Tokkudon
2022
This was one charming Lil Gator Game.
That pretty much sums up my experience with the game but here is a review nonetheless.
Lil Gator Game sounds like a very basic title for a flash game, albeit has enough wholesome content and excellent gameplay to keep you entertained throughout the whole game. It is clearly inspired by open world games such as The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild/Tears of the Kingdom with its obvious references and call backs to the game and it is unashamed to reference them, as it should because they are games that shaped the open world games today. However, it reminded me more of games like ‘A Short Hike’ with its more laid back gameplay (which is an excellent game and you should look into if you enjoy this game).
The narrative is very relatable and it does share a very cute message for those who may have forgotten that life is not always about working hard, but also giving yourself time to destress and enjoy the moment. This game seems like it should be catered to younger audiences but in reality, can be appreciated by all ages, whether it’s is the message of the game, or simply just having fun roaming around the islands.
Gameplay wise, the mobility of the main character infused with its sweet graphics, many gadget options, dialogue and characters made it satisfying to play. The only negative I have was the automatic latch onto trees to climb that made it a bit frustrating when trying to zoom around the island. Overall, an amazing game!
Difficulty: Easy
100% Playthrough.
Gameplay: 4/5
Narrative: 4/5
Art Direction/Graphics: 4/5
Music: 3/5
Creativity: 4/5
Overall: 4/5
That pretty much sums up my experience with the game but here is a review nonetheless.
Lil Gator Game sounds like a very basic title for a flash game, albeit has enough wholesome content and excellent gameplay to keep you entertained throughout the whole game. It is clearly inspired by open world games such as The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild/Tears of the Kingdom with its obvious references and call backs to the game and it is unashamed to reference them, as it should because they are games that shaped the open world games today. However, it reminded me more of games like ‘A Short Hike’ with its more laid back gameplay (which is an excellent game and you should look into if you enjoy this game).
The narrative is very relatable and it does share a very cute message for those who may have forgotten that life is not always about working hard, but also giving yourself time to destress and enjoy the moment. This game seems like it should be catered to younger audiences but in reality, can be appreciated by all ages, whether it’s is the message of the game, or simply just having fun roaming around the islands.
Gameplay wise, the mobility of the main character infused with its sweet graphics, many gadget options, dialogue and characters made it satisfying to play. The only negative I have was the automatic latch onto trees to climb that made it a bit frustrating when trying to zoom around the island. Overall, an amazing game!
Difficulty: Easy
100% Playthrough.
Gameplay: 4/5
Narrative: 4/5
Art Direction/Graphics: 4/5
Music: 3/5
Creativity: 4/5
Overall: 4/5
2023
Super Mario RPG is a fantastic remake of the original game that came out on the SNES in 1996 that stays faithful to its original source material. The charm of the original game came from its humour, world, iconic music & characters and their interactions with each other. The remake illustrates all these aspects with polished and refined graphics, and even adding some cut scenes to elevate the story and its characters.
The newly added mechanics to the battle system, such as the triple move attacks and splash damage, improves the pacing of the game but makes the game a little too breezy and lacks any sort of challenge. In saying that, the original was quite easy in terms of difficulty to begin with so you could say that this is a quality of life improvement. The simplicity is counter balanced by the difficulties of getting the timing correct with the action command prompts which keeps the battles somewhat engaging.
I grew up playing the original game and to be able to re-live the experience had me excited to play the game and it did not disappoint.
I still do however prefer the original (call me blinded by nostalgia).
Difficulty: Easy
100% Playthrough but no post-game playthrough.
Gameplay: 4/5
Narrative: 3/5
Art Direction/Graphics: 4/5
Music: 4.5/5
Overall: 4/5
The newly added mechanics to the battle system, such as the triple move attacks and splash damage, improves the pacing of the game but makes the game a little too breezy and lacks any sort of challenge. In saying that, the original was quite easy in terms of difficulty to begin with so you could say that this is a quality of life improvement. The simplicity is counter balanced by the difficulties of getting the timing correct with the action command prompts which keeps the battles somewhat engaging.
I grew up playing the original game and to be able to re-live the experience had me excited to play the game and it did not disappoint.
I still do however prefer the original (call me blinded by nostalgia).
Difficulty: Easy
100% Playthrough but no post-game playthrough.
Gameplay: 4/5
Narrative: 3/5
Art Direction/Graphics: 4/5
Music: 4.5/5
Overall: 4/5
2022
Difficulty: Easy-Medium
Overall Playtime: ~5 hours
100% Completion with DLC (100% star collection)
I came across a gameplay video of ‘A Little to the Left’ on social media & it ignited the OCD inside me to check the game out myself.
