So close to being near perfect.
This was a very fun and well made game, it was really clearly made with a lot of care and attention from the devs, and it definitely shows.

Obviously there's a lot more glitches than usual pokemon games, and imo the ending was very anticlimactic, but I genuinely had so much fun.

Would die for Adaman,.10/10 character right there

I remember playing the demo of Buddy simulator, thinking it was a neat little project, and then completely forgetting about it. It was really shocking to see the game on itch.io and that it was launching soon.

The game really isn't for everyone, its gameplay is incredibly varied and relies on inserting you into the world. A majority of the game takes place in the style of an RPG, though.

The writing is clever and nuanced, they were almost scarily accurate in depicting a manipulative relationship. It manages to have a good amount of length on it while also being very replayable.

There are tons of Secrets and optional Easter eggs for you to go find that tie the story together, and the game put so much effort into every single tiny detail that i really can't help but be charmed.

The game also has four different endings, and each of them are well fleshed out and honestly feel like a satisfying conclusion. Topped off with a charming art style and gorgeous soundtrack and you have such a genuinely unique labor of love.

The few problems I have with it are basically just nitpicks, things like small cliches, or a few segments that drag out a little too long, but nothing that would make me want to rate it any lower than five stars honestly.

And honestly, it gives one of the most genuine messages I've seen in a game. A message that's not easy to hear but one that is necessary, that no matter how much you love someone, sometimes you just have to let go of people.

It's niche, but it's MY niche.

Big game.

This was my first introduction to the series, and as someone who, at the time, hadn't played the first two games, I felt like the open world aspect added a lot.

I REALLY like what they did with the protagonist, I felt really attached to them and invested in their relationships.

The only real big problem I have with this game is the post game. I understand why there's a post game, there's so much to do that it's unlikely someone would get it all done before the final boss, but it makes things feel so soulless.

ESPECIALLY with your companions. Post game, each of them has a single dialog tree and then they will never say anything to you again. I know that a lot of companion dialog had to do with the conflict at hand, but they could have at least given us new post game options to talk with them?

Other than that, for me at least, I'm love game.

EDIT: After playing only less than halfway through origins, I can confidently say that 2 is the weakest entry in the series. Genuinely everything is more detailed, in depth, and beautiful in Origins. Not by fault of the devs, of course, but it's absolutely night and day. I still love 2, but...oogh... (Original rating was 3 1/2)

Combat? Slaps. Characters? Slap. Story? Tiny bit lackluster, still slaps. The ending is kind of anticlimactic, but it serves well enough.

Gameplay? OOOOOOOOH NOOOOOOOO. Playing this game after DAI was a BAD idea. Where is my jump button? Why am I running through the same 7 dungeons every 3 minutes? I love trying to loot chests only to talk to my companions! Imagine 2 with the gameplay of 3, oogh.

My god. Do I have opinions about this game.

This review DOES contain spoilers for the ending, I'm not going to mark it with the site itself because it's at the waaay end.

The first half of your first playthrough is really where this game shines, but the further in you get you realize that it's a lot less cool than you first thought.

Unlike Oxenfree, your choices have absolutely NO effect on the game, save for one choice at the end, but all the dialog trees are relatively pointless.

The main draw of the game is the drinking mechanic; but you could go through a whole game without taking a sip! The booze is less of a mechanic and more of flavoring how you get to the end, because it straight up doesn't matter.

The gameplay is JUST walking, it's just walking, and you walk slow. Sometimes you do minigames against AI, but no skill is required. If you lose, you still progress the story. You could lose every single minigame and the characters will just be like "Eh, you suck but I'll let you pass anyways".

The only minigame you HAVE to win is the last one, AND IT GIVES YOU INFINITE TRIES.

Not only is it annoying that there's no 'fail state', but it actively harms some characters' credibility.

For instance, they did Apollyon SO dirty. She asks you to do something for her, and says that if you do it, she will drink with you and gave you a chance to earn her seal of approval.

You can both NOT do what she wants, AND lose in her drinking game, and she still gives you the seal.

In the final conflict, it's revealed that Apollyon was staging an intervention for Satan's drinking problem. Your presence in the conflict is a fucking hinderance, it makes the situation WORSE for her, she could have just not given her seal, but because "Story" she did anyways even though it went against literally her entire character????

An AI could easily play this game because nothing you do matters. The only thing you really have a choice on is the beginning quest you do, and what order you do the other two in.

The story itself is cool and funny and compelling, but the game SUCKS at telling it through gameplay. The setting is beautiful, the characters are amazing and most of the dialog is well written and funny, but the shit gameplay and AWFUL illusion of choice just makes it painful because this game could have been amazing.

Also there is no manual save list. The game autosaves constantly and you are limited to one save per file. Meaning, if you want to see the different 'endings', you have to play through the game several times, which is gonna take at least 4 hours per playthrough, maybe more.

I love this game to bits but it kinda sucks a lot.