Once again I'm thrown into a fictional summer that's just long enough that I miss it when it ends, but not so long that I ever wished it ended sooner.

Boku no Natsuyasumi's main success was being a game that could make you cry without a single tragedy: the heartrending part of that game was saying goodbye. Throughout the entire game one's own nostalgic recollections of childhood come to overlap with the game itself, and by the end of it events that happened maybe two hours ago, feel like part of some precious memory. It's a trick that really only works once, so I was a bit worried about the sequels lacking impact.

As it turns out, there was no need to worry; being able to observe how my own memories started to work against me as the story went on made up for whatever was lost, although I don't think I lost anything. Sure, the first game's ending left more of an impression on me, but I think Two as a whole will probably stick with me longer. For me, being completely aware of what the story was trying to do, removed any doubt on whether it earned its emotional moments or not, and let me appreciate the subtler moments of the game more.

Now to get to Three in 2025...




















Simon not smoking weed is a plot hole.

Pretty fun time. It's really just DQ online(for better or worse) and I'm impressed with some of the aspects with the animation, music and presentation. The gameplay was a bit boring at first and think that the mmo structure causes some annoyances but it got more engaging to play as I unlocked more classes, got better gear and got NPC party members(and a friend to play with!). The story definitely feels like the beginning of a overarching story and worldbuilding which has me excited for the other expansions. It's a solid enough story with some pretty cool moments and likable characters albeit its on the short side and found the pacing kinda odd at some parts.

This was a pretty special one to me. Its gameplay was serviceable, not exactly great, and the story didn't quite affect me the way I think the game intended. I still came out greatly appreciating what Crystar tried to do and all the ways it succeeded. It reminds me of teen angst a lot, it dabbles on some pretty sensitive topics without delving too far into them to be overbearing. The main character, Rei, ended up striking a lot of nerves with me because I could relate to her in many ways I wasn't happy to admit, and that made the game become very introspective as I watched her grow and examined how I could also improve. It wasn't really a great game, but it was very important to me.