As someone who loves organizing and tidying things in an orderly manner, this game was heavenly and gave me such a fulfilling experience for the most part. The cosy art style and music makes the game so much more charming and relaxing, making it a very enjoyable game to play when you want to declutter your mind. The difficulty of the game was quite simple but some levels did have its challenges, especially the levels that had multiple solutions to them. It develops your ability to recognize different patterns and sequences & being able to tackle the puzzle from different perspectives.
The game did feel a bit awkward to play using the joy cons on a Nintendo Switch console so I had to resort to playing it with the touch screen. It did not ruin any aspect of the gameplay but it did sometimes make me feel like I was playing a mobile game (Not a bad thing, I just prefer using controllers to play my games).
Towards the midpoint of the game, I felt like the game/puzzles did not know which direction to go & felt quite uninspiring. This made the game lack any sort of personality and have an overall confusing idea on what it wants to be.
Overall a must play if you like any sort of organisation games. Personally, I do not find any replayability value as the puzzles get quite similar to each other and the patterns to solve them are usually the same.
Gameplay: 4/5
Narrative: N/A
Art Direction/Graphics: 3/5
Music: 3/5
Creativity: 3/5
Overall: 3.5/5
Overall Playtime: ~5 hours
100% Completion with DLC (100% star collection)
I came across a gameplay video of ‘A Little to the Left’ on social media & it ignited the OCD inside me to check the game out myself.
As someone who loves organizing and tidying things in an orderly manner, this game was heavenly and gave me such a fulfilling experience for the most part. The cosy art style and music makes the game so much more charming and relaxing, making it a very enjoyable game to play when you want to declutter your mind. The difficulty of the game was quite simple but some levels did have its challenges, especially the levels that had multiple solutions to them. It develops your ability to recognize different patterns and sequences & being able to tackle the puzzle from different perspectives.
The game did feel a bit awkward to play using the joy cons on a Nintendo Switch console so I had to resort to playing it with the touch screen. It did not ruin any aspect of the gameplay but it did sometimes make me feel like I was playing a mobile game (Not a bad thing, I just prefer using controllers to play my games).
Towards the midpoint of the game, I felt like the game/puzzles did not know which direction to go & felt quite uninspiring. This made the game lack any sort of personality and have an overall confusing idea on what it wants to be.
Overall a must play if you like any sort of organisation games. Personally, I do not find any replayability value as the puzzles get quite similar to each other and the patterns to solve them are usually the same.
Gameplay: 4/5
Narrative: N/A
Art Direction/Graphics: 3/5
Music: 3/5
Creativity: 3/5
Overall: 3.5/5
2022
Difficulty: Easy
Overall Playtime
100% Playthrough with 100% memories collected.
I entered 'Stray' blindly without watching any trailers or knowing what the game entailed. What I thought was a cute cat simulator game at the beginning, soon turned into a dark but phenomenal & atmospheric world with a deep story that is told in a short playthrough time.
I absolutely loved exploring every crevice of the areas you visit as most objects are either climbable or interactable. This encourages you to make detours to traverse every corner to discover new things. I just wish exploration was rewarding with more collectables and secrets as this game is mainly focused on exploration. The vibrant locations and scenery had me mesmerised while the eerie environments captured the hopelessness and darkness which almost made it initially seem like a horror game, especially when the Zurks first made an appearance.
This game never "strays" from it's intended story-telling and is straight to the point, making it a very impactful and engaging story & it made you feel sympathetic for the automatons that reside inside the cybercity, especially for B-12 towards the end of the game.
Despite the beauty of the game, I did find the cat's face a bit uncanny, especially when it meows. The movement of the cat also did feel a bit janky at times & a lot of repeating dialogue with each NPC when you show an item. If there was one thing I could add to the game, I would have hoped for a customisation of the cat at the start, even if it is a basic one, to make it a bit more personalised. Overall, amazing game and I would love to see a sequel (or even a prequel).
Gameplay: 4/5
Narrative: 4.5/5
Art Direction/Graphics: 4/5
Music: 4/5
Creativity: 4/5
Overall: 4/5
Overall Playtime
100% Playthrough with 100% memories collected.
I entered 'Stray' blindly without watching any trailers or knowing what the game entailed. What I thought was a cute cat simulator game at the beginning, soon turned into a dark but phenomenal & atmospheric world with a deep story that is told in a short playthrough time.
I absolutely loved exploring every crevice of the areas you visit as most objects are either climbable or interactable. This encourages you to make detours to traverse every corner to discover new things. I just wish exploration was rewarding with more collectables and secrets as this game is mainly focused on exploration. The vibrant locations and scenery had me mesmerised while the eerie environments captured the hopelessness and darkness which almost made it initially seem like a horror game, especially when the Zurks first made an appearance.
