SKaT3R
51 reviews liked by SKaT3R
This review contains spoilers
Thank you Infinite Wealth
Like A Dragon continues its turn-based RPG approach with its current primary protagonist Ichiban and proceeds to evolve it in every way. The improvements of the job system, changing up some exclusive jobs to make them more aligned with the combat changes, such as showing markers for AOE attacks that show what area they cover, allowing you to move around in the field to align these attacks to make them pull in as many enemies at once. This allows characters like Nanba's exclusive job to be reworked to be more directly AOE focused because you don't have to sit there waiting for the enemies to bundle up to try pull them into 1 big fireball and instead can utilise the movement circle to try position him yourself and know how much coverage you have. This change alone could have been fine as an improvement but they proceeded to go the extra mile by adding new mechanics to the battles that really enhanced the experience such as knock back attacks, grapple attacks to break guards, combo attacks with your allies. This is perfect because it supports the use of normal attacks further because you can knockback lighter enemies into allies while also restoring MP a new feature that appears in this game. But what I was mostly incredibly impressed about this title is how they took the character of kiryu and translated him into an turned-based RPG setting smoothly, the mechanic of being able to break the turned based nature for a short time and it become a watered down brawler game was incredible to see but the thing I found the most exciting was how they allowed him to switch between 3 styles, rush, brawler and beast. Each with their own strengths and unique interactions that the player can utilise whenever its kiryu's turn in battle, it fits into the gameplay system perfectly with beast being able to combat the guard system and rush including more attacks, it was really sweet to see.
That's enough about the combat because in typical RGG fashion they create an abundance of side content that is incredibly charming and hooks you into its world once more and many of them including their own little bits of fun gameplay to go with it, whether that's running across the street dodging oncoming traffic as a stunt double or once again facing off with a giant roomba this game delivers in its wackiness while also bringing Hawaii, a brand new never before seen area in the franchise to life. Farming dungeons becomes more enjoyable because of the precedurely generated rooms making random layouts every time you enter with different enemies in each room makes it less samey as you grind for exp.
Personally I really loved this story, especially near the end of it, they continue to write Ichiban as an incredible protagonist and I continue to be excited to see where his next story will take him and the characters he will take into the fold, because Tomizawa and Chitose were incredible new party members that I would love to see more of.
Kiryu's story I was very worried about going into this title but all those doubts quickly faded away the further the game went on, the way he has to learn to find balance within himself by becoming more open to live for himself was incredible. I also think his own personal set of side content in particular was really touching the soul and was sweet to experience as a fan of this series.
Overall I think Infinite Wealth is a fantastic step forward for the franchise and a huge one as well, the fact they were able to improve the previous game not slightly but majorly gives me hope the next title will do the same.
Like A Dragon continues its turn-based RPG approach with its current primary protagonist Ichiban and proceeds to evolve it in every way. The improvements of the job system, changing up some exclusive jobs to make them more aligned with the combat changes, such as showing markers for AOE attacks that show what area they cover, allowing you to move around in the field to align these attacks to make them pull in as many enemies at once. This allows characters like Nanba's exclusive job to be reworked to be more directly AOE focused because you don't have to sit there waiting for the enemies to bundle up to try pull them into 1 big fireball and instead can utilise the movement circle to try position him yourself and know how much coverage you have. This change alone could have been fine as an improvement but they proceeded to go the extra mile by adding new mechanics to the battles that really enhanced the experience such as knock back attacks, grapple attacks to break guards, combo attacks with your allies. This is perfect because it supports the use of normal attacks further because you can knockback lighter enemies into allies while also restoring MP a new feature that appears in this game. But what I was mostly incredibly impressed about this title is how they took the character of kiryu and translated him into an turned-based RPG setting smoothly, the mechanic of being able to break the turned based nature for a short time and it become a watered down brawler game was incredible to see but the thing I found the most exciting was how they allowed him to switch between 3 styles, rush, brawler and beast. Each with their own strengths and unique interactions that the player can utilise whenever its kiryu's turn in battle, it fits into the gameplay system perfectly with beast being able to combat the guard system and rush including more attacks, it was really sweet to see.
