Vladeta
52 Reviews liked by Vladeta
It took only 4 years of convincing for me to start playing this game and now I can't shut up about it honestly....it's just THAT cool and awesome!!! As an enjoyer of puns, I absolutely adore Geralt because he is an absolute pun machine and he delivers them in such a dry way that I always laugh about it...the best man ever, especially when I can punch everyone that disrespects women WHICH I DID BTW!!! Therefore, I'm super happy about these parts.
The most obvious part which impressed me is the story, I mean the storytelling is honestly insane with so many details about each and every quest, side quest and minor optional quest which you can accidentally come across! Once I did a super minor quest about chicken stealing (I know) and came back afterwards to see if the way I solved it had any consequences, AND IT DID. I never thought that so much effort would be put into such minor characters, and it really made me happy that I had that kind of effect in the story...Every quest was more or less memorable for me as it had a story of its own and it helped with understanding of the world we are exploring and about the diverse problem every region has. The Easter eggs are super funny as it has something from Kill Bill, Fight club and Twillight which were extremely funny and if you're playing read all the books and letters because they serve as an excellent intel and can be really funny at times. The main story is out of this world, and I teared up several times...
With all this said I also loved that we always had a choice in everything we did, but the part that stayed with me is that there weren't "good or bad" choices because nothing is black and white, but mostly you had to choose a "good" choice which is actually a lesser evil without knowing about it with Geralt saying that evil is evil and "If I'm to choose between one evil and another, I'd rather not choose at all".
Characters are also very well written, and everyone is interesting in their own way so you get to discover all the layers and grey areas which they have throughout the game which I will stay silent about for now...but Yennefer is THE mother and girlboss ever and Yen and Geralt just belong together I don't make the rules. I read some comments about Yen being bitchy but honestly? I don't see it. She is just strong willed and knows what she wants, likes and what is sometimes cruel but necessary so if you don't like women with a strong character and an existing personality of course you'll think she is only bitchy. This is only one character among so many of them so....find out about their awesomeness on your own because if I don't stop now, I'll write a novel instead of a review ig.
WITH THAT SAID I was completely mesmerized by this and so many other aspects of this game as for the enemies, fights, music, Gwent etc. and I will always recommend this game because it really is 5-star worthy and it can be so well adjusted to every kind of gameplay whether you're here for the story, combat or both it can be well adjusted and tailored for your wishes specifically so yes! That is how the game won me over ( •̀ ω •́ )✧
The most obvious part which impressed me is the story, I mean the storytelling is honestly insane with so many details about each and every quest, side quest and minor optional quest which you can accidentally come across! Once I did a super minor quest about chicken stealing (I know) and came back afterwards to see if the way I solved it had any consequences, AND IT DID. I never thought that so much effort would be put into such minor characters, and it really made me happy that I had that kind of effect in the story...Every quest was more or less memorable for me as it had a story of its own and it helped with understanding of the world we are exploring and about the diverse problem every region has. The Easter eggs are super funny as it has something from Kill Bill, Fight club and Twillight which were extremely funny and if you're playing read all the books and letters because they serve as an excellent intel and can be really funny at times. The main story is out of this world, and I teared up several times...
With all this said I also loved that we always had a choice in everything we did, but the part that stayed with me is that there weren't "good or bad" choices because nothing is black and white, but mostly you had to choose a "good" choice which is actually a lesser evil without knowing about it with Geralt saying that evil is evil and "If I'm to choose between one evil and another, I'd rather not choose at all".
Characters are also very well written, and everyone is interesting in their own way so you get to discover all the layers and grey areas which they have throughout the game which I will stay silent about for now...but Yennefer is THE mother and girlboss ever and Yen and Geralt just belong together I don't make the rules. I read some comments about Yen being bitchy but honestly? I don't see it. She is just strong willed and knows what she wants, likes and what is sometimes cruel but necessary so if you don't like women with a strong character and an existing personality of course you'll think she is only bitchy. This is only one character among so many of them so....find out about their awesomeness on your own because if I don't stop now, I'll write a novel instead of a review ig.
WITH THAT SAID I was completely mesmerized by this and so many other aspects of this game as for the enemies, fights, music, Gwent etc. and I will always recommend this game because it really is 5-star worthy and it can be so well adjusted to every kind of gameplay whether you're here for the story, combat or both it can be well adjusted and tailored for your wishes specifically so yes! That is how the game won me over ( •̀ ω •́ )✧
This review contains spoilers
as per usual, when i play a game that is almost perfect to me, a game that leaves me speechless, crying and wanting to spend more time with the cast and the whole atmosphere, i let my thoughts ruminate for a day or two and then i decide to write up said thoughts here. but with such an ambitious game and farewell to our beloved dragon of dojima, it really is hard to be coherent and straight to the point, the thoughts are just wilding.
anyways; i will be frank with the 'bad' parts first. i say 'bad' but they didn't really hinder nor change my overall opinion of the game, but it needs to be said.
