I played the Pepper Grinder demo during Next Fest and I really loved it and I was eagerly anticipating the games release, and I immediately picked it up once it launched. Despite some of the good that crops up during the game, overall Pepper Grinder is a massively, MASSIVELY underwhelming game.

Before I get into the issues I have with the game, I just want to mention that the art and the aesthetic of this game is pretty fantastic. The pixel art, the animation, the color palette, how diverse every level looks, it's all really impressive stuff. Drilling through mountains and volcanoes and icebergs and ruined cities all make for really fun settings for the game. It's just disappointing that all of that feels wasted on levels that don't take advantage of what makes this game great.

Pepper Grinder excels when it's just Pepper, the Grinder, and a whole lot of dirt. The movement is tight, its fun, it's fast and it's got a lot of personality to it. The game throws in some fun gimmicks too like dousing lava with water to allow you to quickly drill through the magma before it melts again, or ice that will break behind you as you drill creating exciting moments of platforming in really unique ways. The game just discards these ideas so quickly that with a run time of roughly 3-4 hours, they feel very underutilized. Some of these ideas only appear once, or maybe twice out of 23 total levels and I just wish there was more I could do with them. And it absolutely does not help that there's so many parts of other levels that focus on all the things that don't make the game fun. Having to shoot rockets at ice takes longer than it needs to, 'combat' sections get old after the first one in level 1, and World 4 is almost entirely focused around these slower, less drilling inspired things. One entire level in World 4 has an entire three places to actually drill, and the rest is filled with unfun autoscroller combat with a machine gun. There's just far too much in this pretty short game that's just frustrating or unsatisfying. But even still, there's a lot of fun to be had when the game isn't focused on all the things that aren't fun. If the whole game was like this, it wouldn't feel so bad, except for one giant glaring problem: the bosses.

The boss battle in this game are outright bad. There's unfortunately not a single one that is fun, they're tedious and frustrating to fight and show off every single flaw the game has on offering. This game is just not built for these, they don't add anything to the experience and actively detract from it. The final boss in particular is especially bad, the first phase is fine (even though halfway through the AI broke for me), but the 2nd phase is genuinely a slog to fight. It's like one of the worst combat arenas I've experienced in a game since the good old Capra Demon fight in Dark Souls.
Just all round really frustrating bosses that do nothing to enhance the strengths of this game.

Maybe I went in expecting the wrong things, but this package has overall left me largely disappointed. So if you are like me, and you played the demo and really loved the fast paced drilling action and wanted to get this for more of that, I cannot recommend Pepper Grinder for how misused this games mechanics are that get focused on all the wrong things.

Red Dead Redemption will always be a timeless classic. I first played this game back in 2013 & I absolutely loved it. And then I played Red Dead Redemption 2 in 2018 & loved that as well. Both these games are incredible in their own right but this is actually the first time I have played RDR1 in about ten years. I was 14 years old back then & now I am in my 20’s.

Before I go any further I’ll state the obvious. Yes this port did not need to happen. And yes it’s way overpriced for what it is. £40 is criminal for a game from over a decade ago & with not a whole lot of major improvements. But even with that in mind…I just don’t care all that much because replaying this game for the first time in so many years has been one of the most surreal experiences I’ve had in quite some time.

I said at the beginning that this game is a timeless classic & I stand by what I said. For a game from 2010, RDR1 still looks & sounds fantastic & that’s not even mentioning the smooth 60fps framerate that it runs at on PS5. The wild west aesthetic is so visually pleasing & the world is full of so much life that certain games today wish they could replicate. Just riding around on your horse & exploring the vast landscape taking in all the scenery is truly breathtaking & there’s nothing else quite like it.

The story is undoubtedly the highlight though as expected. You play as John Marston, a former outlaw who is tasked with hunting down & taking care of his former gang members by the government that are holding his family hostage & making him do their dirty work. Without saying too much for those who haven’t played the game yet it’s an extremely gripping narrative with a lot of twists & turns & a cast of (mostly) compelling characters. And my experience was greatly heightened because of the events that transpired from RDR2 also. So many scenes hit different with the knowledge from the sequel in my mind & the context behind what actually happened made it all the more interesting.

If you’ve played any Rockstar title then you know exactly what to expect with the gameplay. This is an open world game with a variety of things to do whether you’re shooting up gangs or playing rounds of poker, blackjack etc there is a vast array of activities you can partake in even outside of the main story. There are multiple outfits to unlock, many guns to obtain, you can go hunting for rare animals & treasures you can find across the world just to name a few. I think as a whole the gameplay has held up pretty well with maybe one or two aspects which feel dated mainly the horse mechanics but everything else from the shooting to the overall feel of the game still holds up.