That's enough about the combat because in typical RGG fashion they create an abundance of side content that is incredibly charming and hooks you into its world once more and many of them including their own little bits of fun gameplay to go with it, whether that's running across the street dodging oncoming traffic as a stunt double or once again facing off with a giant roomba this game delivers in its wackiness while also bringing Hawaii, a brand new never before seen area in the franchise to life. Farming dungeons becomes more enjoyable because of the precedurely generated rooms making random layouts every time you enter with different enemies in each room makes it less samey as you grind for exp.
Personally I really loved this story, especially near the end of it, they continue to write Ichiban as an incredible protagonist and I continue to be excited to see where his next story will take him and the characters he will take into the fold, because Tomizawa and Chitose were incredible new party members that I would love to see more of.
Kiryu's story I was very worried about going into this title but all those doubts quickly faded away the further the game went on, the way he has to learn to find balance within himself by becoming more open to live for himself was incredible. I also think his own personal set of side content in particular was really touching the soul and was sweet to experience as a fan of this series.
Overall I think Infinite Wealth is a fantastic step forward for the franchise and a huge one as well, the fact they were able to improve the previous game not slightly but majorly gives me hope the next title will do the same.
Sonic Advance 2
2002
Sonic Advance 2 does not make me want to advance to the third... (I'll still do it anyway)
Again just like the first game, this had a horrendous spike in difficulty beyond Ice Paradise. But there is 1 thing I appreciate about this title over the first game: each level's aesthetic is very appealing with the soundtrack also lifting these themes up, and I genuinely enjoyed that.
But why do I dislike this game? Well, it narrows itself down to the very uninteresting boss fights that become an incredible hassle if you reach near the end of the game where you have to do a boss rush (although each phase has much less health) and then just the overall level design philosophy of this game is just a joke. There are so many moments throughout these levels where it honestly just screams "trial and error" where you will most likely make a mistake or miss a jump you did not expect and have to go back to a save state. Now bare in mind this wouldn't typically be that much of a problem, but if you lose your lives you're going to have to start from ground zero just like other classic sonic games, it just makes this questionable design philosophy not a joy at all. An example of this is a certain section that involves you moving at high speed and boosting upward and then using the new mechanic in this game, the mid-air tricks, to gain extra height to make it up areas. The problem is this is something you aren't gonna be accustomed to from the get-go cause it doesn't teach you this mechanic and you will most certainly die to a pitfall
Overall: while aesthetically I enjoy this game more than the first, the actual game itself I can not tolerate and by the time I made it to the X zone I just wanted to stop playing.
Again just like the first game, this had a horrendous spike in difficulty beyond Ice Paradise. But there is 1 thing I appreciate about this title over the first game: each level's aesthetic is very appealing with the soundtrack also lifting these themes up, and I genuinely enjoyed that.
But why do I dislike this game? Well, it narrows itself down to the very uninteresting boss fights that become an incredible hassle if you reach near the end of the game where you have to do a boss rush (although each phase has much less health) and then just the overall level design philosophy of this game is just a joke. There are so many moments throughout these levels where it honestly just screams "trial and error" where you will most likely make a mistake or miss a jump you did not expect and have to go back to a save state. Now bare in mind this wouldn't typically be that much of a problem, but if you lose your lives you're going to have to start from ground zero just like other classic sonic games, it just makes this questionable design philosophy not a joy at all. An example of this is a certain section that involves you moving at high speed and boosting upward and then using the new mechanic in this game, the mid-air tricks, to gain extra height to make it up areas. The problem is this is something you aren't gonna be accustomed to from the get-go cause it doesn't teach you this mechanic and you will most certainly die to a pitfall
Overall: while aesthetically I enjoy this game more than the first, the actual game itself I can not tolerate and by the time I made it to the X zone I just wanted to stop playing.
I stayed up for over 50 hours straight playing and it felt like a quarter of a day, it’s genuinely THAT good
Sonic CD
1993
Sonic CD haters are not welcome in my household.
