Vash4e
2020
What a lovely game! At first i was hesitant about playing another "warriors" type game, but i found out that this is more than just that! It has the DNA of Persona 5 while adding some new things that just make sense in the context of the game!
The dungeons almost played like the ones in Persona 5, with a small Musou twist to them, and you can create persona just like in there too! You also have a way of stopping the fast pace action to check weaknesses and use skill or spell to make them weak and hit an all-out attack!
Confidants are no longer a thing here (which make sense in the context of P5 in general) and are replaced with Bond points, which you can more points with certains quests or cutscenes that occur through your adventure that show the group "bonding"
The new characters, Zenkichi and Sophia, felt like that belong and could have been in the original game! The new music is fantastic with new music and remixes, and i love that you can have the option to have the original music from Persona 5 and Royale mixed in along with it!
It's a strong recommendation for me especially if you love the Phantom Thieves!
The dungeons almost played like the ones in Persona 5, with a small Musou twist to them, and you can create persona just like in there too! You also have a way of stopping the fast pace action to check weaknesses and use skill or spell to make them weak and hit an all-out attack!
Confidants are no longer a thing here (which make sense in the context of P5 in general) and are replaced with Bond points, which you can more points with certains quests or cutscenes that occur through your adventure that show the group "bonding"
The new characters, Zenkichi and Sophia, felt like that belong and could have been in the original game! The new music is fantastic with new music and remixes, and i love that you can have the option to have the original music from Persona 5 and Royale mixed in along with it!
It's a strong recommendation for me especially if you love the Phantom Thieves!
2023
Huh...this one is so strange, because there are moments where I'm loving the game, it has branching paths, the secrets are neat, the level designs are interesting. On the other hands, this game had me rage with its boss fights and the later level felt like they went on forever!
Then there's the music, some or great and I can listen to them any day of the week. Then there's the rest of the music that can potentially have my hair fall off!
There's a decent game here but it's really really hard to overlook the bad, because it can be REALLY bad!
Then there's the music, some or great and I can listen to them any day of the week. Then there's the rest of the music that can potentially have my hair fall off!
There's a decent game here but it's really really hard to overlook the bad, because it can be REALLY bad!
I never played the GBA game before (or the game boy Donkey Kong game) so this was an interesting playthrough for me. I enjoyed it quite a bit! The music is quite chill and its pretty on the eyes. The puzzles themselves are a bit easy until you beat the game, then the challenges can make you think a bit. The first bit of it its just you finding the key, it was mostly a cake walk for the majority of it. After that it has you make your mario mini follow you with a key, those can be a little tricky with some of the level designs, but none of it is unfair, they're really good designed levels here! It's a decent time that would be a good pick-up when it goes on sale!
For Final Fantasy X Only
It happens to be one of my all time favorite games to come out. Mostly because of two things; The characters and the gameplay. The characters also branches out to the plot as well, it is one of the best told stories to be told in an RPG game, let alone any game. But you have a rounded out group that are all memorable and likable in one way or another.
The gameplay does away with the battle system from the SNES and PSX era, with a more tradition turn based system. The difference is that you can see who goes next in the next few turns and it can change depending on what attack or skill that you use. Also you can change your party members on the fly in the middle of the fight, making for more versatile.
They also did away with the normal level-up system with a crazy grid! Once you level up you can make around on this huge board and choose what stat boosters and skill you can to unlock for each character, and with careful planning, you can make an OP Tidus or Yuna by the time you are ready to take on some of the more challenging bosses.
Speaking of bosses, this game has some hard or nails fights once you get into the latter half of the game, they really test out your knowledge of what you are able to do in the game in a satisfying and frustrating way. It may be frustrating because on the one major hiccup this game has, unskippable cutscenes. It can make or break you're playthrough if yo might be stuck on a certain fight.
The other hit or miss portion of the game are the side quests. Some of them are fun to do as you are nicely rewarded with awesome end game weapons that can obliterate the baddest of the bad, but some of these quest can potentially take you weeks just to get that one McGuffin and get that one weapon, do them at your own risk!
Regardless of the blemishes this game may have, it is still one of the best of the best that needs everybody attention and needs to be appreciated!