-it is an ambitious game. rgg team tried to pack as much content in this game, be it minigames or side stories but also the main plot. i didn't mind the side stories at all, in fact, that was my favourite part of the game since bonding with the gang and just seeing their journey and growth is everything to me.
yes, the main plot. it got overwhelming after the half point and by the end of the game i honestly didn't care about the main antagonists, they were just cartoonishly evil and a bit flat. i liked ebina maybe a bit more than bryce but they're both pretty flat and playing gaiden before this, gaiden final boss solos IW final bosses.
-hanawa. hanawawawawa my heart hurts, it's evident that they wrote hanawa in gaiden after they finished iw and it's just sad how wasted his potential is. i was really sad and lowkey petty over it but alas.
-i may have wanted a bit of a better haruka and kiryu reunion but i will pretend that this thing they done in the game hits harder and is more poetic, whatever
now for the positives. which are. almost infinite HAHA.
first of all. i will say that i absolutely adore ichiban and i will stand my ground by saying that i enjoyed him more than 1-7 kiryu. IW kiryu will have a paragraph dedicated just to him. ichiban's whole story and kindness and never giving up even when there's no hope AND FORGIVENESS OVER ALL literally made me ugly cry and sob, it just spoke to me, he is so human and his kindness saved his whole party and gave them inspiration to go on with their lives when they thought there is no way out. i absolutely adore chitose and tomizawa, their whole dynamic with ichi is so organic and natural and fun and genuine and i could play 5 more games with just them in it. the drink links and learning in every corner of the city more and more things about them and their habits was so good and made me feel connected to the characters.
i admit that ichi's story was rushed somewhat because i feel kiryu was once again given the spotlight, which i will forgive considering his circumstances, even though i wish some things were maybe a bit more explored.
-ichi and the LAD gang are also so so so good i missed them so much. i love how seonhee and joongi got more screentime and trivia and just fun stuff about them because i loved them so much in LAD. i am though a bit shifty when it comes to saeko, i liked her more in LAD, they kinda fumbled her character but. whatever. seonhee forever.
-YAMAI????? i didn't expect at all to love him as much as i am now, he was truly a delight to see and hear and his whole arc is so appealing, esp his past and ties with tomizawa, 10/10 for me.
-as for the kiryu's side of the story, first of all i am glad to see emotional kiryu and kiryu who is relying on other people and learning that people love and appreciate him, not hate or curse him for coming into their lives. i also need to mention date, who is honestly kiryu's best man, friend, companion, the way he went to such lengths to convince kiryu that HE IS IMPORTANT TO OTHERS, OTHERS LOVE HIM. just brings tears to my eyes.
-kiryu's dynamic with ichi's gang is awesome, if anything i think IW nailed the character relationships because they're so human and belivable and AAA love it so much.
-i have nothing more to say tbh just wanted for kiryu to get a bit more closure than we got in the game, but i can hope we'll get that in the new entry eventually, where kiryu won't be a protagonist, just a cameo character.
i could talk about this game so so much more but here are so me of my thoughts. i will play it more, still, need to finish some dungeons and just fool around some more because i am not ready to say goodbye yet.
until rgg 9, bon voyage!
anyways; i will be frank with the 'bad' parts first. i say 'bad' but they didn't really hinder nor change my overall opinion of the game, but it needs to be said.
-it is an ambitious game. rgg team tried to pack as much content in this game, be it minigames or side stories but also the main plot. i didn't mind the side stories at all, in fact, that was my favourite part of the game since bonding with the gang and just seeing their journey and growth is everything to me.
yes, the main plot. it got overwhelming after the half point and by the end of the game i honestly didn't care about the main antagonists, they were just cartoonishly evil and a bit flat. i liked ebina maybe a bit more than bryce but they're both pretty flat and playing gaiden before this, gaiden final boss solos IW final bosses.
-hanawa. hanawawawawa my heart hurts, it's evident that they wrote hanawa in gaiden after they finished iw and it's just sad how wasted his potential is. i was really sad and lowkey petty over it but alas.