Sure, Sonic CD’s level design is messy, chaotic, and makes gaining speed a little difficult, but it’s also well-suited for exploration. I can see how the game might seem lame or frustrating if you’re just trying to go from zone-to-zone, but if you take the time to hunt down the robot generators, you’ll see just how much fun can be had in this game. Additionally, Stardust Speedway is one of my favorite levels in any video game ever, and Metallic Madness is a pretty great final zone (and I’m tired of pretending that it’s not).
Sonic CD also succeeds in visual storytelling. The plot is mostly just Sonic vs. Eggman again, but you have some finer details that heighten the stakes. The bad futures show just what will happen to Little Planet (and by extension, Sonic’s world) if Eggman takes over: it’s a polluted, industrial wasteland with the mad doctor’s face plastered everywhere, where all plant life has been choked to death by smog and all animals have been shoved into Badniks to serve as living batteries. Needless to say, the game motivates you to save the future, no matter the cost.
On top of that, Sonic CD introduces Amy and— more prominently— Metal Sonic, Eggman’s top enforcer, a robotic clone meant to outdo the titular hedgehog in every way, and one of the coolest villains in the franchise. The game masterfully builds up your inevitable showdown; Metal kidnaps Amy, abuses and oppresses the animals of Little Planet, and lures Sonic to a climactic race on Stardust Speedway. The race is one of the greatest moments in the series’ history, as Sonic books it to the finish line to rescue Amy and prove who the one, true Sonic is, while Metal attempts to electrocute and plow straight through him. You’ll feel like a total badass once you leave Metal Sonic in the dust and head into Eggman’s base of operations, then defeat the bald fucker and free Little Planet from his control.
There’s also a pretty nice environmentalist theme that ties everything together. By obtaining the good futures, you’ll see a world where nature and technology not only coexist, but seem to actively benefit from each other. It shows that machines and ecosystems can and should exist in harmony— it’s greedy bastards like Eggman, who seek to use one of them utterly dominate and destroy the other, that are the problem.
Then there’s the music. Holy fuck. I’ve only ever listened to the Japanese soundtrack, so I can’t speak for the American version, but HOLY SHIT THE MUSIC SLAPS BALLS!!!! Seriously, every single track is an absolute banger that milks the game’s CD hardware for all it’s worth. Special mention to Metallic Madness (Present), with its incomprehensible rap lyrics that will nevertheless be stuck in my head for the rest of time.
All in all, Sonic CD is awesome. Amazing visuals, music, and story, along with lots fast-paced gameplay and exploration. It’s probably my most replayed Sonic game, and im definitely not ashamed of that.
Sure, Sonic CD’s level design is messy, chaotic, and makes gaining speed a little difficult, but it’s also well-suited for exploration. I can see how the game might seem lame or frustrating if you’re just trying to go from zone-to-zone, but if you take the time to hunt down the robot generators, you’ll see just how much fun can be had in this game. Additionally, Stardust Speedway is one of my favorite levels in any video game ever, and Metallic Madness is a pretty great final zone (and I’m tired of pretending that it’s not).
Sonic CD also succeeds in visual storytelling. The plot is mostly just Sonic vs. Eggman again, but you have some finer details that heighten the stakes. The bad futures show just what will happen to Little Planet (and by extension, Sonic’s world) if Eggman takes over: it’s a polluted, industrial wasteland with the mad doctor’s face plastered everywhere, where all plant life has been choked to death by smog and all animals have been shoved into Badniks to serve as living batteries. Needless to say, the game motivates you to save the future, no matter the cost.
On top of that, Sonic CD introduces Amy and— more prominently— Metal Sonic, Eggman’s top enforcer, a robotic clone meant to outdo the titular hedgehog in every way, and one of the coolest villains in the franchise. The game masterfully builds up your inevitable showdown; Metal kidnaps Amy, abuses and oppresses the animals of Little Planet, and lures Sonic to a climactic race on Stardust Speedway. The race is one of the greatest moments in the series’ history, as Sonic books it to the finish line to rescue Amy and prove who the one, true Sonic is, while Metal attempts to electrocute and plow straight through him. You’ll feel like a total badass once you leave Metal Sonic in the dust and head into Eggman’s base of operations, then defeat the bald fucker and free Little Planet from his control.