It happens to be one of my all time favorite games to come out. Mostly because of two things; The characters and the gameplay. The characters also branches out to the plot as well, it is one of the best told stories to be told in an RPG game, let alone any game. But you have a rounded out group that are all memorable and likable in one way or another.
The gameplay does away with the battle system from the SNES and PSX era, with a more tradition turn based system. The difference is that you can see who goes next in the next few turns and it can change depending on what attack or skill that you use. Also you can change your party members on the fly in the middle of the fight, making for more versatile.
They also did away with the normal level-up system with a crazy grid! Once you level up you can make around on this huge board and choose what stat boosters and skill you can to unlock for each character, and with careful planning, you can make an OP Tidus or Yuna by the time you are ready to take on some of the more challenging bosses.
Speaking of bosses, this game has some hard or nails fights once you get into the latter half of the game, they really test out your knowledge of what you are able to do in the game in a satisfying and frustrating way. It may be frustrating because on the one major hiccup this game has, unskippable cutscenes. It can make or break you're playthrough if yo might be stuck on a certain fight.
The other hit or miss portion of the game are the side quests. Some of them are fun to do as you are nicely rewarded with awesome end game weapons that can obliterate the baddest of the bad, but some of these quest can potentially take you weeks just to get that one McGuffin and get that one weapon, do them at your own risk!
Regardless of the blemishes this game may have, it is still one of the best of the best that needs everybody attention and needs to be appreciated!
At the end of 2023, I've accomplished one big gaming feat; I have beaten all 3 of the Metal Gear Solid games! Out of the three games, MGS3 is the one that stands out the most. Although I wouldn't consider it my favorite game out of the original trilogy, it does, overall, do everything better than the rest.
Let's start with the story, you do not need to have played the first two to fully understand everything going on, since this is mostly a prequel of those games. Instead of playing as Solid Snake, you take on the role of Naked Snake trying to rescue a Russian scientist who is forced in creating a weapon of mass destruction, the Shagohod. What happens then is that his teacher, Boss, has defected to the Russian federation with Commander Volgan and Snake has to kill Boss for the CIA. He has the help of EVA, who is a spy that has infiltrated the Russians to aide Snake (with some ulterior motives). With all the pieces in place, the story itself is fantastic, as it tells the origins of the game's primary antagonist(?), Big Boss. I love what they have done and how the characters have deep progression throughout the game.
The gameplay itself it kinda the same, except you have free range with the camera, which changes everything about sneaking around. All that freedom creates situations for placements and to plan out your routes in a more natural way from its predecessors. The boss fights this times around are very interesting and are pretty memorable and has some high octane moments and some horrors elements as well, its great how it balances everything out.
This is the near perfect MGS experience that everyone should consider trying out. It has great story and great gameplay. The music lends itself to the immersion to the game, and the bosses are very memorable. What a great way to end 2023 by finishing this game!
Let's start with the story, you do not need to have played the first two to fully understand everything going on, since this is mostly a prequel of those games. Instead of playing as Solid Snake, you take on the role of Naked Snake trying to rescue a Russian scientist who is forced in creating a weapon of mass destruction, the Shagohod. What happens then is that his teacher, Boss, has defected to the Russian federation with Commander Volgan and Snake has to kill Boss for the CIA. He has the help of EVA, who is a spy that has infiltrated the Russians to aide Snake (with some ulterior motives). With all the pieces in place, the story itself is fantastic, as it tells the origins of the game's primary antagonist(?), Big Boss. I love what they have done and how the characters have deep progression throughout the game.
The gameplay itself it kinda the same, except you have free range with the camera, which changes everything about sneaking around. All that freedom creates situations for placements and to plan out your routes in a more natural way from its predecessors. The boss fights this times around are very interesting and are pretty memorable and has some high octane moments and some horrors elements as well, its great how it balances everything out.
This is the near perfect MGS experience that everyone should consider trying out. It has great story and great gameplay. The music lends itself to the immersion to the game, and the bosses are very memorable. What a great way to end 2023 by finishing this game!
So I gotta be honest, this game was super weird to play. For one, the story of it how so many twists and turns, its completely wild and by the end of it can blow your mind. For another, the gameplay is great, it builds on what MGS did and made it more epic. Its a fantastic gaming experience that just has some small hinderances on it.