Now while I admit I wish we could actually have gotten an actual remake of Red Dead Redemption instead of a straight port can I still wholeheartedly recommend this game? YES I ABSOLUTELY CAN!! Whether you’ve never played RDR1 before or want to play it again, personally I would say this was 100% worth picking up. It’s the same incredible experience it always was, not much has changed at all.

This game really has stood the test of time even after all these years & I’m really glad I got the chance to replay this again & truly appreciate what it does. Not only the best Rockstar Games title but one of my favourite games of all time period. Absolute masterpiece.

Final score: 10/10

Peak fiction. Actual PEAK fiction. Lloyd is peak. KeA is peak. Randy is peak. Tio is peak. Wazy is peak. This entire game. is. PEAK. Top to bottom.

Trails to Azure is the greatest experience I’ve had with any game in all my years on this planet. THIS is the magic of JRPGs & why it eclipses every other genre in my opinion. Azure takes everything that I loved about Zero & in amplifies it to the highest degree. From the characters, to the story, to the absolutely unmatched world building that the Trails series always does so so exceptionally it’s all here & accounted for. And on top of that is one of the most engaging & gripping narratives possibly ever that had me hooked from start to end. So many moments in this game had my jaw completely on the floor & the finale of this game completely mindfucked me SO much.The ending brought me to tears & man the feeling I had when the credits started rolling really really can’t be described.

I honestly struggle to find the words to truly express how incredible this game is & nor do I want to. Because experiences like this come once in a lifetime.

All I will say is that if you for some reason haven’t checked out the Trails series yet then you are doing yourself a major disservice. Because in my eyes there is no other franchise in my eyes that is on the level of The Legend of Heroes when it comes to storytelling.

I’m so glad the Crossbell duology finally came to the west because it’s given me the chance to experience these amazing games for the first time & if you’re like me…then I hope you have as much of a blast as I did. Thank you Nihon Falcom & of course the amazing Geofront team.

Now let’s put the Sky trilogy on modern consoles next, that would be absolutely lovely.

Now I’ll be completely honest I never played the original Octopath Traveler though I heard a lot of mixed thoughts when it came to people I spoke to about it. So admittedly Octopath Traveler 2 was a bit of a gamble. Would I love this game despite my lack of knowledge of the first one? How would it compare to other RPGs that I’ve played over the years & would it do anything different to break the mould?

The answer is simply: this game absolutely rules & It’s worthy of every bit of hype in my eyes. This is probably my favourite game of the entire year so far & it really touched me in ways that I didn’t ever expect it to. Throughout my entire 100 hour journey I grew to fall in love with the world & the incredible cast of characters each with their own engaging stories & to be honest…it’s been a while since I’ve played an RPG with mature themes such as the ones that are tackled in Octopath 2.

Each of the eight main characters has their struggles. Hikari a prince driven from his kingdom by his tyrannical dictator of a brother & goes on a journey to forge alliances to reclaim his home & stop the long history of bloodshed his people have faced. Throné a thief enslaved by the abuse of the Blacksnakes searches for her freedom in order to escape from her chains. Osvald a man who was framed & locked up in prison for the murder of his wife & daughter plots his revenge against the person who ruined his life. Castti an amnesiac apothecary searches for her memories & who she once was before everything. Partitio a merchant who survived the suffering of poverty & wants to bring happiness to the entire world. And I mean sure not ALL of the stories are hits & feel very cliche & run of the mill (hello Agnea you’re very nice though) but I’d say more than half of these characters all have engaging plots & it’s well worth seeking out all of them on your journey. You’re gonna want to experience all of them & there’s no story that I consider to be genuinely bad which for a game as massive as this is a huge compliment & it says a lot about the quality of these eight compelling narratives. And seeing how they all come together is absolutely mindblowing.