-i may have wanted a bit of a better haruka and kiryu reunion but i will pretend that this thing they done in the game hits harder and is more poetic, whatever
now for the positives. which are. almost infinite HAHA.
first of all. i will say that i absolutely adore ichiban and i will stand my ground by saying that i enjoyed him more than 1-7 kiryu. IW kiryu will have a paragraph dedicated just to him. ichiban's whole story and kindness and never giving up even when there's no hope AND FORGIVENESS OVER ALL literally made me ugly cry and sob, it just spoke to me, he is so human and his kindness saved his whole party and gave them inspiration to go on with their lives when they thought there is no way out. i absolutely adore chitose and tomizawa, their whole dynamic with ichi is so organic and natural and fun and genuine and i could play 5 more games with just them in it. the drink links and learning in every corner of the city more and more things about them and their habits was so good and made me feel connected to the characters.
i admit that ichi's story was rushed somewhat because i feel kiryu was once again given the spotlight, which i will forgive considering his circumstances, even though i wish some things were maybe a bit more explored.
-ichi and the LAD gang are also so so so good i missed them so much. i love how seonhee and joongi got more screentime and trivia and just fun stuff about them because i loved them so much in LAD. i am though a bit shifty when it comes to saeko, i liked her more in LAD, they kinda fumbled her character but. whatever. seonhee forever.
-YAMAI????? i didn't expect at all to love him as much as i am now, he was truly a delight to see and hear and his whole arc is so appealing, esp his past and ties with tomizawa, 10/10 for me.
-as for the kiryu's side of the story, first of all i am glad to see emotional kiryu and kiryu who is relying on other people and learning that people love and appreciate him, not hate or curse him for coming into their lives. i also need to mention date, who is honestly kiryu's best man, friend, companion, the way he went to such lengths to convince kiryu that HE IS IMPORTANT TO OTHERS, OTHERS LOVE HIM. just brings tears to my eyes.
-kiryu's dynamic with ichi's gang is awesome, if anything i think IW nailed the character relationships because they're so human and belivable and AAA love it so much.
-i have nothing more to say tbh just wanted for kiryu to get a bit more closure than we got in the game, but i can hope we'll get that in the new entry eventually, where kiryu won't be a protagonist, just a cameo character.
i could talk about this game so so much more but here are so me of my thoughts. i will play it more, still, need to finish some dungeons and just fool around some more because i am not ready to say goodbye yet.
until rgg 9, bon voyage!
This happened to my buddy Eric
I was held at gun point to play this game,still interesting tho
Despite alerting almost constantly and killing over 100 enemies, this was a masterclass of a game. This story really made me cry, and feel pure emotion. Despite the remake being made by Konami, I am interested to see how that plans out.
It was pretty fun and big (that's what she said) but jokes aside I enjoyed the game!!! I am very happy with the house I chose and I felt really glad when I could see how the characters are progressing throughout the game. As for the characters...there are so many of them I'm sad that I couldn't get to know more about some of them but that's okay since I've got to know SO many more.
Story was nice although some things moved very fast and some things fell flat....thankfully there was the gameplay which pulled through. But if we ignore that it was a very fun experience!!
Story was nice although some things moved very fast and some things fell flat....thankfully there was the gameplay which pulled through. But if we ignore that it was a very fun experience!!
The Cub
2024
The game was very short with an interesting story with platforming mechanics that left me underwhelmed. Now I've never played any of the previous Demagog Studio games, and that lack of experience may have effected my view of this game. The music made for the game wasn't bad, some of the songs were much better than others, and some were very bizarre... I missed a couple achievements but collected everything in one short playthrough.
You can view my entire review here: https://youtu.be/BlqpNqFOnR4
You can view my entire review here: https://youtu.be/BlqpNqFOnR4
Alan Wake II
2023
wow... just wow, what can I say... this game is truly a masterpiece. when it comes to alan wake 2's predecessor, the narrative was really good and interesting, while it lacked in gameplay, it made up with the story, but this game? truly checks all the boxes.
the story may get a bit too meta, bordering on pretentious, but i think it's a part of aw2's charm! the presentation, the visuals, the whole atmosphere and soundtrack is nothing less than superb, you can see this is truly a product of love and hard work and i'm so glad sam lake accomplished this, i just remember how happy he looked at the game awards :')
i liked both protagonists, maybe liked saga a bit more than alan, her story was really interesting and i enjoyed playing her chapters more than alan's, maybe because i already am familiar with alan so saga came as a breath of fresh air. the whole cast around her is so good and i enjoyed exploring her chapters very much!
as for alan's part of the story, probably the most memorable thing is the musical part. i just couldn't help but grin the whole duration of it, it was wonderful. also the scary parts of the game were so well done, rarely i get spooked by fictional horror but this just hit the spot.
truly a game worthy of a goty contender. very glad my friend recommended me this game, it surely will have a place in my top 10 games!