First let me say that I did enjoy that Solid Snake was used as a tutorial chapter to get you ready for the rest of the game. In fact, gameplay wise, it might be my favorite part of the game. The ship was fun to traverse and had a cool way of using the camera. After that and the explosion that occurs, you skipped a couple years later and control Raiden. He is mostly the same as Snake, with maybe how he does certain things. He is a bit different than Snake with his personality and its pretty fun to see how he reacts to certain events. All the gadgets from the first game are all here and are very fun to play around with, and even adds some new gadgets to play around with. The boss fights were also pretty cool here, though not as memorable as the first one. Fat Man was cool since it was really a hide and seek to freeze over his bombs and the final boss fights were pretty tense.
If i had a complaint about anything in this game its the setting. Its at a tanker in the middle of the ocean and its all gray and red for almost the entire time you're there with very little that makes any area stand out. It all kinda blends in with each other with the only thing helping me find my way through the game is the map itself. The other small gripe is it feels like it takes way to long for the guard to go away if you're caught, they really make feel like a punishment.
It still a great game with one of the craziest endings I have ever seen in a game, and it made the whole experiance worth its time.
First let me say that I did enjoy that Solid Snake was used as a tutorial chapter to get you ready for the rest of the game. In fact, gameplay wise, it might be my favorite part of the game. The ship was fun to traverse and had a cool way of using the camera. After that and the explosion that occurs, you skipped a couple years later and control Raiden. He is mostly the same as Snake, with maybe how he does certain things. He is a bit different than Snake with his personality and its pretty fun to see how he reacts to certain events. All the gadgets from the first game are all here and are very fun to play around with, and even adds some new gadgets to play around with. The boss fights were also pretty cool here, though not as memorable as the first one. Fat Man was cool since it was really a hide and seek to freeze over his bombs and the final boss fights were pretty tense.
If i had a complaint about anything in this game its the setting. Its at a tanker in the middle of the ocean and its all gray and red for almost the entire time you're there with very little that makes any area stand out. It all kinda blends in with each other with the only thing helping me find my way through the game is the map itself. The other small gripe is it feels like it takes way to long for the guard to go away if you're caught, they really make feel like a punishment.
It still a great game with one of the craziest endings I have ever seen in a game, and it made the whole experiance worth its time.
1998
This is my first time playing the original Metal Gear Solid, and I was pleasantly surprised on how much it holds up to this day. It has some solid (sometimes silly) voice acting, great map designs, and some excellent characters.
Shadow Moses Island was a joy to explore, behind every nook and cranny you can find some good secrets that can help you stop Metal Gear Rex. Each area is easily recognizable and you don't get lost going back and forth in these corridors. Dealing with the baddies are not either too easy or too hard, there was a right balance of difficult for the most part.
The bosses are, for the most part, very memorable and pretty fun. And almost each one plays a little differently. Psycho Mantis for example, you would have to change to the controller to player 2 and just get a hit out of him. Sniper Wolf hits you from a distance and you have to either out snipe her, or find a clever way on getting hits on her. Meanwhile, the last couple fights were not easy in the slightest. The boss fight with MG Rex was very hard but actually fair, there's a pattern you must follow that allows you to get pop shots with your stinger and once you figure that out, its not as bad as you think. Liquid, however, had me pretty pissed. It's the type of fight that really highlights some of the flaws of the game, the CQC (close quarters combat) is not refined here, but you need to fist fight liquid in a time limit. The aiming and positioning can be grueling if you can't figure it all out, and it was driving me crazy!
The only other part of the game that was really tough to get through was the second part of the communication tower, with its unfairly places turrets in certain corners going up the long flight of stairs. But with knowing that it might be easier to deal with in subsequent playthroughs.
Other than those two things the game was great! You have a great ensemble of supporting characters you talk to through codec, you have twist and turns that will keep you on your toes, and its all wrapped around on what i felt was a very solid and good story! It still hold up to this day, and should be played by everyone.
This is a strong recommendation, this is a strong game to have on everyone's library and to appreciate how far Metal Gear has come since 1998.
Shadow Moses Island was a joy to explore, behind every nook and cranny you can find some good secrets that can help you stop Metal Gear Rex. Each area is easily recognizable and you don't get lost going back and forth in these corridors. Dealing with the baddies are not either too easy or too hard, there was a right balance of difficult for the most part.
