SpiralPuzzle
2000
Perhaps not the best game in the world nor the best final fantasy, it's pretty flawed in some areas, but what it does well it's done really well and it holds a very personal place in my heart. I won't defend it against people who dislike it unless I have a good reason to, but every day I thank my stars that I played this game at the exact point of my life where I most needed it's message.
1994
Overrated garbage. Gameplay is fun and the setpieces are cool, interesting ideas, and some of the characters like Terra, Celes and Cyan are cool.... But completely overshadowed by having a pedophile, an attempted rapist and a disgusting misogynist take over SO much of the mandatory screentime. Those characters completely soured the whole experience for me, which is tragic because I really wish I could have liked this game. But now I'm pissed off at how high of a pedestal it's in.
2018
2012
2008
This game had the misfortune of coming out (or at least being translated into english) at the time where youtube let's plays were on their first boom. It will now be forever associated with that era, as well as some of the most unpleasant internet celebrities the world will ever know.
Which is a real shame. This is no masterclass in horror or gaming, but if you can meet it on it's own terms, it's not at all a piece of trash. The story is some paper thin excuse to drop you into the creepy atmosphere, and nothing is ever said about what the oni is, or any explanation about what's going on, but the presentation through the puzzles and certain scripted events (especially in versions 3 and 6) can be unsettling.
I know there's no coming back, especially after the subpar mobile sequels and the two mediocre (and one enjoyable) movies, not after being a laughing stock by the internet's cheap thrill juice squeezers. But this game deserved better than that.
Which is a real shame. This is no masterclass in horror or gaming, but if you can meet it on it's own terms, it's not at all a piece of trash. The story is some paper thin excuse to drop you into the creepy atmosphere, and nothing is ever said about what the oni is, or any explanation about what's going on, but the presentation through the puzzles and certain scripted events (especially in versions 3 and 6) can be unsettling.
I know there's no coming back, especially after the subpar mobile sequels and the two mediocre (and one enjoyable) movies, not after being a laughing stock by the internet's cheap thrill juice squeezers. But this game deserved better than that.
2015