This game never "strays" from it's intended story-telling and is straight to the point, making it a very impactful and engaging story & it made you feel sympathetic for the automatons that reside inside the cybercity, especially for B-12 towards the end of the game.
Despite the beauty of the game, I did find the cat's face a bit uncanny, especially when it meows. The movement of the cat also did feel a bit janky at times & a lot of repeating dialogue with each NPC when you show an item. If there was one thing I could add to the game, I would have hoped for a customisation of the cat at the start, even if it is a basic one, to make it a bit more personalised. Overall, amazing game and I would love to see a sequel (or even a prequel).
Gameplay: 4/5
Narrative: 4.5/5
Art Direction/Graphics: 4/5
Music: 4/5
Creativity: 4/5
Overall: 4/5
2017
Difficulty: Easy
Overall Playtime: 50+ hours
100% Playthrough & Collectables
Gameplay:
Super Mario Odyssey was a very strong title to launch the Nintendo Switch system and this game was one of my main reasons for purchasing one.
I have grown up with Super Mario games and in particular, 3D Mario games have always been my favourite. To put it briefly, the movement and control of Mario are well polished compared to its previous titles and the gameplay feels extremely smooth and satisfying. From classic jumps and movements to new Cappy hops and rolls, it was a delight to traverse across the different locations in the game.
For someone who loves 100% completing games, every moon was a joy to collect and I never felt any boredom trying to collect them all (except grinding for coins to get every collectable and moons).
Narrative:
Classic Mario storyline of Princess Peach being captured and in need of rescue. I just wish they switched up the objectives a bit more or have a twist to make the story more interesting or intriguing. We have seen time and time again that Princess Peach could handle her own so there is no need for the same storyline every game.
Music:
As expected from a Mario game, the soundtrack is excellent! (Although not my favourite in the Mario games). There’s no way you can listen to ‘Jump Up, Super Star!’ without bopping or singing along.
Art Direction/Graphics:
Although the Nintendo Switch graphics are outdated, I thoroughly enjoyed the refined graphics of the game. The design of the enemies and characters that you encounter in each area have a lot of personality and characteristics that make them memorable. Each area you explore also differs in many interesting ways and stand out from each other. As you don’t stay in one area for too long, the anticipation to progress into the next area is exciting.
Creativity:
Each and every costume that is acquirable looks incredible, with each outfit capturing the theme of each area while also throwing back to old costumes of Mario in previous games. I would have personally liked for other playable characters to change the tone of the game a bit, especially when many characters do not even make an appearance in this game.
The capture system is nothing new in games in general, but it adds a riveting element to the gameplay mechanics.
It has been around 7 years since the game was released and it is still one of my favourite Nintendo Switch games I have played. This gets me excited for a new 3D Mario game in the next generation console.
Gameplay: 5/5
Narrative: 3.5/5
Art Direction/Graphics: 4.5/5
Music: 4.5/5
Creativity: 5/5
Overall: 4.5/5
Overall Playtime: 50+ hours
100% Playthrough & Collectables
Gameplay:
Super Mario Odyssey was a very strong title to launch the Nintendo Switch system and this game was one of my main reasons for purchasing one.
I have grown up with Super Mario games and in particular, 3D Mario games have always been my favourite. To put it briefly, the movement and control of Mario are well polished compared to its previous titles and the gameplay feels extremely smooth and satisfying. From classic jumps and movements to new Cappy hops and rolls, it was a delight to traverse across the different locations in the game.
For someone who loves 100% completing games, every moon was a joy to collect and I never felt any boredom trying to collect them all (except grinding for coins to get every collectable and moons).
Narrative:
Classic Mario storyline of Princess Peach being captured and in need of rescue. I just wish they switched up the objectives a bit more or have a twist to make the story more interesting or intriguing. We have seen time and time again that Princess Peach could handle her own so there is no need for the same storyline every game.
Music:
As expected from a Mario game, the soundtrack is excellent! (Although not my favourite in the Mario games). There’s no way you can listen to ‘Jump Up, Super Star!’ without bopping or singing along.
Art Direction/Graphics:
Although the Nintendo Switch graphics are outdated, I thoroughly enjoyed the refined graphics of the game. The design of the enemies and characters that you encounter in each area have a lot of personality and characteristics that make them memorable. Each area you explore also differs in many interesting ways and stand out from each other. As you don’t stay in one area for too long, the anticipation to progress into the next area is exciting.