The bosses are, for the most part, very memorable and pretty fun. And almost each one plays a little differently. Psycho Mantis for example, you would have to change to the controller to player 2 and just get a hit out of him. Sniper Wolf hits you from a distance and you have to either out snipe her, or find a clever way on getting hits on her. Meanwhile, the last couple fights were not easy in the slightest. The boss fight with MG Rex was very hard but actually fair, there's a pattern you must follow that allows you to get pop shots with your stinger and once you figure that out, its not as bad as you think. Liquid, however, had me pretty pissed. It's the type of fight that really highlights some of the flaws of the game, the CQC (close quarters combat) is not refined here, but you need to fist fight liquid in a time limit. The aiming and positioning can be grueling if you can't figure it all out, and it was driving me crazy!
The only other part of the game that was really tough to get through was the second part of the communication tower, with its unfairly places turrets in certain corners going up the long flight of stairs. But with knowing that it might be easier to deal with in subsequent playthroughs.
Other than those two things the game was great! You have a great ensemble of supporting characters you talk to through codec, you have twist and turns that will keep you on your toes, and its all wrapped around on what i felt was a very solid and good story! It still hold up to this day, and should be played by everyone.
This is a strong recommendation, this is a strong game to have on everyone's library and to appreciate how far Metal Gear has come since 1998.
One of the surprise releases of 2023, this was the first time I played the first Metroid Prime, and I'm happy to say that it's one of my favorite gaming experiences I had this year!
The sense of being alone on this planet figuring out what exactly is going on was fun from beginning to end. It's also one of the prettiest games out there on the Switch, and runs super smooth! The music and ambience fits perfectly for the colorful areas that you traverse on this lonely planet.
The isolated feeling you get from this game might make it, for me, one of the most immersive games I have ever played. So many little details can be seen if you take the time to look, and makes everything feel so real. And it doesn't feel like you're going through menus, since its all integrated on Samus' visor in some way.
It is very difficult as well. If you are not prepared for what is coming, you will get your ass kicked in one way or another. But it's very rewarding to figure out patterns and how to kill the bosses here. If i had any kind of complaint it would be the backtracking, it could be a little cumbersome if you didn't pay enough attention to certain clues that the game lays out for you, but that is only a small gripe to have.
This a game that I'll remember and I will come back to this from time to time.
The sense of being alone on this planet figuring out what exactly is going on was fun from beginning to end. It's also one of the prettiest games out there on the Switch, and runs super smooth! The music and ambience fits perfectly for the colorful areas that you traverse on this lonely planet.
The isolated feeling you get from this game might make it, for me, one of the most immersive games I have ever played. So many little details can be seen if you take the time to look, and makes everything feel so real. And it doesn't feel like you're going through menus, since its all integrated on Samus' visor in some way.
It is very difficult as well. If you are not prepared for what is coming, you will get your ass kicked in one way or another. But it's very rewarding to figure out patterns and how to kill the bosses here. If i had any kind of complaint it would be the backtracking, it could be a little cumbersome if you didn't pay enough attention to certain clues that the game lays out for you, but that is only a small gripe to have.
This a game that I'll remember and I will come back to this from time to time.
2023
When this was first announced, i Completely geeked out. I was working and listening to the direct while doing stocking, and I audibly gasped and celebrated the entire day. Months later it was finally released, and it took me to a time as a kid, of me playing these maps, battling the same monsters, and enjoying the game that i would most consider my ultimate childhood game.
First off, this is a VERY easy game. If you are familiar with RPGs, you will be very comfortable with this, and it'll be a complete cake walk. Not that it's not enjoyable at the same time, because the world is colorful and fun to play around with, and the battle system is top tier, in my opinion. Every party member has a role and they play them perfectly, and each have their own set of weapons that change how you do the timed attacks, and I love this about RPG. The simple changes that this version has has alot of milage to it, as now you can switch your party member in the middle of battle, and now you have trio attacks. those two simple changes make the game both feel easier but more fun to mess around with.