the story may get a bit too meta, bordering on pretentious, but i think it's a part of aw2's charm! the presentation, the visuals, the whole atmosphere and soundtrack is nothing less than superb, you can see this is truly a product of love and hard work and i'm so glad sam lake accomplished this, i just remember how happy he looked at the game awards :')
i liked both protagonists, maybe liked saga a bit more than alan, her story was really interesting and i enjoyed playing her chapters more than alan's, maybe because i already am familiar with alan so saga came as a breath of fresh air. the whole cast around her is so good and i enjoyed exploring her chapters very much!
as for alan's part of the story, probably the most memorable thing is the musical part. i just couldn't help but grin the whole duration of it, it was wonderful. also the scary parts of the game were so well done, rarely i get spooked by fictional horror but this just hit the spot.
truly a game worthy of a goty contender. very glad my friend recommended me this game, it surely will have a place in my top 10 games!
The Cub
2024
The old version of the demo made me cautiously optimistic while noticing some issues with the platforming. The new version of the demo improved on some aspects and I was ready to get the game day one but the reports of 2-3 hours of content discouraged me. The price of €15 seemed like too much based on that. Then the game released with a 33% discount and there was a bigger discount if you own Golf Club Nostalgia for a total of 46% off. I decided to get the game for €8 and I can definitely say it was worth it for that price.
Saying the game is a platformer is not really accurate. While platforming is definitely part of the game, there are also a lot of chase sections, other sections that add variety, there are a lot of collectibles, there is also a strong focus on fleshing out the story with lore and cutscenes between every chapter. Platforming might be the weakest aspect of the entire package because you need to get used to certain quirks of the controls and the game requires you to deal with some sections one way only despite there being multiple ways. For instance, the game has issues with grabbing poles when you jump between them. Even though you have normal jump and high jump, thus allowing you to adjust your position, the game doesn’t always like that. There have been instances where I adjusted my jumps and I should be grabbing a pole but I still miss. It’s preferred you either use normal jump or high jump once depending on the distance between the poles. Once you figure this out, the game becomes enjoyable to control. It’s not a fluid platformer like other games focused on platforming and this is something to keep in mind.
The game focuses on variety, atmosphere and telling a story through various means instead. The visuals and sound work together to successfully and uniquely get you invested. Seeing ruined buildings with details tells you a lot and the cutscenes are very effective and beautifully done despite the simplicity. The boy you control narrates the cutscenes very nicely and the host of the radio you listen to while playing is very soothing to the ears. The radio is not just there to flesh out the world but the radio also comments directly to what’s happening with the story as it develops and it’s quite brilliant. Then you have the collectibles. You can collect A LOT even though some of it is optional (not required for the achievements). You can find 22 books, 22 newspapers, 15 holo messages, 11 videos, 11 burps (food), 7 luxury items and 8 bears you can hug. The newspapers and books don’t have actual text, you mostly read the headlines with images to set the tone of the world. Those collectibles are already a lot for a longer game. So you can imagine where the focus lies when the game took me 3 hours on my first extensive run with only missing 4 collectibles and 3 achievements. Almost every collectible is easy to find. They’re not there to frustrate you but they’re there to enhance the story. You can check most of the collectibles found through the settings menu and the game also has chapter select right from the start. There are 8 chapters and a prologue.
It makes sense why the game is this short and costs this much. The 3 hours are not much but the presentation and almost everything around it is of very high quality. The game has lots of animations and the music within the radio seems to be done by actual bands/singers. The songs are also extremely good. It was such an enjoyable journey that I went back to complete it a second time straight away without rushing things even after I got all the achievements. I ended up playing the game for 7 hours. The Cub makes me want to play Golf Club Nostalgia asap because I want to see more of this world. Getting the game purely for the gameplay and content might not be a smart idea. But the game is worth getting if you like what you’re reading. €15 might be too much unless money is a non issue to you. Less than €10 is safer despite me fully understanding where the budget went and why it costs €15.
Saying the game is a platformer is not really accurate. While platforming is definitely part of the game, there are also a lot of chase sections, other sections that add variety, there are a lot of collectibles, there is also a strong focus on fleshing out the story with lore and cutscenes between every chapter. Platforming might be the weakest aspect of the entire package because you need to get used to certain quirks of the controls and the game requires you to deal with some sections one way only despite there being multiple ways. For instance, the game has issues with grabbing poles when you jump between them. Even though you have normal jump and high jump, thus allowing you to adjust your position, the game doesn’t always like that. There have been instances where I adjusted my jumps and I should be grabbing a pole but I still miss. It’s preferred you either use normal jump or high jump once depending on the distance between the poles. Once you figure this out, the game becomes enjoyable to control. It’s not a fluid platformer like other games focused on platforming and this is something to keep in mind.