Creativity:
Each and every costume that is acquirable looks incredible, with each outfit capturing the theme of each area while also throwing back to old costumes of Mario in previous games. I would have personally liked for other playable characters to change the tone of the game a bit, especially when many characters do not even make an appearance in this game.
The capture system is nothing new in games in general, but it adds a riveting element to the gameplay mechanics.
It has been around 7 years since the game was released and it is still one of my favourite Nintendo Switch games I have played. This gets me excited for a new 3D Mario game in the next generation console.
Gameplay: 5/5
Narrative: 3.5/5
Art Direction/Graphics: 4.5/5
Music: 4.5/5
Creativity: 5/5
Overall: 4.5/5
2022
Difficulty: Easy
Overall Playtime: 25+ hours
100% Main Storyline
Dave the Diver is a simple yet charming game which is most enjoyable when playing to relax. The gameplay starts off simplistic, which helps you dive straight into the game (pun intended) without any confusion over unnecessary long tutorials. The game soon introduces new equipment, new areas, farming, characters & upgrades which slowly build the world Dave resides in and ultimately enhances the gameplay. The sushi restaurant and other mini games in between makes the game feel like a two-in-one deal and keeps the gameplay quite refreshing. However, once you discover new fish in each area, the spark is quickly lost as most of the fish stay in that specific area & makes the diving aspect somewhat repetitive and uninspiring.
The story is linear but gets interesting once the sea people & the mystery behind the history between them and the humans are introduced. Furthermore, the story is escalated when we encounter the existence of gadons. It would have added to the lore if these creatures were expanded upon, especially as they felt disregarded once the giant Gadon was eliminated. Nevertheless, the bosses were a delight to battle against and each monster had its unique characteristics.
Each character also has their charm and it was amazing watching each and every character’s reaction to consuming the sushi made by Bancho or upgrading equipment for you. It reminded me of reaction scenes from anime such as Yakitate Japan and Food Wars.
Overall, I enjoyed most of the 25 hours of playtime I engaged in with Dave the Diver. However, I don’t know if it is enough for me to come back to or replay the game.
Gameplay: 4/5
Narrative: 3/5
Art Direction/Graphics: 4.5/5
Music: 3.5/5
Creativity: 3/5
Overall: 3.5/5
Overall Playtime: 25+ hours
100% Main Storyline
Dave the Diver is a simple yet charming game which is most enjoyable when playing to relax. The gameplay starts off simplistic, which helps you dive straight into the game (pun intended) without any confusion over unnecessary long tutorials. The game soon introduces new equipment, new areas, farming, characters & upgrades which slowly build the world Dave resides in and ultimately enhances the gameplay. The sushi restaurant and other mini games in between makes the game feel like a two-in-one deal and keeps the gameplay quite refreshing. However, once you discover new fish in each area, the spark is quickly lost as most of the fish stay in that specific area & makes the diving aspect somewhat repetitive and uninspiring.
The story is linear but gets interesting once the sea people & the mystery behind the history between them and the humans are introduced. Furthermore, the story is escalated when we encounter the existence of gadons. It would have added to the lore if these creatures were expanded upon, especially as they felt disregarded once the giant Gadon was eliminated. Nevertheless, the bosses were a delight to battle against and each monster had its unique characteristics.
Each character also has their charm and it was amazing watching each and every character’s reaction to consuming the sushi made by Bancho or upgrading equipment for you. It reminded me of reaction scenes from anime such as Yakitate Japan and Food Wars.
Overall, I enjoyed most of the 25 hours of playtime I engaged in with Dave the Diver. However, I don’t know if it is enough for me to come back to or replay the game.
Gameplay: 4/5
Narrative: 3/5
Art Direction/Graphics: 4.5/5
Music: 3.5/5
Creativity: 3/5
Overall: 3.5/5
2019
Difficulty: Easy
This was my first dive into the Persona series and it has been under my radar ever since Joker was introduced as a playable character in Super Smash Bros Ultimate.
I am usually not a J-RPG fan due to the overwhelming length of these games. What makes this worse for me is my OCD to finish a game before I start a new game and my drive to finish most games with 100% completion. This usually means that J-RPG games become a chore to finish and I can't usually enjoy them or I end up benching these games and never touching them again. However, Persona 5 Royal was such a refreshing game with elements of visual novels and daily life activities that switch up the flow of the game and kept me engaged till the very end.
