Neo-Kenya has four seasons. And as the seasons pass, perishable items in your inventory go to rot, and different animals appear at different rates in various areas of Neo-Kenya. Different NPCs may appear or have different things to say in Neo-Kenya's towns and caves. Weather patterns change, with some regions becoming easier or more difficult to traverse. And when enough seasons pass, the years pass. And every year brings the player closer to an unstoppable meteorite in the summer of 1999. As the years pass, the cities begin to thin out. The Interstellar Federation has a planetary evacuation program in place, but they can only carry so many people at a time on their budget repurposed evacuation shuttles. Take the time to speak to every NPC you see, because they might not be there next time.

NPCs are always worth talking to, and a real highlight of the game. The NPC conversations are always entertaining, often humorous, and help build the world and deepen the feeling that Neo-Kenya is a real place full of real people. Many story elements are not explicitly explained, but clues as to what's really going on can be picked up from NPC conversations as you go along, sometimes even in different scenarios entirely.

The story itself is extremely dramatic and entertaining. The main theme is love. More specifically, it's an exploration of how strong the emotion is, and how long-term and wide-reaching its consequences can be. Story elements are naturally activated by uploading certain numbers of animals to the ark or progressing to certain seasons in certain years. This is reminiscent of the story trigger system in Uncharted Waters: New Horizons, and is an excellent way of implementing story elements in a free-roaming JRPG of this style. It keeps the player involved in the fascinating world of Neo-Kenya.

Neo-Kenya is prized not only for its unique animals not found anywhere else in the galaxy, but also for its native people, the Beastians. These often blue-green anime hair colored natives who proudly claim to be descended from beasts were already there when the shocked Earthlings first landed on the planet. A hardy people known for their sometimes backwards ways and traditions, they also have an incredibly high birth rate, something Earthlings in the game are severely lacking in. Breeding with the natives is seen as the hope for humanity, and Beastians have their own self-governed sanctuary towns with extravagant churches which are seen as tourist attractions.

But there are many mysteries surrounding them. How are Beastians able to find and control the fierce pteranodon-like creatures which make up the world's mass aviation transport system, Birdline? Why do they seem so prone to disastrous events, like the mass slaying of a Beastian village around a decade ago? Why do their legends speak of giant arks which fall from the sky just like the recent one sent by Anubis? Are their genes really so dominant that Linda's black-skinned legendary human hunter father Hume could have a white-skinned blue-green haired daughter like Linda? Is the Federation taking the Beastians into account with their evacuation program, or will some of the natives be left to face meteor-induced destruction? And why are so many Beastian corpses mysteriously disappearing in the middle of the night from the basement mortuary of the hospital corporation town of Hospico?

Hospico is one of several major towns and cities the player can freely visit if they are available in their Scenario. A few other towns include the spaceport town of Ozport, the Eastern region's transportation hub which has a teleportation pad to the Oz-sat satellite from which the planet's evacuation shuttle is boarded. (Of which the operators insist there hasn't been an incident of dumping a traveler directly into deep space in at least a year, making it much safer than Birdline.) There's the half-built and abandoned town of Parasido, which has become a den for outlaw poachers who finish building the town as they please. There's the town of Eterna, run by a massive pharmaceutical company which makes wondercures out of the unique local animals and where every day feels like a holiday. There's the last Beastian sanctuary town of Minago, where Linda and her mother live. And there's the town of Hardia, where the planet's Ranger Corps is headquartered, and where, despite living in the shadow of the Ranger Corps headquarters, Ken is late to work as a junior hunter in the Ranger Corps every day.

While not explicitly a silent protagonist, Ken is breathed to life by the player themselves. Ken has some voice acting and personality, but it's pretty mellow overall. This helps bring out the bombastic nature of the other characters introduced in the game, with main character conversations fully voiced. In addition to Minami Takayama's outstanding performance as Linda, Takeshi Aono gives an incredible Dr. Emory, the colorful doctor who is eerily reminiscent of a certain famous failed Austrian artist, and a main player in Scenario B. There's also a performance given during a certain bossfight of Scenario A which will the give the player chills, and possibly nightmares. The performances and stories work well to bring the characters to life.

One other extraordinary element bringing Linda Cube to life is the art design. The character design is from famous Japanese artist Cannabis, and is top-notch, with some of the best concept art of the generation. In addition to this is the acid-laced nightmare fuel animals of Neo-Kenya, which share names with Earth creatures but only vaguely resemble them. Every new animal is a new nightmare, and it makes capturing them more fun. There's also a few short anime cutscenes designed by Cannabis during pivotal scenes which are gorgeous and entertaining.

