decayofangel
2021
finally finished slow damage! took me a while to get into it esp since i finished lamento recently, but here we are, it's a very good game. continuing on i will write all my thoughts about this game and its routes so whoever wants to discuss more can freely comment their opinion, i would really love that! anyways.
slow damage looks gorgeous! every n+c game has amazing visuals that fit the overall theme of its games and slow damage is surely one of them, the art, atmosphere and soundtrack all compliment the dark and twisted nature of the protagonists mind and it truly is a breath of fresh air having a 'darker' mc unlike the mcs of the previous entries who are either demure or chipper.
in this game we follow towa who lives pretty self-destructively, reveling in his own pain and madness and living from today to tomorrow. with every route we play we get a fragment of his past or a glimpse of his personality outside his masochistic auteur facade.
as for the routes; i will be frank and say that fujieda's route is the absolute peak of this game, the route that made me obsessively sit in front of the computer and click click click until i finally put the pieces together and see them two live their lives unapologetically and happily.
the other route i also enjoyed very much was rei's. rei is such a good and lovable character, i just wanted to hug him and pat him on his head. also i loved his friend group so much, just a really fun route that also deals with his complex issues, don't want to spoil it much but all in all fujieda and rei are definitely the routes i enjoyed the most.
as for madarame and taku. honestly idk which route i enjoyed LESS. maybe madarame's lol. i know we all love and respect toxic yaoi, i do too, but i kinda feel that madarame had only that going on for him. i can see the appeal but honestly the execution could be better. he was too one dimensional for me to like him and tbh after playing rei's route, going for madarame just hurt and left a bad taste in my mouth. something didn't click for me and i say this as someone whose fave in tnc was shiki lol...
taku was just... boring LOL i really love the older man yaoi route but taku was not interesting enough. his bad end was interesting gonna admit but otherwise kinda stale....
yeah those are my thoughts! fujieda ryou lover forever peace x <3
slow damage looks gorgeous! every n+c game has amazing visuals that fit the overall theme of its games and slow damage is surely one of them, the art, atmosphere and soundtrack all compliment the dark and twisted nature of the protagonists mind and it truly is a breath of fresh air having a 'darker' mc unlike the mcs of the previous entries who are either demure or chipper.
in this game we follow towa who lives pretty self-destructively, reveling in his own pain and madness and living from today to tomorrow. with every route we play we get a fragment of his past or a glimpse of his personality outside his masochistic auteur facade.
as for the routes; i will be frank and say that fujieda's route is the absolute peak of this game, the route that made me obsessively sit in front of the computer and click click click until i finally put the pieces together and see them two live their lives unapologetically and happily.
the other route i also enjoyed very much was rei's. rei is such a good and lovable character, i just wanted to hug him and pat him on his head. also i loved his friend group so much, just a really fun route that also deals with his complex issues, don't want to spoil it much but all in all fujieda and rei are definitely the routes i enjoyed the most.
as for madarame and taku. honestly idk which route i enjoyed LESS. maybe madarame's lol. i know we all love and respect toxic yaoi, i do too, but i kinda feel that madarame had only that going on for him. i can see the appeal but honestly the execution could be better. he was too one dimensional for me to like him and tbh after playing rei's route, going for madarame just hurt and left a bad taste in my mouth. something didn't click for me and i say this as someone whose fave in tnc was shiki lol...
taku was just... boring LOL i really love the older man yaoi route but taku was not interesting enough. his bad end was interesting gonna admit but otherwise kinda stale....
yeah those are my thoughts! fujieda ryou lover forever peace x <3
This review contains spoilers
as per usual, when i play a game that is almost perfect to me, a game that leaves me speechless, crying and wanting to spend more time with the cast and the whole atmosphere, i let my thoughts ruminate for a day or two and then i decide to write up said thoughts here. but with such an ambitious game and farewell to our beloved dragon of dojima, it really is hard to be coherent and straight to the point, the thoughts are just wilding.
anyways; i will be frank with the 'bad' parts first. i say 'bad' but they didn't really hinder nor change my overall opinion of the game, but it needs to be said.
-it is an ambitious game. rgg team tried to pack as much content in this game, be it minigames or side stories but also the main plot. i didn't mind the side stories at all, in fact, that was my favourite part of the game since bonding with the gang and just seeing their journey and growth is everything to me.
yes, the main plot. it got overwhelming after the half point and by the end of the game i honestly didn't care about the main antagonists, they were just cartoonishly evil and a bit flat. i liked ebina maybe a bit more than bryce but they're both pretty flat and playing gaiden before this, gaiden final boss solos IW final bosses.