The game starts off a bit odd as it starts from a section later in the story but from a narrative perspective, this was cleverly implemented as the mysterious relationship with Niijima Sae and the twist regarding the memory haze later on felt satisfying when the story unravelled towards the climax. I thought it was a bit of a spoiler on who joins the phantom thieves but I soon realised that so much is going on in the story and gameplay that you forget some details and it is not hindered by this choice of introduction. Although a nitpick, it was a bit disappointing when Arsene was introduced, only to be used as a fusion into a basic-looking persona for a mechanic guide & for Arsene to never come back (unless summoned). I also found little point in levelling up personas unless you found one you want to really keep as you can fuse or summon them into stronger ones with minimal effort.
However, the constant introduction of gameplay mechanics kept the gameplay from being simplistic and repetitive. The moment I thought I learnt everything about the game and mastered the mechanic, I found another that is most often useful to the progression of the game and making the battles more appealing.
The most visually striking aspect of the game is its UI, giving Persona 5 Royal a very original identity with a strong personality. The incredible jazzy & funky music complimented the visuals and gameplay, making the game a must play with sound on.
While the Mementos aspect of the game does remind me of a mystery dungeon game, I did not particularly enjoy this area as it starts off interesting but soon becomes dull and repetitive with no interesting rewards or quests. Most areas are basically the same and the bosses for each quest don’t feel worth the time to complete.
With that said, now I can understand why my friend was raving about this game a few years ago and I am ashamed that I dismissed his advice to play this game till now.
Gameplay: 4.5/5
Narrative: 4.5/5
Art Direction/Graphics: 5/5
Music: 5/5
Creativity: 4/5
Overall: 4.5/5
This was my first dive into the Persona series and it has been under my radar ever since Joker was introduced as a playable character in Super Smash Bros Ultimate.
I am usually not a J-RPG fan due to the overwhelming length of these games. What makes this worse for me is my OCD to finish a game before I start a new game and my drive to finish most games with 100% completion. This usually means that J-RPG games become a chore to finish and I can't usually enjoy them or I end up benching these games and never touching them again. However, Persona 5 Royal was such a refreshing game with elements of visual novels and daily life activities that switch up the flow of the game and kept me engaged till the very end.
The game starts off a bit odd as it starts from a section later in the story but from a narrative perspective, this was cleverly implemented as the mysterious relationship with Niijima Sae and the twist regarding the memory haze later on felt satisfying when the story unravelled towards the climax. I thought it was a bit of a spoiler on who joins the phantom thieves but I soon realised that so much is going on in the story and gameplay that you forget some details and it is not hindered by this choice of introduction. Although a nitpick, it was a bit disappointing when Arsene was introduced, only to be used as a fusion into a basic-looking persona for a mechanic guide & for Arsene to never come back (unless summoned). I also found little point in levelling up personas unless you found one you want to really keep as you can fuse or summon them into stronger ones with minimal effort.
However, the constant introduction of gameplay mechanics kept the gameplay from being simplistic and repetitive. The moment I thought I learnt everything about the game and mastered the mechanic, I found another that is most often useful to the progression of the game and making the battles more appealing.
The most visually striking aspect of the game is its UI, giving Persona 5 Royal a very original identity with a strong personality. The incredible jazzy & funky music complimented the visuals and gameplay, making the game a must play with sound on.
While the Mementos aspect of the game does remind me of a mystery dungeon game, I did not particularly enjoy this area as it starts off interesting but soon becomes dull and repetitive with no interesting rewards or quests. Most areas are basically the same and the bosses for each quest don’t feel worth the time to complete.
With that said, now I can understand why my friend was raving about this game a few years ago and I am ashamed that I dismissed his advice to play this game till now.
Gameplay: 4.5/5
Narrative: 4.5/5
Art Direction/Graphics: 5/5
Music: 5/5
Creativity: 4/5
Overall: 4.5/5
2018
Difficulty: Extremely Difficult
Gameplay (4.5/5) - The game can most often be frustrating due to it's difficulty, but it constantly drives you to persevere until you finish a section of the level due to it's incredibly designed levels that keeps you on your toes, and the satisfaction you get when you finally get it right is extremely rewarding. Controls are simple and easy to learn, yet mastery is difficult. The movement is exceedingly smooth and the strawberry collectables taunt you and make the detour all the more worth it.
Narrative (4/5) - Although it may seem like a cute straightforward innocent story, the deeper meaning beneath it all makes it all too relatable, and seeing the character growth over the journey is very touching and endearing.
Art Direction/Graphics (4/5) - I have a soft spot for 8/16-bit games, solely due to nostalgia and the atmosphere that it captures. Celeste nails it with it's simplicity and adorable characters which brim with personality.
Music (4/5) - Absolutely stunning music. However in the long run, none of them stuck with me & I did not have an absolute favourite among the OST. It still did an amazing job to express the hope and ambition within the cold icy mountain full of despair and challenges.