The music, my lord the music! It's one of the best soundtracks you can have in any game, in my opinion. From the overworld music, the basic battle music, and the boss battles, every melody has a certain kind of bop that i feel RPG can only do, it fits like a glove for what this game is!
The other addition this game has is post game content. Now you are able to have rematches with some of the bosses you met during your journey. Some of these can actually be difficult, and they come off more like a puzzle game, sorta reminds me of some of the bosses in Final Fantasy X. Big compliments to that!
At the end of the day, this is what I call comfort food. It's a super easy experience that feel great to play, and great and fun writing and an interesting setting. It's a must play if you enjoyed the other Mario rpgs that occurred after this. I'm happy that this is readily available for everyone to see, what a great game!
First off, this is a VERY easy game. If you are familiar with RPGs, you will be very comfortable with this, and it'll be a complete cake walk. Not that it's not enjoyable at the same time, because the world is colorful and fun to play around with, and the battle system is top tier, in my opinion. Every party member has a role and they play them perfectly, and each have their own set of weapons that change how you do the timed attacks, and I love this about RPG. The simple changes that this version has has alot of milage to it, as now you can switch your party member in the middle of battle, and now you have trio attacks. those two simple changes make the game both feel easier but more fun to mess around with.
The music, my lord the music! It's one of the best soundtracks you can have in any game, in my opinion. From the overworld music, the basic battle music, and the boss battles, every melody has a certain kind of bop that i feel RPG can only do, it fits like a glove for what this game is!
The other addition this game has is post game content. Now you are able to have rematches with some of the bosses you met during your journey. Some of these can actually be difficult, and they come off more like a puzzle game, sorta reminds me of some of the bosses in Final Fantasy X. Big compliments to that!
At the end of the day, this is what I call comfort food. It's a super easy experience that feel great to play, and great and fun writing and an interesting setting. It's a must play if you enjoyed the other Mario rpgs that occurred after this. I'm happy that this is readily available for everyone to see, what a great game!
This is the first 2D Mario in over 20 years that didn’t have the “New” moniker over it, and it feels so refreshing to see that. Not to take away from anything the New series, they were fantastic games in their own merit, but it felt like it was time to change it up and get a new representation to what a Mario platformer can really do.
And what a comeback it made. Wonder feels like an extension of platformer of yesteryear, and flips all that around to make a Mario game that feels absolutely refreshing to play. The animations for both the players and the enemies got an overhaul and it’s brimming with so much personality now. The music has a whimsical feel to it and it has some cute callbacks from time to time, the powerups feel great to use, my favorite being the drill power up. And that’s not even scratching the surface.
The biggest thing that makes this game even better are the wonder flower. Grabbing these changes the entire level to something you’ll never expect...each time. Whether it be singing piranha plants or turning it into a top view angle, it either kept me on my toes or had me feeling giddy to how silly it all felt. All of this never got old and it wanted me to play more and more.
This is roughly the same amount of length as the older games too, but that’s not a bad thing considering the levels are all fun to play and the multiplayer aspect has me wanting to replay them. You see its sorta like a dark souls multiplayer, you can see travel the same level as you, but you can communicate with them in ways that could help them, either by touching their ghost so that don’t lose a life or giving them a power up. This happens to be my favorite part of Wonder, it forces me to play the game as a support so that other can get through the game better, and I love that so much!
At the end of the day this is still a 2D Mario game, albeit a fantastic one. I don’t believe it should just be compared to the likes of Mario 3 or World. You’ll need to take the nostalgia glasses off for them and realize what you have now is what I would consider peak Mario, it deserves to be on the same pedestal as those that came before it, and I’m sure it’ll be remember for what it truly is. Wonderful!
And what a comeback it made. Wonder feels like an extension of platformer of yesteryear, and flips all that around to make a Mario game that feels absolutely refreshing to play. The animations for both the players and the enemies got an overhaul and it’s brimming with so much personality now. The music has a whimsical feel to it and it has some cute callbacks from time to time, the powerups feel great to use, my favorite being the drill power up. And that’s not even scratching the surface.
The biggest thing that makes this game even better are the wonder flower. Grabbing these changes the entire level to something you’ll never expect...each time. Whether it be singing piranha plants or turning it into a top view angle, it either kept me on my toes or had me feeling giddy to how silly it all felt. All of this never got old and it wanted me to play more and more.