The game focuses on variety, atmosphere and telling a story through various means instead. The visuals and sound work together to successfully and uniquely get you invested. Seeing ruined buildings with details tells you a lot and the cutscenes are very effective and beautifully done despite the simplicity. The boy you control narrates the cutscenes very nicely and the host of the radio you listen to while playing is very soothing to the ears. The radio is not just there to flesh out the world but the radio also comments directly to what’s happening with the story as it develops and it’s quite brilliant. Then you have the collectibles. You can collect A LOT even though some of it is optional (not required for the achievements). You can find 22 books, 22 newspapers, 15 holo messages, 11 videos, 11 burps (food), 7 luxury items and 8 bears you can hug. The newspapers and books don’t have actual text, you mostly read the headlines with images to set the tone of the world. Those collectibles are already a lot for a longer game. So you can imagine where the focus lies when the game took me 3 hours on my first extensive run with only missing 4 collectibles and 3 achievements. Almost every collectible is easy to find. They’re not there to frustrate you but they’re there to enhance the story. You can check most of the collectibles found through the settings menu and the game also has chapter select right from the start. There are 8 chapters and a prologue.
It makes sense why the game is this short and costs this much. The 3 hours are not much but the presentation and almost everything around it is of very high quality. The game has lots of animations and the music within the radio seems to be done by actual bands/singers. The songs are also extremely good. It was such an enjoyable journey that I went back to complete it a second time straight away without rushing things even after I got all the achievements. I ended up playing the game for 7 hours. The Cub makes me want to play Golf Club Nostalgia asap because I want to see more of this world. Getting the game purely for the gameplay and content might not be a smart idea. But the game is worth getting if you like what you’re reading. €15 might be too much unless money is a non issue to you. Less than €10 is safer despite me fully understanding where the budget went and why it costs €15.
finished the game yesterday but i needed to have a whole day to just process and soak in all the emotions this game gave me. yakuza gaiden truly got to be one of my favourite yakuza entries, it has everything. i've been thinking really hard if there's something about this game i disliked or had some issues with but no - everything was simply perfect.
i was a bit skeptic about handling the story in a much shorter running time (compared to other yakuza games) and how is this entry gonna mesh into the timeline, but the rgg team proved themselves capable of that feat.
the cast is simply charming, i loved akame and tsuruno the most and i hope they'll show up once more, they were delightful. other familiar faces were also a sight to see and the flashbacks to Y7 were so good, i had a smile on my face the whole time. the tie in into 7 and 8 was done so smoothly, i was utterly impressed.
as for the gameplay / combat i can really say this game perfected it, it was so so so much fun and none of the battles felt tedious. the final boss fight was AMAZING and memorable unlike some yakuza final bosses so i was simply left impressed. loved dressing up kiryu and having a blast with the side content.
the ending left me an emotional wreck, i just want kiryu to have a happy ending after everything he went through. the ending also gave us a lot to think about and i hope infinite wealth will answer us these questions. off to IW i hope soon, can't wait. <3
i was a bit skeptic about handling the story in a much shorter running time (compared to other yakuza games) and how is this entry gonna mesh into the timeline, but the rgg team proved themselves capable of that feat.
the cast is simply charming, i loved akame and tsuruno the most and i hope they'll show up once more, they were delightful. other familiar faces were also a sight to see and the flashbacks to Y7 were so good, i had a smile on my face the whole time. the tie in into 7 and 8 was done so smoothly, i was utterly impressed.
as for the gameplay / combat i can really say this game perfected it, it was so so so much fun and none of the battles felt tedious. the final boss fight was AMAZING and memorable unlike some yakuza final bosses so i was simply left impressed. loved dressing up kiryu and having a blast with the side content.
the ending left me an emotional wreck, i just want kiryu to have a happy ending after everything he went through. the ending also gave us a lot to think about and i hope infinite wealth will answer us these questions. off to IW i hope soon, can't wait. <3
The Cub
2024
It's not bad but to say its good is being a little generous. I think the radio in this game totally carries and tbh the story goes in some interesting places. It's very much a run away from the enemy/avoid traps style of platforming. The one hit death can be a pain at times. This is a podcast game where they built the podcast INTO the game. Def heavy handed at times (perhaps knowingly so?) but a fun anti-capitalist pro-environment message.
The Cub
2024
Un Platformer simple et court qui mise beaucoup sur son ambiance post-apo et son commentaire social concernant l'état actuel de la planète Terre.
Il peut être parfois janky, mais overall j'ai bien apprécié!
Il peut être parfois janky, mais overall j'ai bien apprécié!
The Cub
2024
Good run away from enemy type of platformer. Felt that it could of been longer, would love to see this world more expanded though.