Creativity (3/5) - Nothing overly unique that breaks the boundary of the genre itself, but still did an incredible job that will easily become a classic in the 2D platforming genre.
Overall Score: 4/5
Gameplay (4.5/5) - The game can most often be frustrating due to it's difficulty, but it constantly drives you to persevere until you finish a section of the level due to it's incredibly designed levels that keeps you on your toes, and the satisfaction you get when you finally get it right is extremely rewarding. Controls are simple and easy to learn, yet mastery is difficult. The movement is exceedingly smooth and the strawberry collectables taunt you and make the detour all the more worth it.
Narrative (4/5) - Although it may seem like a cute straightforward innocent story, the deeper meaning beneath it all makes it all too relatable, and seeing the character growth over the journey is very touching and endearing.
Art Direction/Graphics (4/5) - I have a soft spot for 8/16-bit games, solely due to nostalgia and the atmosphere that it captures. Celeste nails it with it's simplicity and adorable characters which brim with personality.
Music (4/5) - Absolutely stunning music. However in the long run, none of them stuck with me & I did not have an absolute favourite among the OST. It still did an amazing job to express the hope and ambition within the cold icy mountain full of despair and challenges.
Creativity (3/5) - Nothing overly unique that breaks the boundary of the genre itself, but still did an incredible job that will easily become a classic in the 2D platforming genre.
Overall Score: 4/5
Difficulty: Easy
Gameplay: 3/5 - The game immediately hooks you in on the mysteries revolving around your own death & it's unique gameplay where you control inanimate objects to try and save an individual from dying by going back 4 minutes before their death. It cleverly introduces another mechanic later on in the game that changes the way you solve the puzzles. However, the path in which you take between inanimate objects are way too linear and makes it super easy to figure out what to do next, making the game slightly repetitive and boring. The gameplay is also constantly interrupted by dialogue, making it a rocky experience. The gameplay is also quite linear in a way that you get access to other areas early on but can do nothing in these areas until the story is driven forward.
Narrative: 5/5 - The constant mysteries surrounding not only your character, but each character's stories keeps you intrigued till the end and the pay off is extremely satisfying when these mysteries are revealed through unpredictable twists. Every character has a unique personality and I found some of them quite hilarious to watch. Missile is such a loveable character.
Art Direction/Graphics: 4/5 - Very simple and goofy, which worked really well with some of the character's personalities and dialogues. The death pose is iconic. Everything is also extremely well animated and keeps you experimenting on how each object interacts with the ghost trick.
Music: 4/5 - Some memorable and thrilling music which is complemented by the cheerful and silly music when some comedic scenes are playing out.
Creativity: 4/5 - Very unique gameplay which almost resembles Rube Goldberg machines. However, some objects are placed way too conveniently for things to work well in every scenario.
Overall Score: 4/5
Gameplay: 3/5 - The game immediately hooks you in on the mysteries revolving around your own death & it's unique gameplay where you control inanimate objects to try and save an individual from dying by going back 4 minutes before their death. It cleverly introduces another mechanic later on in the game that changes the way you solve the puzzles. However, the path in which you take between inanimate objects are way too linear and makes it super easy to figure out what to do next, making the game slightly repetitive and boring. The gameplay is also constantly interrupted by dialogue, making it a rocky experience. The gameplay is also quite linear in a way that you get access to other areas early on but can do nothing in these areas until the story is driven forward.
Narrative: 5/5 - The constant mysteries surrounding not only your character, but each character's stories keeps you intrigued till the end and the pay off is extremely satisfying when these mysteries are revealed through unpredictable twists. Every character has a unique personality and I found some of them quite hilarious to watch. Missile is such a loveable character.
Art Direction/Graphics: 4/5 - Very simple and goofy, which worked really well with some of the character's personalities and dialogues. The death pose is iconic. Everything is also extremely well animated and keeps you experimenting on how each object interacts with the ghost trick.
Music: 4/5 - Some memorable and thrilling music which is complemented by the cheerful and silly music when some comedic scenes are playing out.
Creativity: 4/5 - Very unique gameplay which almost resembles Rube Goldberg machines. However, some objects are placed way too conveniently for things to work well in every scenario.
Overall Score: 4/5
2011
Difficulty: Easy + Casual
Overall Playtime: Unknown
Never 100% main storyline as I mainly played with friends to mess around.
Gameplay: 4/5 - The sheer number of things you can craft is excellent and the freedom to play anyway you want to is liberating. Amazing game to let out your creativity and to enjoy a never-ending exploration adventure. The only part of the game i'm not a fan of is the combat; this aspect is a bit lacking and unamusing. Very exciting to play multiplayer.