And that art is the last element that makes Linda Cube come together. The game's surface is the gorgeous character and animal designs which stand out despite the game's relatively simplistic graphical prowess. The game's skeleton is the very fun, challenging gameplay loop of catching animals and uploading them into the ark or turning them into resources while exploring overworlds, towns and dungeons. Layered on top of this fast-paced, still strategic JRPG gameplay is the dramatic storyline which is naturally triggered by phone messages the player can listen to as their capturing progresses. Its glue is the number of interesting and immersive systems as well as the solid world-building which keeps the player engaged. And at its heart is the love shared between Ken and Linda, which is constantly tested but stays true and real despite everything thrown at it. (It's also perfectly described in the lyrical version of Linda's Theme song unlocked later in the game.)

The game's music itself is excellent—what there is of it. Although great, some of the loops are quite short and there are not very many tracks in total. The most interesting use of the music is how the overworld theme changes depending on the season you're in. It's always the same core theme, but sounds more peaceful in spring, and downright sinister in winter. It's a great use of the medium.

As a final note it should be noted that the version I'm reviewing, Linda Cube Kanzenban, is actually the third version of the game released. The original was the PC Engine CD title, which was remade for the PlayStation soon after the initial release as Linda Cube Again. The Saturn version, Kanzenban, is a slightly touched up version of Again with a few extra unlockables, and is widely considered the definitive version of the game. In truth, all the games are amazing, and it's a crying shame none of them made it to the West on release.

Hopefully, by the time you're reading this, some version of the game has an official or unofficial Western translation and there are no barriers keeping anyone from having the opportunity to play Linda Cube. I do have some concerns about how well a translated release will keep the spirit of the original dialogue intact, but I have high hopes regardless. A cult classic in Japan since its initial release, I firmly believe the same will happen upon its Western release. Hopefully one day soon everyone will have the opportunity to experience its unique world-building, gameplay systems, and dramatic storyline. There's really nothing else like Linda Cube.

one of my favorite games ever made. i have played through it every year since it came out in america in 2006 and i always find something new to love about it. while it doesn't do everything right, i can still appreciate that this game did a lot for its time and it is full of charm. i don't recommend anyone buy it (especially for how much it goes for now), but if you love niche playstation 2 games and are able to play this without any issue, you should

I’m not good at writing long form reviews, but this game really spoke to me in a way where I feel like I have to write something. So, I guess let me start with a bold statement: Boku no Natsuyasumi is a masterpiece. I’m not exaggerating or sugar coating that, I think this game is perfect. I hope this review will express why I think this.

A major elephant in the room when discussing this game is the fact that it has never been localized in any capacity, whether official or a fan translation (although one is supposedly in the works). Therefore, I had to play this in a sort of archaic way. I wouldn’t really recommend that, I’d say wait for the fan translation. But regardless, I’m so glad I managed to play this.

Boku no Natsuyasumi is about the titular Boku, a boy from Tokyo who is going to stay with his Aunt, Uncle, and cousins in rural Japan while his mother is preparing to give birth during summer vacation. While in this unnamed part of rural Japan, you can explore the area around you, catch bugs, talk to locals, catch fish, fly kites, wrestle beetles. Y’know, the Summer Stuff. In the simplest terms, I’d describe this game as a “summer simulator” of sorts, but just that surface level description doesn’t go into the major depth this game has.

I think mood is a major part of this game's appeal. Of course, Boku no Natsuyasumi is a game about reliving your childhood, so you get some of that major childlike wonder at certain moments of the game. However, as this game is told from the perspective of an adult Boku, I think “bittersweet nostalgia” is the perfect way to describe this game’s mood. While this game is pure vibes and a joy to play, there is a hint of melancholy here. Post-war reconstruction, dealing with the loss of a family member, and teenage angst and depression are some of the topics that are dealt with here, and I think it handles this beautifully.

The characters are also delightful! The main family is lovely, with Moe’s heartbroken arc being the one that resonated with me the most. But I also love the other people you can run into, such as the vice principal, the delinquent boys, and the wolf girl.

By the time I finished this game, I was near tears. I didn’t want to leave, I didn’t want it to end. I truly felt like I stumbled into something magical. I wish I could put into words the depth and beauty of this game, but if you want a great (but long) explanation of why this game is so amazing, I’d highly recommend Tim Roger’s 6 hour review of the game. (although, if you’re interested in this game, I imagine you’ve already seen it)

I can’t wait until Boku no Natsuyasumi gets a fan translation. This game needs to be experienced by more people. I won’t make a sweeping statement and say it’ll appeal to everyone, but if this game sounds like it will appeal to you, I almost guarantee you it will. Absolute timeless, classic masterpiece.

Final Fantasy X is an epic road trip romance fantasy, sci-fi mystery conspiracy thriller, part-time sports drama, full-time daddy issues simulator, spiralling rumination on the nature of death, grief, hope, and forgiveness, Japanese role-playing mind-bending politico-navigational adventure. It is a masterclass in world-building and plotting. It is the heart on the sleeve of the video game industry.

