my thoughts on this game are so complicated that i don't think i could summarize here. it's such a weird and unique big mainline release in some ways. and yet it also just reinforces the inherent limitations of Mario as a character and like... global corporate mascot for the world of videogames. stuff like the New Super Mario Bros series or 3D Mario Land/World games may have fun or interesting design on a granular level but they don't really try and be anything more than what they are. and in some ways that makes them kind of bland, and safe. ofc Nintendo always releases more experimental side projects involving characters connected to the Mario universe, i.e. with WarioWare or with Mario Maker. but with this game it really seems like Nintendo tries to infuse some of that weirdness from their offshoots and shoot for the moon (pun intended i guess) and get weird and poke fun of the conventions of Mario a bit in a big mainline Mario game. and in doing so i feel like it ends up being this strange, uneven thing that i think the climate of the Switch release in 2017 and the general awed tone about Nintendo coming out of the smash success of Breath of The Wild kind of distracted from.

some of the environments bring back the surreal feeling of Mario 64. the feeling of new possibility, and that the unexpected is possible that older Mario games had sometimes creeps in from time to time. the Sonic 2006-esque New Donk City is def the highlight of the game for me, as well as the industrial forest area with the surf music that also looks like a 3D Sonic level and the two tiered structure. why does Mario suddenly feel like a 3D Sonic game in some places? who knows! it occasionally shows imaginative, anarchic glimpses of what we saw the most of in games like Mario 3, before it had really solidified what Mario was and wasn't. but then other levels (i.e. the beach one) are just your standard boilerplate Mario settings that feel like they could be in any modern 3D platformer. i don't really like the linear nature of the stage progression either and wish they did something with an actual hub world, even though i guess they sort of tried to by having secrets you could later access that connected stages. i also don't know what to make of the very self-referential nature of this game, from them bringing back Pauline from Donkey Kong to the castle in Mario 64 being its own dedicated bonus area that you're supposed to return to. it feels kind of like Nintendo's attempt to be self-reflective about the legacy of the franchise in a way that i didn't exactly expect to see in a mainline Mario game. so... points for that definitely. but ofc it doesn't go beyond a certain point with that, which invariably leaves me feeling a bit puzzled and with more questions than answers.

tl;dr There's A Lot Going On Here, and some of it works and some of it doesn't. and i'm not sure what to make of it all.

It’s hard to believe this exists. Its illustrations are straight out of a warm children's book; it's carefully woven to evoke this all-encompassing sensation that you're deep in the throes of a fairy tale, with its most sinister moments only solidifying that feeling. Its effortlessly delightful soundtrack and phenomenally soft, cozy drawings brought such a sincere smile to my face.

Somehow, Square Enix published this dating sim RPG where you can ONLY romance other women. Yep, it’s 100% queer. Alongside its shockingly uncomfortable commitment to abstract horror, staggering production quality, and 90s anime aesthetic inspirations, it is a personal dream game. I cannot fathom how this is actually real.

I’m only just recovering from my first playthrough, but after catching four of the game’s endings, I don't have much else to say except I’m in love with Little Goody Two Shoes. I want to write more about it someday soon, but I am deep in adoration after having finished the game tonight and need to get the word out there.

Please, if you're a fan of 90s anime, love abstract horror, are into magical, fairy-tale aesthetics/music, or are remotely excited by the idea of sapphic love stories, do not miss out on this. Little Goody Two Shoes is wonderful.

Completed with 100% in-game progress rating, played via Castlevania Advance Collection. Circle of the Moon is a decent first attempt at transitioning the 'Igavania' formula to a handheld format, but with its fair share of frustrations. Relatively short as far as Metroidvanias go, typical playtime with the game will be extended by a punishing difficulty level - unless you're very overleveled, several of the boss encounters will see death coming within maybe 3-4 hits and even standard enemies frequently post a stiff challenge. I'm also not a great fan of Metroidvanias that base progression at least partially around levelling (which often necessitates grinding) and Circle of the Moon further emphasises grinding with very low drop rates for the small set of cards which provide supplemental combat abilities.

Setting these negatives aside, though, the core gameplay is overwise solid enough and the primary ability upgrades focus on satisfying traversal skills, which eventually make the game world quick and enjoyable to explore. I understand that the later GBA releases are a significant step up in quality from Circle of the Moon, so it clearly provided a good base from which to build.

Great game, went into it expecting another Park Patrol, but came out of it very impressed. They managed to adapt the Chibi Robo game loop in its entirety to the DS, while adding more than the first game. The first Chibi Robo game was probably the first game I ever stalked in magazines, eventually getting it a few years after it came out. The quirky yet somewhat emotionally grounded story and calming gameplay mixed with the colorful graphics really stuck with me. The game isn't afraid to show a dysfunctional family, they show the highs and the lows, I think that's really special. Clean Sweep has all of that and more, just like the first game, I really related to the story. It was a weird feeling to play the first game when I was a kid like Jenny, and then play Clean Sweep as an adult, made it a lot more personal. The only things that stop this game from being a 5 are the pacing and the OST. The progression can take a while at some points and the music was a bit of a letdown when compared to the first game.