After playing this I fully understand why it's a first ballot JRPG hall of famer. The storytelling is fantastic and tightly-woven, combat is incredibly fun and offers the chance for so many possible strategies, and the music/artwork heightens the already great experience into an amazing one. The fact that they were doing this shit in 1995 makes this even crazier. How it took everyone else so long to have bench leveling and remove random encounters in their JRPGs is beyond me. There's absolutely no padding to this game, each part of the game is fun and meaningful.

The story is killer. I love each of the characters so much that I'm not sure I could pick a favorite. Their personalities show in the writing and the spritework and it made the adventure that much more charming. Doing all the side quests right before the end was some of the most fun I've had in an RPG ever. This is really where the interaction between party members stood out. I didn't use Robo or Lucca too much until late game but after seeing them take the spotlight in some of these side quests, I used them way more often and really appreciate their characters way more. I wish the whole game had that level of party interaction, but it's just fine without it. At the present I have not gone for all of the alternate endings, but if I find myself wanting to return to the game, I think I will.

Getting to explore the world and uncover all its secrets was also very cool. The way the time-traveling storyline wove together the different maps and different characters was awesome. There were big, obvious connections, but also small, hidden ones that you only found if you looked. Every detail was meticulously planned out, which I admire a ton

Since there was no need to grind, and bench characters gained xp, I was trying all sorts of party combinations to tackle different problems. The Tech system is so sick, and it was cool to see what each character combination's Dual and Triple Techs would do. I loved how the combat was conscious of space too, and rewarded you for choosing attacks that beat certain enemy formations.

In terms of old games, it doesn't get much better than this- and it's better than a lot of newer stuff too. If you're even considering playing this game, I highly recommend trying it.

This game was fascinating. The strongest part was the platforming. Sybil feels great to control and mastering each of her abilities was really fun. The level design is excellent, encouraging you to use your movement abilities in unconventional ways to access new areas. I love trying to get to areas I "shouldn't" go in 3D platformers, and the level design rewards you for seeking out those places.

The artwork is great, I love the early 3D art design. Paired with the somber music and cryptic and sparse storytelling, this makes for an extremely haunting experience in the best possible way. It's a pretty lonely journey, but it's nice. The ending was really touching, and realizing what Sybil's goal is was kind of bittersweet. As a side note, some of the areas (Underbelly in particular) reminded me of Pac Man World 3, which was one of my favorite games as a kid.

About 25% of my playtime was the same stretch that I was stuck on before I realized you could backflip out of the long jump, and I did a ton of needless backtracking before I realized this. I wish they were more clear about that and made you figure it out in the tutorial area for that ability. I'm glad I played after the map update though, I don't think I would've finished without it. At first I wished the map was more detailed, but now I don't really think so. It gives you enough to go on, and the areas are interconnected enough that it's not too hard to do a quick comb and see what you missed. I do wish you could view the map for every area at once, not just the one you're in.

Overall this is a really fun and compelling experience, definitely recommend checking it out especially for the price.

Slowly this year is becoming the year of great reimagined “casino” games. Buckshot Roulette takes the simple premise of Russian Roulette and makes it an indie horror gem.

Gameplay is primarily passing a loaded shotgun back and forth between yourself and a dealer while using a mix of items and luck to turn the odds in your favor. A general run will involve chipping away at your opponent’s health bar before taking away life support to really up the ante. Once a run has been won you will unlock a double or nothing mode that spice ups items and become essentially endless if you are prepared to take the risk for bragging rights.

Buckshot Roulette seems to take place in some kind of secret backdoor Russian nightclub that lends itself greatly to the twisted washed-out horror aesthetic. All runs begin in a dirty bathroom as you pass through a walkway with loud thumping techno music before entering the dealer’s den. At all times you can almost always hear the music muffled through the walls as the sound design is honestly fantastic.

The simple premise makes it easy to pick up and the addictive double or nothing mode is great to try for a high score. With such a low asking price I can’t recommend Buckshot Roulette enough.

Super Meat Boy has influenced countless games, pioneered the indie movement and was once the face of indie’s alike. Originally a small flash game on Newgrounds turned into a full fledged cross platform release.

I cant say I particularly loved Super Meat Boy. At times movement and levels are fun, with tough times to beat and hidden collectables scattered about. Rewards for beating par times and bonus levels give a variety of reference gimmick characters and secret harder stages. However the sheer difficulty is a huge wall to pass and one hundred precenting the game I would consider impossible for myself.

My completion of Super Meat Boy comes with a slight caveat due to a game breaking bug. On the final level of the game I faced a bug that completely prevents me from finishing the game and defeating the final boss. It turns out that this has been a known issue on some versions of the game since 2012. (Why this still isn't fixed I do not know)

With that in mind I did enjoy some of my time playing Super Meat Boy but because of this issue and the huge skill ceiling I think it may be best left in the past.

Having now beat it twice, I feel pretty conflicted on this game. The combat and bosses can be really awesome when they get a chance to shine. The music has clear inspirations but is beautiful all the same. However, most of the story has no heart, the writing is terrible, the side missions are almost exclusively mid, the art direction has no cohesion. The only thing more stale than most of this game is the conversation surrounding it. But when the game has as hype as a final few hours as it does, its hard to not be excited for a possible sequel

A solid game that doesn't quite nail the ending with 3 boss fights one after the other but generally is a very fun, more easily digestible dark souls game. It doesn't like kill you immediately when you fall and everything is just more easily understandable.

Also the story is more forward and a goofy fun time.

Would have liked the ending to be a bit more substantial, it just sort of ends with no talk about what's happening with the gunk and what not.

8/10

My first traditional soulslike (if we're talking in general, first one was Deepwoken) and good lord it is GOOD good. I love just about everything this game has to offer.

The combat itself is super fun and fluid, also letting you get REALLY creative with how you run builds. The bosses are great, with some extremely unique designs and attacks. (Also, get hit by a Red attack every now and then. You won't regret it.)

The story isn't that crazy, but the writing makes up for it in spades. I have felt maybe every emotion except extreme sadness. The game doesn't take itself super seriously, and it makes for some extremely funny ass lines. Even the ENDING has a punchline that's been getting set up the entire game. It's also a 3D platformer, and it feels GOOD to move around into. That's all you need, really.

I have nothing but praise for this game, and you should 100% BUY IT NOW. Except that one part near the end with the big laser beam crabs. Fuck that area. I hated it.

This game was amazing and I loved so much of it. Starting with the negatives: it was pretty laggy on my end, as well as a few glitchy areas with clipping and other annoying things. NOW ONTO THE POSITIVES: I loved the exploration in this game, there were many moments where I ventured off the beaten path, and found a cool secret area with a sick boss. Speaking of bosses, most of the bosses in this game were amazing, so many cool fights with different mechanics and a good challenge. The combat in this game is also so fluid. The parrying, the graple hook, the adaptations, all of it comes together so well when fighting and never leaves a dull moment in combat. Take it from me, someone who 100% the game, it is worth your money, and if you have gamepass then you can just play it off there :)