There’s also a pretty nice environmentalist theme that ties everything together. By obtaining the good futures, you’ll see a world where nature and technology not only coexist, but seem to actively benefit from each other. It shows that machines and ecosystems can and should exist in harmony— it’s greedy bastards like Eggman, who seek to use one of them utterly dominate and destroy the other, that are the problem.
Then there’s the music. Holy fuck. I’ve only ever listened to the Japanese soundtrack, so I can’t speak for the American version, but HOLY SHIT THE MUSIC SLAPS BALLS!!!! Seriously, every single track is an absolute banger that milks the game’s CD hardware for all it’s worth. Special mention to Metallic Madness (Present), with its incomprehensible rap lyrics that will nevertheless be stuck in my head for the rest of time.
All in all, Sonic CD is awesome. Amazing visuals, music, and story, along with lots fast-paced gameplay and exploration. It’s probably my most replayed Sonic game, and im definitely not ashamed of that.
Sonic the Hedgehog 2
2022
i got 5 green chaos emeralds
Final Fantasy VII Remake is a good action game with different characters having their own unique abilities that swapping between them in combat is enjoyable and really built on the ATB system that we've come to know in final fantasy games and the use of builds you could make with materia just built on the fun
The soundtrack is fantastic with a lot of them being rearrangements from the original game. There are also new songs in this game that are pretty hit-and-miss but I don't think there were any that were really just straight-up bad.
However, issues I had with the title were related to the side activities within the game. Especially with chapter 14 where the world becomes more open with the level layouts we've tackled previously in the game. This alone isn't exactly a bad thing is the fact that most of the side quests they have you do, don't indicate where to go and you have to figure it all out (like how to go to the sewers). However, I will always appreciate the fact upon completing the objectives you can instant travel to the quest giver to finish it quickly instead of having to head all the way back. So with Rebirth I kind of hope they build on this because there is a lot of QoL within this game that just saves time already in this title.
Overall I think this title was a pleasure to complete and I just can't wait to see where Rebirth heads down after the turns the story took.
The soundtrack is fantastic with a lot of them being rearrangements from the original game. There are also new songs in this game that are pretty hit-and-miss but I don't think there were any that were really just straight-up bad.
However, issues I had with the title were related to the side activities within the game. Especially with chapter 14 where the world becomes more open with the level layouts we've tackled previously in the game. This alone isn't exactly a bad thing is the fact that most of the side quests they have you do, don't indicate where to go and you have to figure it all out (like how to go to the sewers). However, I will always appreciate the fact upon completing the objectives you can instant travel to the quest giver to finish it quickly instead of having to head all the way back. So with Rebirth I kind of hope they build on this because there is a lot of QoL within this game that just saves time already in this title.
Overall I think this title was a pleasure to complete and I just can't wait to see where Rebirth heads down after the turns the story took.
This game does not make me very happy so I watched a summary.
I may come back to it when I think it may be able to make me happy
I may come back to it when I think it may be able to make me happy
This game honestly was an excellent opener to the franchise but...
I really think I dodged a bullet playing on the standard mode, because it felt incredibly inconsistent in terms of the difficulty for me, from one moment a boss would be easy to destroy and the next I'd be overwhelmed out of nowhere. It was hard to strike a balance, and I'm still glad I could beat the game without having to farm hefty amounts of exp.
Donald pls stop dying
The overall plot of the game though, was actually really nice. Going into it I was really cautious because I always heard its a convoluted mess and I can happily say that the first game at least isn't and pretty easy to follow.
But yeah I just think some of the worlds are a mess and especially in some of them in terms of navigation, I spent a lot of time trying to figure out where to go a lot of the time because it was not very clear that kind of came as a slog
Overall: I am happy with this opener to the franchise and looking forward to the next one.
I really think I dodged a bullet playing on the standard mode, because it felt incredibly inconsistent in terms of the difficulty for me, from one moment a boss would be easy to destroy and the next I'd be overwhelmed out of nowhere. It was hard to strike a balance, and I'm still glad I could beat the game without having to farm hefty amounts of exp.