-hanawa. hanawawawawa my heart hurts, it's evident that they wrote hanawa in gaiden after they finished iw and it's just sad how wasted his potential is. i was really sad and lowkey petty over it but alas.
-i may have wanted a bit of a better haruka and kiryu reunion but i will pretend that this thing they done in the game hits harder and is more poetic, whatever
now for the positives. which are. almost infinite HAHA.
first of all. i will say that i absolutely adore ichiban and i will stand my ground by saying that i enjoyed him more than 1-7 kiryu. IW kiryu will have a paragraph dedicated just to him. ichiban's whole story and kindness and never giving up even when there's no hope AND FORGIVENESS OVER ALL literally made me ugly cry and sob, it just spoke to me, he is so human and his kindness saved his whole party and gave them inspiration to go on with their lives when they thought there is no way out. i absolutely adore chitose and tomizawa, their whole dynamic with ichi is so organic and natural and fun and genuine and i could play 5 more games with just them in it. the drink links and learning in every corner of the city more and more things about them and their habits was so good and made me feel connected to the characters.
i admit that ichi's story was rushed somewhat because i feel kiryu was once again given the spotlight, which i will forgive considering his circumstances, even though i wish some things were maybe a bit more explored.
-ichi and the LAD gang are also so so so good i missed them so much. i love how seonhee and joongi got more screentime and trivia and just fun stuff about them because i loved them so much in LAD. i am though a bit shifty when it comes to saeko, i liked her more in LAD, they kinda fumbled her character but. whatever. seonhee forever.
-YAMAI????? i didn't expect at all to love him as much as i am now, he was truly a delight to see and hear and his whole arc is so appealing, esp his past and ties with tomizawa, 10/10 for me.
-as for the kiryu's side of the story, first of all i am glad to see emotional kiryu and kiryu who is relying on other people and learning that people love and appreciate him, not hate or curse him for coming into their lives. i also need to mention date, who is honestly kiryu's best man, friend, companion, the way he went to such lengths to convince kiryu that HE IS IMPORTANT TO OTHERS, OTHERS LOVE HIM. just brings tears to my eyes.
-kiryu's dynamic with ichi's gang is awesome, if anything i think IW nailed the character relationships because they're so human and belivable and AAA love it so much.
-i have nothing more to say tbh just wanted for kiryu to get a bit more closure than we got in the game, but i can hope we'll get that in the new entry eventually, where kiryu won't be a protagonist, just a cameo character.
i could talk about this game so so much more but here are so me of my thoughts. i will play it more, still, need to finish some dungeons and just fool around some more because i am not ready to say goodbye yet.
until rgg 9, bon voyage!
anyways; i will be frank with the 'bad' parts first. i say 'bad' but they didn't really hinder nor change my overall opinion of the game, but it needs to be said.
-it is an ambitious game. rgg team tried to pack as much content in this game, be it minigames or side stories but also the main plot. i didn't mind the side stories at all, in fact, that was my favourite part of the game since bonding with the gang and just seeing their journey and growth is everything to me.
yes, the main plot. it got overwhelming after the half point and by the end of the game i honestly didn't care about the main antagonists, they were just cartoonishly evil and a bit flat. i liked ebina maybe a bit more than bryce but they're both pretty flat and playing gaiden before this, gaiden final boss solos IW final bosses.
-hanawa. hanawawawawa my heart hurts, it's evident that they wrote hanawa in gaiden after they finished iw and it's just sad how wasted his potential is. i was really sad and lowkey petty over it but alas.
-i may have wanted a bit of a better haruka and kiryu reunion but i will pretend that this thing they done in the game hits harder and is more poetic, whatever
now for the positives. which are. almost infinite HAHA.
first of all. i will say that i absolutely adore ichiban and i will stand my ground by saying that i enjoyed him more than 1-7 kiryu. IW kiryu will have a paragraph dedicated just to him. ichiban's whole story and kindness and never giving up even when there's no hope AND FORGIVENESS OVER ALL literally made me ugly cry and sob, it just spoke to me, he is so human and his kindness saved his whole party and gave them inspiration to go on with their lives when they thought there is no way out. i absolutely adore chitose and tomizawa, their whole dynamic with ichi is so organic and natural and fun and genuine and i could play 5 more games with just them in it. the drink links and learning in every corner of the city more and more things about them and their habits was so good and made me feel connected to the characters.
i admit that ichi's story was rushed somewhat because i feel kiryu was once again given the spotlight, which i will forgive considering his circumstances, even though i wish some things were maybe a bit more explored.