This is roughly the same amount of length as the older games too, but that’s not a bad thing considering the levels are all fun to play and the multiplayer aspect has me wanting to replay them. You see its sorta like a dark souls multiplayer, you can see travel the same level as you, but you can communicate with them in ways that could help them, either by touching their ghost so that don’t lose a life or giving them a power up. This happens to be my favorite part of Wonder, it forces me to play the game as a support so that other can get through the game better, and I love that so much!
At the end of the day this is still a 2D Mario game, albeit a fantastic one. I don’t believe it should just be compared to the likes of Mario 3 or World. You’ll need to take the nostalgia glasses off for them and realize what you have now is what I would consider peak Mario, it deserves to be on the same pedestal as those that came before it, and I’m sure it’ll be remember for what it truly is. Wonderful!
2023
This was a tough one to review because in all honesty, it hits the right note on almost everything. It’s a fine RPG on a surface level but as you start to dig into it, it slowly starts to unearth itself as something that can be seen as shallow.
Which is a shame, because all of the individual aspects of the game feel and look really great. The pixel art has such style and it looks so well crafted that you want to be in there forever. The music hits all the right feelings that it wants to hit (special shout-out to the boss music!). And the battle mechanics have a fresh feel but also calls back to classics like Chrono Trigger and Mario RPG. It also has a simple plot that is easy to understand that also has its own twists and turns.
But the more I played this game, the more I started to feel discredited towards it. What looked like a game that was a pool full of great style and mechanics, quickly dissolved into a little rain puddle with no room for growth. Growth is the keyword here, because it doesn’t feel like I’m growing as a player, the leveling up and the battle system start to stagnate real fast here, and it underlines everything that this game tries to do. The dungeons, though some are fun, are very drawn out and start to drag 2/3rds of the way through them, and without any growth in between these segments, it makes the story elements really not matter much if the growth essentially stays the same for the most part.
I can appreciate some of the side quests once you really start the game and the lively characters you can recruit, but you eventually hit a wall knowing you will go through fight after fight but doing the same thing...over and over. It feels like the freedom of growth has been taken away, or maybe I’m too used to games like Persona and Xenoblade giving me tons of freedom of role playing how I personally like to role play.
With all this said, I had to drop this game, unfortunately. And it’s not something I can easily recommend to someone. There is a lot to like here, but without growth, stagnation appears.
Which is a shame, because all of the individual aspects of the game feel and look really great. The pixel art has such style and it looks so well crafted that you want to be in there forever. The music hits all the right feelings that it wants to hit (special shout-out to the boss music!). And the battle mechanics have a fresh feel but also calls back to classics like Chrono Trigger and Mario RPG. It also has a simple plot that is easy to understand that also has its own twists and turns.
But the more I played this game, the more I started to feel discredited towards it. What looked like a game that was a pool full of great style and mechanics, quickly dissolved into a little rain puddle with no room for growth. Growth is the keyword here, because it doesn’t feel like I’m growing as a player, the leveling up and the battle system start to stagnate real fast here, and it underlines everything that this game tries to do. The dungeons, though some are fun, are very drawn out and start to drag 2/3rds of the way through them, and without any growth in between these segments, it makes the story elements really not matter much if the growth essentially stays the same for the most part.
I can appreciate some of the side quests once you really start the game and the lively characters you can recruit, but you eventually hit a wall knowing you will go through fight after fight but doing the same thing...over and over. It feels like the freedom of growth has been taken away, or maybe I’m too used to games like Persona and Xenoblade giving me tons of freedom of role playing how I personally like to role play.
With all this said, I had to drop this game, unfortunately. And it’s not something I can easily recommend to someone. There is a lot to like here, but without growth, stagnation appears.
2023
IMO, its the weaker of the pesonas I've played. It has some good values though, it has a good story and I enjoyed the gameplay for the most part. The thing that drags this down a peg or two are the characters, both the party and the confidants. They just aren't that interesting or compelling...and some are just flat out weird. It'll be shelved for now to make room for other games I'm interested in, but I definitely will come back to this to give more of a proper opinion on it.