Donald pls stop dying
The overall plot of the game though, was actually really nice. Going into it I was really cautious because I always heard its a convoluted mess and I can happily say that the first game at least isn't and pretty easy to follow.
But yeah I just think some of the worlds are a mess and especially in some of them in terms of navigation, I spent a lot of time trying to figure out where to go a lot of the time because it was not very clear that kind of came as a slog
Overall: I am happy with this opener to the franchise and looking forward to the next one.
An Adventure of a Lifetime...
I will preface this by saying Sonic Adventure 2 is my favourite Sonic game, and probably in my top 10 favourite games of all time, so some of my opinions towards it might be a little biased.
Many fans are divided between the two Adventure games, both did some things better, and some things worse.
Gameplay
While Sonic's venture into 3D might been rocky, Adventure 2 builds upon the first iteration in many ways and also deviates by offering 3 different gameplay styles this time around:
Speed (Sonic and Shadow)
Mech (Tails and Eggman)
Emerald Hunters (Knuckles and Rouge)
Speed
Sonic and Shadow's gameplay is the most simple and definitely the most refined out of the three;
Traverse the environment as fluidly and as quickly as you can, and get to the goal at the end.
You have the homing attack to chain enemies and use that to get to higher platforms or score bonuses.
Getting to the goal faster will reward you with a better score.
Mech
Tails and Eggman's gameplay consists of you getting to the goal at the end of the level while racking up combo hits with your missile attacks. The more you can lock on in one fell swoop, the better your score will be.
Emerald Hunters
Lastly, Knuckles and Rouge's gameplay has you exploring a level to find three hidden shards of the fractured Master Emerald. These may be hidden underground, in boxes, etc. Sometimes the shards are swapped out for something different like keys for plot reasons. Finding shards as quickly as possible will net you a better score.
Story
The story in SA2 is a thing that a lot of people either love or hate, due to the fact that it likes to take itself almost too seriously sometimes. The gist of the plot is that Eggman finds the "Ultimate Lifeform" known as Shadow, whom his grandfather created, he releases Shadow into the world and promptly starts causing havoc.
The public mistakes Shadow for Sonic, and ends up being captured.
While all this is going on, the Master Emerald is shattered and Knuckles and Rouge go head to head trying to find them, each for their own reasons. Eventually, this becomes a massive fight for the world as the mystery of the Space Colony ARK unveils its dark secrets...
Music
Another point of merit that SA2 has going for it is the soundtrack.
SA1 had a soundtrack spanning various genres, primarily indulging in hard rock.
SA2 takes after it, but infuses its full-sounding, (sometimes) grunge-y guitar riffs with synthesizer melodies and adorned with electronic influences all over. To add to this, it has a kickass main theme, 'Live and Learn', performed by the beloved Crush 40, who was also responsible for Open Your Heart, the main theme of SA1. They would go on to make music for Sonic games for years to come.
It's honestly a marvel of a soundtrack, and I personally listen to it on a regular basis.
Although I could sing its praises, SA2 is not a perfect game. It has the same jank that SA1 struggled with, in some cases worse than before. The camera is unruly and will definitely be responsible for making you plummet to your death at least once or twice. Some of the physics can break and throw you off course.
And that is just how it originally was back on the Dreamcast and Gamecube.
The PC port for this game can be actively horrid at the worst times and at best, playable. One of the main problems for me with the PC port is that it only takes d-pad input rather than analog input. What this means is that even if you're playing with a controller, the game will still think you're using a d-pad and thus makes the movement jagged and unpredictable.
In a game like this, where speed is key, maneuverability and ease of it should be a priority.
It is especially noticeable on curves and slopes in the terrain, like in Green Forest for example, where you will sometimes suddenly stop at a curved surface because the input is going awry.
Besides the input problem, the audio mixing is awful and the sound effects are often a lot louder than the music, which in some cases is really annoying and will drive you insane, like the water dripping sfx in Aquatic Mine.
The problem with characters cutting in on each others' dialogue and sound being poorly mixed (you can barely hear characters over how loud the BGM is) hasn't been fixed at all.
