Love it. But.

Have you ever seen something with so much work and love put into it and then wondered why it's presented in the form it is. Like, as if the form it's presented in is the result of necessity or the times rather than because of what the creators actually wanted?

I ask this because that's what this game is for me. Honkai Star Rail is very engaging, genuinely fun (which is rare for a gacha game), and well produced. At the time of writing, 2.2 came out just a few weeks ago and I really liked it. A lot. Lived in my head absolutely rent free ever since. Great story, great twists, and lots of content (in that patch). But.

It's honestly frustrating that it's a gacha game because this is genuinely a retail experience I would pay for. I say this because I think the game is genuinely worse for being a gacha. Each character is interesting and unique but god forbid you want to build them in some experimental way because if that doesn't work out and you have to rebuild them it could take days or weeks to actually do so. Characters being "in your party" in the narrative and either being nowhere to be found or becoming trial characters just for that bit feels so jarring because a lot of the time the game actually does feel like a full retail release so when someone goes with you you have that "oh right they aren't actually with me" moment which frankly just feels like a missed opportunity. Values and substats are conflated to force grinding which can be an RNG nightmare when the game could just be a much more fun experience if it wasn't constantly fighting for your money and retention.

I'm being so genuine when I say I love this game but every single problem I have with it ultimately goes back to it being a gacha and that is the most frustrating feeling in the world. It's good! I recommend it! But a lot of the times I honestly wish it were the same quality as a lot of those other gacha games out there where the only people that really get goaded into paying (decent amounts) in them are simps rather than people who want to build fun and interesting comps with the fun and interesting character that's available for 2-3 weeks.

It's frustrating.

Visual Novels were never my cup of tea. I remember trying a few but never really getting into them and dropping them so many times over the last few years, but Mahoyo was different. The first few minutes opening with Liszt's most prominent piece grabbed my attention immediately and I found my new love affair.

I started reading Mahoyo at a really tough and weird time in my life where so much change was going on. I was moving away from home, starting a new job, and all on my own in a new place to me. Mahoyo was one of those stories there to provide joyful and comedic moments of respite in that really stressful time for me when I first read those fan translated chapters almost 2 years ago now. I'm so grateful to have been able to read this and see this journey through as it's a special story about three very different humans moving each other forward and picking each other up towards a better future.

Understanding our pasts and learning how to build upon those things that define us to push forward to a more beautiful future is something I really loved coming out of this story and it's done so gracefully throughout. This is one of those stories that really moved me and I will cherish it for a long time. I love these 3 goons so much <3

Unironically my favorite modern Pokémongame since the transition to 3D graphics. Absolutely love the open world gameplay along with the different story routes as well as the new Pokémon that have been introduced. Haven't felt this same level of love for a Pokémon game in YEARS and it felt great to finally get into the franchise again and really eat up this game.

It's hard to ignore the poor performance as it really does drag down this game, but hopefully this is something that will be resolved with that big patch planned for next month. Other than that, really loved this game and I hope they can build on this different formula even further with their next entry :)