Shin Megami Tensei V
2021
this is probably my favourite shin megami tensei game. i know this is a pretty hot take and understandably so, even tho the characters except v-kun and aogami were not enough explored...honestly? i didn't really care for the others... maybe except for nuwa and yakumo, where i really wish their backstories were explored more, but i digress.
the atmosphere is amazing and the combat is super fun! it could easily be a 5* game imo if the dungeons were more memorable and less tedious. as for the endings, the true ending was absolutely perfect and a fitting conclusion. also i love aogami so much best smt character. that's that. took me waaaaay too long to get my hands on this game and to finish it but all in all a very fun and pretty ride!
the atmosphere is amazing and the combat is super fun! it could easily be a 5* game imo if the dungeons were more memorable and less tedious. as for the endings, the true ending was absolutely perfect and a fitting conclusion. also i love aogami so much best smt character. that's that. took me waaaaay too long to get my hands on this game and to finish it but all in all a very fun and pretty ride!
This review contains spoilers
After years and years of begging for a new 2D style other than the "New Super" series, we finally got a game which has dazzled me and made me feel... wonderful. This will be a very long review just like my review on 'The Quarry', with of course a TLDR pros and cons list at the bottom.
Super Mario Bros. Wonder (Which I'll referer to as 'wonder' throughout this review) is a dazzling new installment in the mainline Mario games, and it delivered all my needs and cram packed them into this game. It gave us an incredibly refreshing artstyle bursting out at the player, ready for you to take it all in. The effects from the wonder flower are dazzing with lots of colours and effects which spring grasps the players attention. The landscapes are a common occourance throughout Mario games (Desert, winter, beach, etc.), and eventhough they were common, I feel they rennovated the old styles and gave a more positive look to each world, paying attention to each detail and allowing the player to explore these areas by moving around each area with different levels.
Another positive I can confidently say is that the new powerups, the wonder flower and badges were great additions to this game. The power up and badges are great because you can swap them out to mix and match to your situation. Whether you need to grab a coin which is too high, or perhaps beat someone in a race with a dash badge, wonder has you covered! It's one of my main things that I love about the game. The ability to pick how you play. To specifically talk about the wonder flower... Eventhough it felt like you were on LSD, it brought you into a new world, where mario, the world and the challenge shapeshifts. It keeps you quick on your toes, or maybe makes you take your time, it's such a mixed bag, and that's what I love about it.
The talking flowers.. My goodness.. the flowers.. I. LOVED. THEM! They have caused some controversy for being annoying, but I just can't understand it. There's only a couple in each level, and the point of it is to spur you on and leave some witty remarks for your journey. Nintendo took a part which was boring and spiced it up. If you're a grump though, there's a setting to turn it off, if you're so enraged. My only weakness with them is the voiced dialogue is just from the same person. Why not have female talking flowers? Maybe older or younger flowers? It didn't really make sense to just have one voice to me personally.
Music? It was amazing, but you already knew that, it's a Mario game, adds the charm. Not really much to say on that front other than it was super catchy, especially the final boss.
The level design was quite simple at times, but again, that's the point of Nintendo to cater to everyone. However, some levels were actually extremely challenging for me, and I have lost countless lives on a couple of challenges, it ramps up the difficulty for a hardcore player. I would imagine they are made a lot easier with the Yoshi/Nabbit characters, but then again, I do believe every single level is beatable by anyone. If you have online mode, it's pretty much impossible to completely mess up a level so bad you can't complete it. The standee feature is very useful, and you can be revived anywhere... Speaking of online..
I'm very surprised to say, the online actually works flawlessly. After spending some time in and out of friend rooms, the connection holds up well, as players are just ghosts, and not actual players in your game. The fact that you cannot troll (eventhough it's funny sometimes), makes it a smooth time, and you can even help people find coins or wonder flowers. If you're in a friend lobby, you can actually teleport to other people's worlds, help them out or just follow them if you want. Eventhough only 4 people can be in a level at a time, this drawback was needed. It could potentially get too chaotic, I feel. Another neat feature is if someone is further ahead of you story wise, you won't be spoiled on locations or levels. A small but neat touch, I'll say.
Let's address the elephant in the room (hah.), Mario's new voice. Believe it or not, Daisy has a new voice too. With Mario, his voice is so iconic from the past with Charles Marinet, that to me it was sometimes quite clear to me the difference between Kevin Afghani. Eventhough I'm absolutely devastated on Marinet's departure, Afghani really blew it out of the water. He matched mario's goofy charm, and I have no issues with the torch being passed down onto him. Over time he will improve, and I'm fairly certain he will be as good as Marinet is!
