Wingblade
2020
This game was originally supposed to be a web comic and it shows in just how tedious the gameplay experience feels compared to it's narrative. As satisfied as I am with the story, it drags it's feet through the mud to tell it, and the mud in question can only be described as diet Earthbound. Dungeons and cutscenes that go on way too long, NPCs that act quirky for the sake of being quirky, and a battle system that rewards you for purposefully taking damage instead of engaging with it.
It's laughable to me that there's an entire separate route that basically drops the main story in favor of adding more quests and battles. You could argue that this is a narrative choice, but that's such a copout when the quality of the story is so divorced from the gameplay that tries to deliver it.
It's laughable to me that there's an entire separate route that basically drops the main story in favor of adding more quests and battles. You could argue that this is a narrative choice, but that's such a copout when the quality of the story is so divorced from the gameplay that tries to deliver it.
2019
The true successor to Hotline Miami I've always wanted, but I just wish the story had as much payoff as there was setup within the game. I'm aware of the planned DLC but I'm not a fan of it completing the initial experience rather than being an extension, it makes the game feel very unfinished and unrewarding to complete.
2012
It's a masterpiece babyyyyy
The first moment in the MSQ that actually made me skip cutscenes. The story will constantly come to a halt and make you do inconsequential errands like fetch someone's groceries, look for grass at the bottom of a lake, or literally pick up poop off the ground for the most ungrateful and boring characters in the game.
You will hate Lyse after finishing this expansion.
You will hate Lyse after finishing this expansion.
2015
I wish I liked this game juuust a little bit more, I love how much style this game oozes and the combat is refreshingly aggressive and frentic.
But it definitely stumbles a bit due to having the growing pains of being a completely new franchise. There are certain gameplay regressions like core consumables needing to be replenished through purchase, necessitating rout grinding at some points. I ended up having to visit the chalice dungeons (one of the weaker aspects of the game) more often than I'd like just to farm resources or obtain materials for equipment progression.
The game also just feels underwhelming or disjointed in certain areas, which is made even more apparent given how much cut content there was during development. I'd love to see the systems and world of this game expanded upon in a follow up or remaster.
Favorite boss: Father Gascoigne.
But it definitely stumbles a bit due to having the growing pains of being a completely new franchise. There are certain gameplay regressions like core consumables needing to be replenished through purchase, necessitating rout grinding at some points. I ended up having to visit the chalice dungeons (one of the weaker aspects of the game) more often than I'd like just to farm resources or obtain materials for equipment progression.
The game also just feels underwhelming or disjointed in certain areas, which is made even more apparent given how much cut content there was during development. I'd love to see the systems and world of this game expanded upon in a follow up or remaster.
Favorite boss: Father Gascoigne.
I'm divided on this game because it contains one of my favorite stories in the entire series, but the overall package and the way it combines the other two individual stories are easily also the worst in the entire series.
2005
Very charming, but the pacing can be all over the place. There's also a very nasty point of no return that can make 100% completion impossible, extremely out of place to see in a collectathon platformer.
2015
Fails to properly build upon the mechanical depth and writing found in previous entries in the series, but fun enough to stand as its own thing.
2020
I was really impressed with this game at first due to being the only first person take on Devil May Cry at the time.
And then Ultrakill came out.
And then Ultrakill came out.
2019
Core combat is serviceable for a Platinum game, but the main draw of being able to control a puppet character to supplement combat feels very underutilized. I was able to finish the game once and felt like I saw everything on offer, but haven't had any interest since to revisit and fully complete all the side content.
I still think this IP deserves more overall love though, there was genuine effort put into creating something unique. Hopefully we can see the franchise revisited in the future as it's such a shame that it's clearly being held back technically as a Switch exclusive.
I still think this IP deserves more overall love though, there was genuine effort put into creating something unique. Hopefully we can see the franchise revisited in the future as it's such a shame that it's clearly being held back technically as a Switch exclusive.