Narrative: 2.5/5 - There's no real narrative as far as I know, but that doesn't make it entirely bad as it reinforces my comment on having the freedom to enjoy exploring and crafting without a main goal in sight.
Art Direction/Graphics: 4/5 - Definitely very unique when it first came out and they find interesting ways to include new object and materials despite it's minimalistic look.
Music: 3.5/5 - Enjoyable but personally nothing outstanding.
Creativity: 5/5 - This whole game is about creativity and there are endless options to explore your imagination with the amount of things you can craft.
Overall Score: 3.5/5
Overall Playtime: Unknown
Never 100% main storyline as I mainly played with friends to mess around.
Gameplay: 4/5 - The sheer number of things you can craft is excellent and the freedom to play anyway you want to is liberating. Amazing game to let out your creativity and to enjoy a never-ending exploration adventure. The only part of the game i'm not a fan of is the combat; this aspect is a bit lacking and unamusing. Very exciting to play multiplayer.
Narrative: 2.5/5 - There's no real narrative as far as I know, but that doesn't make it entirely bad as it reinforces my comment on having the freedom to enjoy exploring and crafting without a main goal in sight.
Art Direction/Graphics: 4/5 - Definitely very unique when it first came out and they find interesting ways to include new object and materials despite it's minimalistic look.
Music: 3.5/5 - Enjoyable but personally nothing outstanding.
Creativity: 5/5 - This whole game is about creativity and there are endless options to explore your imagination with the amount of things you can craft.
Overall Score: 3.5/5
Difficulty: Easy (The Ultimate Cup Z was fairly challenging and I required 3 tries before completing it.)
Overall Playtime: ~20 hours
100% Completion
Gameplay: 4/5 - Enjoyable combat and upgradability. 100%ing the game was enjoyable and rewarding.
Narrative: 3.5/5 - Not much I can comment on.
Art Direction/Graphics: 4.5/5 - Best looking Kirby game to date. Character and boss designs were likeable.
Music: 3.5/5 - Only thing I did not like was the introduction music with the lyrics. Overall was nice but not memorable.
Creativity: 4/5 - Loved the copy ability upgrades and boss battles.
Overall Score: 4/5
Overall Playtime: ~20 hours
100% Completion
Gameplay: 4/5 - Enjoyable combat and upgradability. 100%ing the game was enjoyable and rewarding.
Narrative: 3.5/5 - Not much I can comment on.
Art Direction/Graphics: 4.5/5 - Best looking Kirby game to date. Character and boss designs were likeable.
Music: 3.5/5 - Only thing I did not like was the introduction music with the lyrics. Overall was nice but not memorable.
Creativity: 4/5 - Loved the copy ability upgrades and boss battles.
Overall Score: 4/5
2015
Difficulty: Easy
Overall Playtime: ~7 hours
100% Completion
Gameplay: 3.5/5 - I'm not the biggest RPG gamer but this was enjoyable and the short game playtime kept me engaged.
Narrative: 4/5 - Loved the twist and humour of some of the characters.
Art Direction/Graphics: 4/5 - Charming characters.
Music: 5/5 - SANS! That's all I have to say.
Creativity: 5/5 - Loved the different ending routes and unique battle system.
Overall Score: 4/5
Overall Playtime: ~7 hours
100% Completion
Gameplay: 3.5/5 - I'm not the biggest RPG gamer but this was enjoyable and the short game playtime kept me engaged.
Narrative: 4/5 - Loved the twist and humour of some of the characters.
Art Direction/Graphics: 4/5 - Charming characters.
Music: 5/5 - SANS! That's all I have to say.
Creativity: 5/5 - Loved the different ending routes and unique battle system.
Overall Score: 4/5
2017
Difficulty: Medium - Hard
Overall Playtime: 60+ hours
112% Completion
Gameplay: 5/5 - Loved every aspect of the gameplay. Very rewarding seeking upgrades and exploring every crevice of the map. Each area was also nice to visit through.
Narrative: 4.5/5 - Very intricate and mesmerizing.
Art Direction/Graphics: 5/5 - Loved every character design and their memorable characters/personalities, even the side characters. Boss characters were designed so well and each one felt very unique to battle.
Music: 4.5/5 - Sets the tone and atmosphere of the game perfectly.
Creativity: 5/5
Character Charm 5/5
Overall Score: 5/5
Overall Playtime: 60+ hours
112% Completion
Gameplay: 5/5 - Loved every aspect of the gameplay. Very rewarding seeking upgrades and exploring every crevice of the map. Each area was also nice to visit through.