My final postive I want to speak about is the character selection. It's Daisy's first mainline game and to see her get included is really a highlight a lot of people are missing out on, it's great! I also like how they have catered to people who are not looking for a challenge, and just want to play casually with the Yoshis and Nabbit characters, it makes the game inclusive for everyone.
Now for my drawbacks, I would say this is honestly not a game I would recommend for newcomers. It can be extremely daunting with all the powerups, barrage of new enemies and with the wonder flower, the effects with sometimes the change of how Mario works can be a bit startling at first. For mega mario fans though? I would honestly say the complete opposite. For someone who has grown up with Mario for years and years, it proved no challenge for me to get used to the changes, so I would really recommend anyone who's played a couple of previous 2D mario games to give this one a shot.
Another thing I dislike about this game is the fact that you cannot swap badges mid level. For example, let's say you have a badge which makes you dash faster, but you see a high platform you want to get to but can't because you don't have a badge which makes you jump higher, you're pretty much screwed, have to finish the level, equip the badge and then have to play the level all over again. Or just die, but that costs a life..and is pretty much inconveniant.
This is small, but petty. I really wish we could have mutliple saves. I really don't wanna make another user just to be able to replay the entire story again, it kinda defeats the purpose for me. Yeah, sure, I can jump into levels with a different character, but it doesn't really feel the same for me.
[SPOILERS START!!!]
And now, for the biggest thing that really bums me about this game... It does go into spoiler terratory which I can't really help, but here goes... Why is every single boss Bowser Jr.?! Why!? I really really feel like they could have gotten so creative with different bosses.. Maybe even the koopalings, or just.. well.. anything else! The boss fights themselves were really great, with Bowser Jr being able to turn everything upside down with the wonder power. Eventhough the level design was so amazing, it just really lacked that it just felt like a repeat, but with extra steps. There was so much potential.
[SPOILERS END]
For now, I think that's all I want to get out there about this game. I imagine I will probably edit this with more thoughts as time goes on, but I've wrapped everything up. Is it worth full price? To me, yes. As a mega fan of mario, I paid £63 for the mega bundle and I believe its worth every penny to me. To someone who casually likes Mario, or doesn't really play Mario games? Probably not. I find that there's a lot of replayability with this game, from grabbing things with different power ups, to helping other people out, to just simply replaying levels. The content is there. I'm currently working on my 100% and plan to play it a couple more times after that to help people out or just simply indulge myself in a new mainline mario game. I thank you for reading my extremely long review for this game... I shall now pass out! :D
[TLDR]
Pros:
- Amazing artstyle
- Loved new power ups, wonder flower effect, badges
- Talking flowers were charmful
- Smashing music & level design
- Online is flawless
- New VAs great, will need time to get used to
- Character selection is fantastic
Cons:
- Would not recommend to newcomers of mario games
- Cannot swap badges partway through level
- Wish we could have multiple save slots
- Repeat foe for bosses, my major drawback
Edit: I have now 100%ed the game. Finished that on the 23rd of October. The final final level is absolutely brutual.
Super Mario Bros. Wonder (Which I'll referer to as 'wonder' throughout this review) is a dazzling new installment in the mainline Mario games, and it delivered all my needs and cram packed them into this game. It gave us an incredibly refreshing artstyle bursting out at the player, ready for you to take it all in. The effects from the wonder flower are dazzing with lots of colours and effects which spring grasps the players attention. The landscapes are a common occourance throughout Mario games (Desert, winter, beach, etc.), and eventhough they were common, I feel they rennovated the old styles and gave a more positive look to each world, paying attention to each detail and allowing the player to explore these areas by moving around each area with different levels.
Another positive I can confidently say is that the new powerups, the wonder flower and badges were great additions to this game. The power up and badges are great because you can swap them out to mix and match to your situation. Whether you need to grab a coin which is too high, or perhaps beat someone in a race with a dash badge, wonder has you covered! It's one of my main things that I love about the game. The ability to pick how you play. To specifically talk about the wonder flower... Eventhough it felt like you were on LSD, it brought you into a new world, where mario, the world and the challenge shapeshifts. It keeps you quick on your toes, or maybe makes you take your time, it's such a mixed bag, and that's what I love about it.
The talking flowers.. My goodness.. the flowers.. I. LOVED. THEM! They have caused some controversy for being annoying, but I just can't understand it. There's only a couple in each level, and the point of it is to spur you on and leave some witty remarks for your journey. Nintendo took a part which was boring and spiced it up. If you're a grump though, there's a setting to turn it off, if you're so enraged. My only weakness with them is the voiced dialogue is just from the same person. Why not have female talking flowers? Maybe older or younger flowers? It didn't really make sense to just have one voice to me personally.
Music? It was amazing, but you already knew that, it's a Mario game, adds the charm. Not really much to say on that front other than it was super catchy, especially the final boss.
