Bio
Only adding games played since I joined.
Personal Ratings
1★
5★

Badges


GOTY '23

Participated in the 2023 Game of the Year Event

Organized

Created a list folder with 5+ lists

1 Years of Service

Being part of the Backloggd community for 1 year

Liked

Gained 10+ total review likes

Best Friends

Become mutual friends with at least 3 others

Noticed

Gained 3+ followers

GOTY '22

Participated in the 2022 Game of the Year Event

Favorite Games

Final Fantasy IX
Final Fantasy IX
Kingdom Hearts
Kingdom Hearts
Castlevania: Bloodlines
Castlevania: Bloodlines
Fallout: New Vegas
Fallout: New Vegas
Soma
Soma

062

Total Games Played

016

Played in 2024

007

Games Backloggd


Recently Played See More

Shadow Hearts: Covenant
Shadow Hearts: Covenant

Mar 24

Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade
Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade

Mar 21

Dragon Quest Heroes: Rocket Slime
Dragon Quest Heroes: Rocket Slime

Mar 07

Penny's Big Breakaway
Penny's Big Breakaway

Feb 27

Mario Hoops 3-on-3
Mario Hoops 3-on-3

Feb 25

Recently Reviewed See More

The remake is interesting in that it very clearly from the start isn't intending to be a simple remake and is instead going to tell a different story parallel to that of the original, itself serving as a meta narrative about the legacy of the game in our culture.

The things it does well are the boss battles and some of the now expanded narrative sequences. The character models for all the main characters are incredible too, (though I'll always think that Nomura didn't necessarily have to take the Tifa design in the delicate anime figurine direction) and the music is outstanding.

As for what it does less well... FFVII was a very formative game for me when it came out, I've played it many times in the decades since and had my recent playthrough just before attempting this remake. Certain things just "belong" to FF7 in my view, so to a new player maybe they won't care but the sunnier and more upbeat/populated interpretation of the slums doesn't at all rhyme with the dour, dark, and sketchy slums of the original. A ton of the personality of the game is gone in this remake overall, and some sequences such as the Shinra HQ one are just outright inferior to the original. There's also just a lot of stuff that is straight up not fun, which makes you wonder why things which took a minute or three in the original had to be expanded into a few hours of monotony.

It's a good game, and hopefully gets people to check out the original, it might be interesting to contrast and compare what is changed and what you prefer.

I did play a few hours of the INTERgrade dlc with Yuffie, personally I found it incredibly uninteresting as it has nothing at all to do with events from the original and functions more as a way for players to get some extra gameplay and content they liked from the remake. In that sense it's totally fine, just completely not why I'm here for this game personally.

If you enjoy doing the activities this game offers, namely mostly laid back adventure exploration and simple environmental puzzle solving as well as the wild tank battles, then you'll have a good time throughout. It's a game that's clearly aimed at a younger audience so I can't complain that after about five hours I felt like I'd thoroughly had my fill. The sprite work is really awesome and the music is great too, especially the main town theme. The writing is also very fun and lighthearted, lots of good little jokes here and there.

At the time of this review, I’d have to recommend waiting for a sale, mainly because there will hopefully be patches by then. I had my share of fun all the way to the game’s completion, but as it stands the game is plagued with a lot of collision and animation bugs. You’ll often get stuck in level geometry or fall into the abyss.

I’ll take up some positives. The most important element of the game, the movement, is masterful. It takes a little while to learn but once you do it’s really satisfying, and you’ll find that you’re able to swing your way out of seemingly hopeless predicaments. The visual style is also great, reminds me personally of Megaman 64 which I rented a lot as a kid. The soundtrack is also another great work by Tee Lopes.

The main issues with the game could be sorted into what could be fixed and what couldn’t. The bugs can be fixed. Some elements in the levels could be adjusted, such as hazards that are difficult to see.

What can’t be adjusted are a lot of the level design choices, which could be perhaps best described as caused by a confused design philosophy. There’s a timer counting up and a score system, is the player supposed to be using the great moveset to zip through the level, or should they be systematically platforming and exploring around to find the often well-hidden side-quests and collectibles? Should a quick-witted player be able to grab everything in the first run, or will multiple attempts be needed? If so, why does the game alternate between both? Is the game about encouraging quick-witted nimbleness and momentum, or throwing water on the player with dull and punishing hazards? The water torrents are such an example, getting caught in one either drops you down into an abyss or deposits you to the bottom of a pool you can only sluggishly walk your way out of. Is it really more fun for lava to be instant death rather maybe cause a single merciful bounce first? All of this is further complicated by a lack of visual clarity that often makes it hard to judge exactly where Penny is in the moment, usually because the camera angle is not very well situated. The boss designs are similarly poor and feel rushed.

It’s a shame because very often the game feels awesome to play, with great designs that have you dashing and swinging acrobatically through a course. It’s the fact that you’re often brought to complete halt for bad reasons that makes it unfortunate that the game hasn’t really fulfilled its promise.