To play this game is to refuse despair. To play this game is to engage with, and battle against, notions of racial supremacy. To play this game is to target systems of higher power and tear them down, one suit and tie at a time, until all of the historical abuses, lies, and hypocrisies are laid bare on the dirt for everyone to see.

Final Fantasy X unironically frames friendship—friendship tested by ingrained prejudices that have been expertly woven by the powerful, so finely that you can’t see the stitches, so long ago that you can’t begin to know where their commands begin and your opinions end—as the solution to depression, oppression, and cyclical violence maintained by the wealthy and the powerful. It frames friendship as radical. It frames friendship not only as a political choice, but as the political choice. Embrace the alien or kill them. Love the foreigner or hate them. What do you choose? And how do you turn that choice into action, rather than empty words? Friendship is a political pressure that, when applied radically, can and must snap the status quo in two.

That is what Final Fantasy X is. A manifesto of hope. An agenda of friendship. A fearless reaching out of hands across the border.

It presents this thematically through its magnificent plot and character interactions, while also presenting it mechanically through its rapid-fire rotational party member system. We can overcome even the insurmountable monsters of this world by working together, it is saying, by covering each other’s weaknesses and by building upon each other’s strengths. We can bring about real change with our revolving cast of radical friendship warriors. No matter the first impression, no matter the lies that we have let ourselves believe about one another in the past, we choose to work together, now, and to love each other, forever.

In a similar vein, Final Fantasy X is also about taking charge of your own life, being the change that you want to see in the world, and standing firm in the face of despair. Again, it is about choice. “Now is the time to choose,” the elder of the group, Auron, tells his comrades at one of the most heart-stopping, pivotal points in the story, when the lies, hubris, and the violent depths of those in power are undressed fully before you. “Die and be free of pain. Or live and fight your sorrows. Now is the time to shape your stories. Your fate is in your hands.”

Our lives often appear prescribed by those in power over us, by parents, bosses, and politicians, by the wealthy, by the trappings of poverty, by manipulative and violent headlines in the press, by the black and white messages we consume in television and film, by the hopeless voices in the back of our minds whispering, it’s no good, there’s no point, nothing will ever change. Yet, armed with the radical belief that anybody can be our friend, and backed up by the foreigner, the queer, the outsider, and the beast man with the broken horn, we can overcome anything, everything, no matter how high the climb or big the monster. We can bring about change. We can demand better than the endless spiral of abuse, lies, and death that is inflicted upon us by those in control.

This is Final Fantasy X. This is your story.

With regards to covering the Midgar portion of the original Final Fantasy VII, this remake does more than just do justice to the original but the expansions here are more than welcome.

I think that given how much could be happening within just the Midgar portion of the original, it feels nice to be able to explore a lot more - even if this new take leans more towards being incredibly sidequest heavy, but there's never a moment where I ever felt bored with taking on new "Odd Jobs" either. It feels nice to be able to get to know more of the people who live within Midgar, considering the expansive lore of Final Fantasy VII, but the fact that this game allows you to revisit that section at any time given as the original game blocks you from revisiting it until a certain point of Disc 2, it just feels nice - as a capsule of nostalgia and a means to show how expansive the worlds are.

The combat system has its charm, though part of me prefers the active time battle combat system from the original. But nonetheless, it brings back memories of playing through a battle from Kingdom Hearts, which was also a lot of fun in its own ways - and admittedly I do miss the random encounters that came by as it was a staple of the Final Fantasy games. That said, I do appreciate the fact that this revamped battle system is far more forgiving compared to the fact the original always leaves you wandering around looking for save spots, for you can always restart at any time before the battle to better accustom yourself to what comes ahead.

Count me excited to see where the rest of this story goes, because I'm definitely on board with what we have here so far. While I think the simplicity of the original, especially for a game for the first PlayStation still has my heart, the fact that a new generation will be introduced to Final Fantasy VII, revamped for today, will always be a plus in my eyes.

Somehow it took me over ten years to actually beat this one, but I think after having finally completed the main game I feel more than confident enough to say this is one of the best games of the Final Fantasy series - and an instant all-time favourite.

As a series retrospective, bringing back many familiar elements from the older games while mixing them together with mechanics that came from the preceding games, Final Fantasy IX feels like an entirely new game on its own. Yet just like the best of its series it always remains a highly engrossing narrative experience.

But if anything else best sums up what these games can do best, there's a bittersweetness to the journey of Final Fantasy IX that hasn't quite been matched by other games in this series. When it comes to how this game approaches the concept of what it means to live, especially as one knows their lifespan is limited, it's bound to make any player feel misty-eyed - even as you get a taste of the satisfaction that comes forth from beating its final bosses, this mood still lingers and just creates a more emotionally resonant epilogue, especially if you found yourself so deeply attached to these characters (all of whom have magnificently crafted arcs, as one can expect from Final Fantasy).

If it weren't for Final Fantasy VII, this would easily be my favourite of the series.