The level design was quite simple at times, but again, that's the point of Nintendo to cater to everyone. However, some levels were actually extremely challenging for me, and I have lost countless lives on a couple of challenges, it ramps up the difficulty for a hardcore player. I would imagine they are made a lot easier with the Yoshi/Nabbit characters, but then again, I do believe every single level is beatable by anyone. If you have online mode, it's pretty much impossible to completely mess up a level so bad you can't complete it. The standee feature is very useful, and you can be revived anywhere... Speaking of online..
I'm very surprised to say, the online actually works flawlessly. After spending some time in and out of friend rooms, the connection holds up well, as players are just ghosts, and not actual players in your game. The fact that you cannot troll (eventhough it's funny sometimes), makes it a smooth time, and you can even help people find coins or wonder flowers. If you're in a friend lobby, you can actually teleport to other people's worlds, help them out or just follow them if you want. Eventhough only 4 people can be in a level at a time, this drawback was needed. It could potentially get too chaotic, I feel. Another neat feature is if someone is further ahead of you story wise, you won't be spoiled on locations or levels. A small but neat touch, I'll say.
Let's address the elephant in the room (hah.), Mario's new voice. Believe it or not, Daisy has a new voice too. With Mario, his voice is so iconic from the past with Charles Marinet, that to me it was sometimes quite clear to me the difference between Kevin Afghani. Eventhough I'm absolutely devastated on Marinet's departure, Afghani really blew it out of the water. He matched mario's goofy charm, and I have no issues with the torch being passed down onto him. Over time he will improve, and I'm fairly certain he will be as good as Marinet is!
My final postive I want to speak about is the character selection. It's Daisy's first mainline game and to see her get included is really a highlight a lot of people are missing out on, it's great! I also like how they have catered to people who are not looking for a challenge, and just want to play casually with the Yoshis and Nabbit characters, it makes the game inclusive for everyone.
Now for my drawbacks, I would say this is honestly not a game I would recommend for newcomers. It can be extremely daunting with all the powerups, barrage of new enemies and with the wonder flower, the effects with sometimes the change of how Mario works can be a bit startling at first. For mega mario fans though? I would honestly say the complete opposite. For someone who has grown up with Mario for years and years, it proved no challenge for me to get used to the changes, so I would really recommend anyone who's played a couple of previous 2D mario games to give this one a shot.
Another thing I dislike about this game is the fact that you cannot swap badges mid level. For example, let's say you have a badge which makes you dash faster, but you see a high platform you want to get to but can't because you don't have a badge which makes you jump higher, you're pretty much screwed, have to finish the level, equip the badge and then have to play the level all over again. Or just die, but that costs a life..and is pretty much inconveniant.
This is small, but petty. I really wish we could have mutliple saves. I really don't wanna make another user just to be able to replay the entire story again, it kinda defeats the purpose for me. Yeah, sure, I can jump into levels with a different character, but it doesn't really feel the same for me.
[SPOILERS START!!!]
And now, for the biggest thing that really bums me about this game... It does go into spoiler terratory which I can't really help, but here goes... Why is every single boss Bowser Jr.?! Why!? I really really feel like they could have gotten so creative with different bosses.. Maybe even the koopalings, or just.. well.. anything else! The boss fights themselves were really great, with Bowser Jr being able to turn everything upside down with the wonder power. Eventhough the level design was so amazing, it just really lacked that it just felt like a repeat, but with extra steps. There was so much potential.
[SPOILERS END]
For now, I think that's all I want to get out there about this game. I imagine I will probably edit this with more thoughts as time goes on, but I've wrapped everything up. Is it worth full price? To me, yes. As a mega fan of mario, I paid £63 for the mega bundle and I believe its worth every penny to me. To someone who casually likes Mario, or doesn't really play Mario games? Probably not. I find that there's a lot of replayability with this game, from grabbing things with different power ups, to helping other people out, to just simply replaying levels. The content is there. I'm currently working on my 100% and plan to play it a couple more times after that to help people out or just simply indulge myself in a new mainline mario game. I thank you for reading my extremely long review for this game... I shall now pass out! :D
[TLDR]
Pros:
- Amazing artstyle
- Loved new power ups, wonder flower effect, badges
- Talking flowers were charmful
- Smashing music & level design
- Online is flawless
- New VAs great, will need time to get used to
- Character selection is fantastic
Cons:
- Would not recommend to newcomers of mario games
- Cannot swap badges partway through level
- Wish we could have multiple save slots
- Repeat foe for bosses, my major drawback
Edit: I have now 100%ed the game. Finished that on the 23rd of October. The final final level is absolutely brutual.