The combat in this game is absolutely exceptional. Maybe one of the best turn based systems. In combat your opponents have a shield & in order to break through it, you need to find which attack they are weak to whether that be swords, knives, polearms, bows, staffs or magic. What’s really cool is you have an option with what’s called the boost system. If you have two boost points you can attack twice or alternatively you can wait after the turn to attack three or even four times or use a more powerful attack to deal massive damage. Once you get through the shield your opponent will enter a break state which then allows you to deal much more damage to them. There’s also latent powers which when your power gauge is full you can use an ultimate move depending on the character. For example Partitio’s allows him to have maximum BP, Agnea’s has her attacks/buffs reach everyone & Ochette & Hikari will be able to use extremely powerful attacks. These abilities are especially handy in tough boss fights as one wrong move could mean losing the entire battle. I found this game to be genuinely challenging at times especially in the early stages when I was still getting a hang of things. But once the combat clicks man it’s such a satisfying feeling.

On top of that there’s also a job system which allows you to acquire a license of a class to use a secondary job for each character. These include hunter, warrior, apothecary, thief, merchant, dancer, scholar & cleric. You can use the job points that you acquire from battles to invest in whatever job you choose as it will give your party more abilities & support skills. The combinations are endless & ultimately I feel there’s some jobs which suit characters much better but you’re free to experiment at your leisure to find the perfect fit. There are also secret jobs which are well worth seeking out especially in the late game which give you even more powerful abilities such as the Armsmaster which will allow you to wield all six weapons types or the Arcanist which specialises in much more powerful magic.

One thing i absolutely love about Octopath Traveler 2 is the amount of freedom you have from the very start. The world of Solistia is vast & sure you can follow your main character’s story but you’re free to roam wherever you choose, even higher level areas if you’re brave enough. The game doesn’t hold your hand at all, this is your adventure & you can go about it your own way. I haven’t felt an RPG has given me this kind of experience since the YS series & I much prefer this kind of game design over vast bloated open worlds. There’s also a day/night system which you can toggle at will. This is another mechanic I love about the game as you can do different things at day & night called path actions. For example Hikari can duel people to learn different skills during the day & bribe someone for information at night. It also changes the NPC’s that you will encounter depending on the time of day you choose. I find this to be such a unique inclusion of a day/night cycle & it really gives Octopath 2 an identity of its own compared to other RPGs.

I don’t think I even need to mention the artstyle do I? Square Enix have taken a lot of L’s recently with the decisions they’ve made especially in the business side of things but one thing I don’t think anyone can deny: these HD 2D graphics are absolutely GORGEOUS. I played this game on the PlayStation 5 & oh my goodness it looks beautiful. It’s got a very old school feel & I would love to see more of this kind of artstyle in modern RPGs.

And how could I forget about the incredible soundtrack composed by the wonderful Yasunori Nishiki whether it be the relaxing town themes or the bombastic battle music which pumps you up with untold amounts of adrenaline. There were so many tracks in this game that really went so much harder than they had any right to & it’s definitely one of the best game soundtracks I’ve ever heard.

Now does this game have any problems that stick out to me? Well…yeah. Kind of. While each of the stories are engaging I will admit it feels a little disjointed at times. When you start a character’s chapter the other characters kind of just bugger off & don’t have a lot of impact, which I’m aware was an issue with the original Octopath. To counteract this you do have travel banter which actually sort of reminded me of the skits from the Tales of series where two or more characters discuss what is happening in that moment or perhaps just bond & tease each other. This is definitely a good addition & I always enjoy when these scenes play out when you have the option to view them but I still wish there was more interconnection between the cast at pivotal story moments.

Overall though, I really loved Octopath Traveller 2. As a fan of RPGs you owe it to yourself to check this game out if you haven’t already. As long as Square Enix continues to make titles with as much love & care as this then I’m sure I’ll be more than happy to stick with them because it truly proves there’s still a place for turn based RPGs in the modern era of gaming. Definitely my game of the year for 2023 & will be extremely hard to top.

I played 10 hours of this & while the game wasn’t terrible, I haven’t seen any reason to return back to it. As far as plots go, this feels ripped straight out of a B tier shonen anime & unlike others I don’t like to say anime tropes are a detriment to a game. People seem to think games like Xenoblade Chronicles 2 are “too anime” which I don’t really understand personally. However I mean it when I say that this game absolutely suffers because of how tropey it feels. Sorey is legitimately one of the most generic & bland MCs I’ve seen in a long time. He’s your typical hero character where he becomes the “chosen one” aka the shepherd just cause the plot demands it. The rest of the cast are fine but nothing too special (except Edna she’s fun). The combat is pretty mediocre sadly. Best thing I can say about Zestiria so far though is definitively the soundtrack which is honestly really really solid. Will I return to this game someday? Perhaps. But I wouldn’t count on it being anytime soon. I just have other stuff I’d rather play first so for now this is going to be pushed aside.