1986
One of the greatest NES games of all time! Playing this back in the day as a kid with the manual in front of you making a map of all the secrets was always a great memory for me! It has a great challenge to it and the dungeons were always fun to explore! Always loved coming back to this every few years on the Switch now!
2019
It's one of the greatest RPG that has been made, in my opinion. The gameplay loop, the characters, the plot and it's overall charm are all tied up together so well that it ended up almost being perfect in my eyes.
The style in both the UI and the game itself need to be commended. The UI is so snappy as well as integral to everything with both the gameplay and story. It makes looking through stats and confidants so more fun. The battle's UI is also intuitive and not complicated, and all the information is all there for you to see. The anime style of the graphics are presented well and mixes perfectly with the UI.
The music is fantastic, there's so many earworms that dig into your mind. The casino is a banger, so is all of the battle music, and the nighttime jams are all so catchy and matches the mood they were going for. Mix this with everything i said before and it makes for a firework show full of style, and it's very welcoming.
The main cast are smartly written and well liked. The inclusion of the new cast for Royal blends in very well with the OG crew. Getting to see all the confidants unfold and see all of their issues resolve in a meaningful way was also a treat! I would probably say that this is my favorite cast in any RPG!
All of the boss fights were also (mostly) excellent and each one tries to do something a little different from the other and makes for a good surprise each time as well, and the royale content is also thought provoking in what happens during that whole thing.
Overall what drive's the game home to being one of the best is it's overall charm, and that charm ties together in all aspects, making it unforgettable. It deserves all the accolades and gets my highest recommendation!
The style in both the UI and the game itself need to be commended. The UI is so snappy as well as integral to everything with both the gameplay and story. It makes looking through stats and confidants so more fun. The battle's UI is also intuitive and not complicated, and all the information is all there for you to see. The anime style of the graphics are presented well and mixes perfectly with the UI.
The music is fantastic, there's so many earworms that dig into your mind. The casino is a banger, so is all of the battle music, and the nighttime jams are all so catchy and matches the mood they were going for. Mix this with everything i said before and it makes for a firework show full of style, and it's very welcoming.
The main cast are smartly written and well liked. The inclusion of the new cast for Royal blends in very well with the OG crew. Getting to see all the confidants unfold and see all of their issues resolve in a meaningful way was also a treat! I would probably say that this is my favorite cast in any RPG!
All of the boss fights were also (mostly) excellent and each one tries to do something a little different from the other and makes for a good surprise each time as well, and the royale content is also thought provoking in what happens during that whole thing.
Overall what drive's the game home to being one of the best is it's overall charm, and that charm ties together in all aspects, making it unforgettable. It deserves all the accolades and gets my highest recommendation!
1990
One of the all time greats, it took everything that worked in Super Mario Bros. 3 and extended it more and expanded upon it.
Its sprite work and music still hold up in the modern era and are easily recognizable till this day. All the songs have a certain bop that can easily stay with you for years to come, like for me!
Though...this game has an unfair advantage to every game out there, because of the memories I hold dear with me. I used to play this game with my dad when i was very little and it was a blast. He had a save file on there that had a star on it, and I never knew how he had that one there when I couldn't get one after I beat the game, even after seeing the star world for myself. That mystery stayed with me for years until i saw a single level at a bridge that had an alternate exit that i never knew of.
On top of that, this game holds the single most important memory that will stay near and dear to me, and it's the reason why i stick with Nintendo and play Mario to this day.
Whether it's to speedrun it or going for the 100%, this game will always be special to me, and I'll play it every single year...it's the game that made me love all gaming!
Its sprite work and music still hold up in the modern era and are easily recognizable till this day. All the songs have a certain bop that can easily stay with you for years to come, like for me!
Though...this game has an unfair advantage to every game out there, because of the memories I hold dear with me. I used to play this game with my dad when i was very little and it was a blast. He had a save file on there that had a star on it, and I never knew how he had that one there when I couldn't get one after I beat the game, even after seeing the star world for myself. That mystery stayed with me for years until i saw a single level at a bridge that had an alternate exit that i never knew of.
On top of that, this game holds the single most important memory that will stay near and dear to me, and it's the reason why i stick with Nintendo and play Mario to this day.
Whether it's to speedrun it or going for the 100%, this game will always be special to me, and I'll play it every single year...it's the game that made me love all gaming!