Narrative: 4.5/5 - Very intricate and mesmerizing.
Art Direction/Graphics: 5/5 - Loved every character design and their memorable characters/personalities, even the side characters. Boss characters were designed so well and each one felt very unique to battle.
Music: 4.5/5 - Sets the tone and atmosphere of the game perfectly.
Creativity: 5/5
Character Charm 5/5
Overall Score: 5/5
2018
Difficulty: Medium
Overall Playtime: ~2 hours
Abandoned - Not particularly my genre of gaming but gave it a go due to it's excellent reviews.
Gameplay: 2/5 - Although I can see the charm of the game, the gameplay gets quite repetitive and boring and I can't get myself to play any longer than few minutes before quitting the game.
Narrative: 3/5 - Greek mythology always fascinates me and Hades depiction of these gods' personalities were enjoyable to witness.
Art Direction/Graphics: 3/5 - Nothing groundbreaking but the game has it's own unique identity.
Music: 2/5 - Very fitting but nothing memorable.
Creativity: 2.5/5 - Just felt like any other roguelike game.
Overall Score: 2/5
Comment: Although it has it's charms, I just personally did not enjoy this game as it is not my style of game.
Overall Playtime: ~2 hours
Abandoned - Not particularly my genre of gaming but gave it a go due to it's excellent reviews.
Gameplay: 2/5 - Although I can see the charm of the game, the gameplay gets quite repetitive and boring and I can't get myself to play any longer than few minutes before quitting the game.
Narrative: 3/5 - Greek mythology always fascinates me and Hades depiction of these gods' personalities were enjoyable to witness.
Art Direction/Graphics: 3/5 - Nothing groundbreaking but the game has it's own unique identity.
Music: 2/5 - Very fitting but nothing memorable.
Creativity: 2.5/5 - Just felt like any other roguelike game.
Overall Score: 2/5
Comment: Although it has it's charms, I just personally did not enjoy this game as it is not my style of game.
Difficulty: Medium
Overall Playtime: 80+ hours
100% Main Story Completion
Gameplay: 4.5/5 - Absolutely the pinnacle of the open world genre, influencing so many other open world games out there today and opening the genre up to so many more limitless ideas and opportunites to expand on.
Narrative: 4/5 - Easily identifiable where the story takes place in The Legend of Zelda timeline. The story is basic but still keeps you engaged. Although the characters have intriguing personalities, I would have liked to see more about them to keep me interested as they soon become forgettable.
Art Direction/Graphics: 5/5 - The Legend of Zelda experiments in a entirely new art direction from previous games and manages to make it refreshing yet so nostalgic and sets the franchise's new identity while retaining the charm of previous games. The world is massive and engaging, emphasised by the subtle yet vibrant atmosphere of the game despite the setback and limitations of the Nintendo Switch hardware.
Music: 5/5 - The Legend of Zelda soundtrack will always be one of the best in gaming, bringing out a lot of power and emotion which set the mood and tone of the story.
Creativity: 3.5/5 - The game captures the core essence of The Legend of Zelda franchise really well but lacks in few areas such as enemy variety and it's intriguing dungeons that feel rewarding to navigate through like in previous entries. Rather, the shrine level designs were quite basic and short, as well as the divine beasts being frustrating to get through.
Overall Score: 4.5/5
Overall Playtime: 80+ hours
100% Main Story Completion
Gameplay: 4.5/5 - Absolutely the pinnacle of the open world genre, influencing so many other open world games out there today and opening the genre up to so many more limitless ideas and opportunites to expand on.
Narrative: 4/5 - Easily identifiable where the story takes place in The Legend of Zelda timeline. The story is basic but still keeps you engaged. Although the characters have intriguing personalities, I would have liked to see more about them to keep me interested as they soon become forgettable.
Art Direction/Graphics: 5/5 - The Legend of Zelda experiments in a entirely new art direction from previous games and manages to make it refreshing yet so nostalgic and sets the franchise's new identity while retaining the charm of previous games. The world is massive and engaging, emphasised by the subtle yet vibrant atmosphere of the game despite the setback and limitations of the Nintendo Switch hardware.
Music: 5/5 - The Legend of Zelda soundtrack will always be one of the best in gaming, bringing out a lot of power and emotion which set the mood and tone of the story.
Creativity: 3.5/5 - The game captures the core essence of The Legend of Zelda franchise really well but lacks in few areas such as enemy variety and it's intriguing dungeons that feel rewarding to navigate through like in previous entries. Rather, the shrine level designs were quite basic and short, as well as the divine beasts being frustrating to get through.
Overall Score: 4.5/5