Additionally, this version of the game can be really buggy. Plenty of visual bugs in cutscenes and sometimes the movement screwing up. Some people's computers run this game at 2x the speed because of refresh rate and many, many other bugs and technical issues...
There is no way to adjust any of these problems in the game, so you're stuck sifting through modding guides and mod loaders to make the game playable and to implement plenty of QoL improvements that this game desperately needs.
SEGA have been really neglectful both for this game and SA1, and fans had to create a catch-all mod to fix SA1 on Steam cause it was nearly unplayable.
This is a really good game marred by a bad port to the PC platform, which is really disappointing.
Sonic Adventure 2 was the debut of a really important character for this franchise, as well as paving the way for future 3D titles, for better or worse, it is still worth playing in this day and age, when the Sonic franchise is in a rut.
If you're still reading this, thank you for coming to my Ted talk!
I will preface this by saying Sonic Adventure 2 is my favourite Sonic game, and probably in my top 10 favourite games of all time, so some of my opinions towards it might be a little biased.
Many fans are divided between the two Adventure games, both did some things better, and some things worse.
Gameplay
While Sonic's venture into 3D might been rocky, Adventure 2 builds upon the first iteration in many ways and also deviates by offering 3 different gameplay styles this time around:
Speed (Sonic and Shadow)
Mech (Tails and Eggman)
Emerald Hunters (Knuckles and Rouge)
Speed
Sonic and Shadow's gameplay is the most simple and definitely the most refined out of the three;
Traverse the environment as fluidly and as quickly as you can, and get to the goal at the end.
You have the homing attack to chain enemies and use that to get to higher platforms or score bonuses.
Getting to the goal faster will reward you with a better score.
Mech
Tails and Eggman's gameplay consists of you getting to the goal at the end of the level while racking up combo hits with your missile attacks. The more you can lock on in one fell swoop, the better your score will be.
Emerald Hunters
Lastly, Knuckles and Rouge's gameplay has you exploring a level to find three hidden shards of the fractured Master Emerald. These may be hidden underground, in boxes, etc. Sometimes the shards are swapped out for something different like keys for plot reasons. Finding shards as quickly as possible will net you a better score.
Story
The story in SA2 is a thing that a lot of people either love or hate, due to the fact that it likes to take itself almost too seriously sometimes. The gist of the plot is that Eggman finds the "Ultimate Lifeform" known as Shadow, whom his grandfather created, he releases Shadow into the world and promptly starts causing havoc.
The public mistakes Shadow for Sonic, and ends up being captured.
While all this is going on, the Master Emerald is shattered and Knuckles and Rouge go head to head trying to find them, each for their own reasons. Eventually, this becomes a massive fight for the world as the mystery of the Space Colony ARK unveils its dark secrets...
Music
Another point of merit that SA2 has going for it is the soundtrack.
SA1 had a soundtrack spanning various genres, primarily indulging in hard rock.
SA2 takes after it, but infuses its full-sounding, (sometimes) grunge-y guitar riffs with synthesizer melodies and adorned with electronic influences all over. To add to this, it has a kickass main theme, 'Live and Learn', performed by the beloved Crush 40, who was also responsible for Open Your Heart, the main theme of SA1. They would go on to make music for Sonic games for years to come.
It's honestly a marvel of a soundtrack, and I personally listen to it on a regular basis.
Although I could sing its praises, SA2 is not a perfect game. It has the same jank that SA1 struggled with, in some cases worse than before. The camera is unruly and will definitely be responsible for making you plummet to your death at least once or twice. Some of the physics can break and throw you off course.
And that is just how it originally was back on the Dreamcast and Gamecube.
The PC port for this game can be actively horrid at the worst times and at best, playable. One of the main problems for me with the PC port is that it only takes d-pad input rather than analog input. What this means is that even if you're playing with a controller, the game will still think you're using a d-pad and thus makes the movement jagged and unpredictable.
In a game like this, where speed is key, maneuverability and ease of it should be a priority.
It is especially noticeable on curves and slopes in the terrain, like in Green Forest for example, where you will sometimes suddenly stop at a curved surface because the input is going awry.
Besides the input problem, the audio mixing is awful and the sound effects are often a lot louder than the music, which in some cases is really annoying and will drive you insane, like the water dripping sfx in Aquatic Mine.
The problem with characters cutting in on each others' dialogue and sound being poorly mixed (you can barely hear characters over how loud the BGM is) hasn't been fixed at all.
Additionally, this version of the game can be really buggy. Plenty of visual bugs in cutscenes and sometimes the movement screwing up. Some people's computers run this game at 2x the speed because of refresh rate and many, many other bugs and technical issues...
There is no way to adjust any of these problems in the game, so you're stuck sifting through modding guides and mod loaders to make the game playable and to implement plenty of QoL improvements that this game desperately needs.
SEGA have been really neglectful both for this game and SA1, and fans had to create a catch-all mod to fix SA1 on Steam cause it was nearly unplayable.
This is a really good game marred by a bad port to the PC platform, which is really disappointing.
Sonic Adventure 2 was the debut of a really important character for this franchise, as well as paving the way for future 3D titles, for better or worse, it is still worth playing in this day and age, when the Sonic franchise is in a rut.
If you're still reading this, thank you for coming to my Ted talk!
Final Fantasy XVI
2023
An experience that takes a 'different' direction without taking away from the franchise
The combat for this title is incredible, I finished the game with 66 hours of playtime and was still discovering new things you could do with the action. The way the different Eikons work makes the experience fresh, with its unique feats. Boss fights will pull you in with the insane action, with some exciting sequence breaks between them to invoke excitement, and find no boss except 1 to be underwhelming.
The Eikon battles were a big part of the marketing of this game and I found they did not disappoint the sheer scale of them draws you in as you experience pure spectacle.
Now the story and characters in this title drew me in, I love the cast and this carried over when I completed all the side quests within the game, the characters are fascinating. An example of this is a specific side character's placement within the world of Valisthea and how side quests allowed you to learn more about them naturally without needing the power of a story DLC to do so. Speaking more specifically about the side quests is that they only truly start to kick off during the second half of the game, where their impact starts to break out of a compressed circle and can influence even the whole world. The main story can be bad in pacing sometimes, making you have to do the most monotonous of activities when you are at an exciting point, but overall is a strong narrative.
However, I didn't like how the ending was left to interpretation, I completed all the side quests that provided more groundwork in doing that but still left me yearning for a more clear conclusion
Overall I love this title so much and struggle to see another game take its place as my GOTY, I have taken half a rating away because the destination of the story did not really do it for me but in terms of a game, it will measure up to many hours of fun. I will definitely be doing New Game + to conquer that platinum trophy
July 30th Update:
Never mind I think this game is a masterpiece and the ending has grown on me.
The combat for this title is incredible, I finished the game with 66 hours of playtime and was still discovering new things you could do with the action. The way the different Eikons work makes the experience fresh, with its unique feats. Boss fights will pull you in with the insane action, with some exciting sequence breaks between them to invoke excitement, and find no boss except 1 to be underwhelming.
The Eikon battles were a big part of the marketing of this game and I found they did not disappoint the sheer scale of them draws you in as you experience pure spectacle.
Now the story and characters in this title drew me in, I love the cast and this carried over when I completed all the side quests within the game, the characters are fascinating. An example of this is a specific side character's placement within the world of Valisthea and how side quests allowed you to learn more about them naturally without needing the power of a story DLC to do so. Speaking more specifically about the side quests is that they only truly start to kick off during the second half of the game, where their impact starts to break out of a compressed circle and can influence even the whole world. The main story can be bad in pacing sometimes, making you have to do the most monotonous of activities when you are at an exciting point, but overall is a strong narrative.
However, I didn't like how the ending was left to interpretation, I completed all the side quests that provided more groundwork in doing that but still left me yearning for a more clear conclusion
Overall I love this title so much and struggle to see another game take its place as my GOTY, I have taken half a rating away because the destination of the story did not really do it for me but in terms of a game, it will measure up to many hours of fun. I will definitely be doing New Game + to conquer that platinum trophy
July 30th Update:
Never mind I think this game is a masterpiece and the ending has grown on me.