-ichi and the LAD gang are also so so so good i missed them so much. i love how seonhee and joongi got more screentime and trivia and just fun stuff about them because i loved them so much in LAD. i am though a bit shifty when it comes to saeko, i liked her more in LAD, they kinda fumbled her character but. whatever. seonhee forever.
-YAMAI????? i didn't expect at all to love him as much as i am now, he was truly a delight to see and hear and his whole arc is so appealing, esp his past and ties with tomizawa, 10/10 for me.
-as for the kiryu's side of the story, first of all i am glad to see emotional kiryu and kiryu who is relying on other people and learning that people love and appreciate him, not hate or curse him for coming into their lives. i also need to mention date, who is honestly kiryu's best man, friend, companion, the way he went to such lengths to convince kiryu that HE IS IMPORTANT TO OTHERS, OTHERS LOVE HIM. just brings tears to my eyes.
-kiryu's dynamic with ichi's gang is awesome, if anything i think IW nailed the character relationships because they're so human and belivable and AAA love it so much.
-i have nothing more to say tbh just wanted for kiryu to get a bit more closure than we got in the game, but i can hope we'll get that in the new entry eventually, where kiryu won't be a protagonist, just a cameo character.
i could talk about this game so so much more but here are so me of my thoughts. i will play it more, still, need to finish some dungeons and just fool around some more because i am not ready to say goodbye yet.
until rgg 9, bon voyage!
2023
wow... just wow, what can I say... this game is truly a masterpiece. when it comes to alan wake 2's predecessor, the narrative was really good and interesting, while it lacked in gameplay, it made up with the story, but this game? truly checks all the boxes.
the story may get a bit too meta, bordering on pretentious, but i think it's a part of aw2's charm! the presentation, the visuals, the whole atmosphere and soundtrack is nothing less than superb, you can see this is truly a product of love and hard work and i'm so glad sam lake accomplished this, i just remember how happy he looked at the game awards :')
i liked both protagonists, maybe liked saga a bit more than alan, her story was really interesting and i enjoyed playing her chapters more than alan's, maybe because i already am familiar with alan so saga came as a breath of fresh air. the whole cast around her is so good and i enjoyed exploring her chapters very much!
as for alan's part of the story, probably the most memorable thing is the musical part. i just couldn't help but grin the whole duration of it, it was wonderful. also the scary parts of the game were so well done, rarely i get spooked by fictional horror but this just hit the spot.
truly a game worthy of a goty contender. very glad my friend recommended me this game, it surely will have a place in my top 10 games!
the story may get a bit too meta, bordering on pretentious, but i think it's a part of aw2's charm! the presentation, the visuals, the whole atmosphere and soundtrack is nothing less than superb, you can see this is truly a product of love and hard work and i'm so glad sam lake accomplished this, i just remember how happy he looked at the game awards :')
i liked both protagonists, maybe liked saga a bit more than alan, her story was really interesting and i enjoyed playing her chapters more than alan's, maybe because i already am familiar with alan so saga came as a breath of fresh air. the whole cast around her is so good and i enjoyed exploring her chapters very much!
as for alan's part of the story, probably the most memorable thing is the musical part. i just couldn't help but grin the whole duration of it, it was wonderful. also the scary parts of the game were so well done, rarely i get spooked by fictional horror but this just hit the spot.
truly a game worthy of a goty contender. very glad my friend recommended me this game, it surely will have a place in my top 10 games!
finished the game yesterday but i needed to have a whole day to just process and soak in all the emotions this game gave me. yakuza gaiden truly got to be one of my favourite yakuza entries, it has everything. i've been thinking really hard if there's something about this game i disliked or had some issues with but no - everything was simply perfect.
i was a bit skeptic about handling the story in a much shorter running time (compared to other yakuza games) and how is this entry gonna mesh into the timeline, but the rgg team proved themselves capable of that feat.
the cast is simply charming, i loved akame and tsuruno the most and i hope they'll show up once more, they were delightful. other familiar faces were also a sight to see and the flashbacks to Y7 were so good, i had a smile on my face the whole time. the tie in into 7 and 8 was done so smoothly, i was utterly impressed.
as for the gameplay / combat i can really say this game perfected it, it was so so so much fun and none of the battles felt tedious. the final boss fight was AMAZING and memorable unlike some yakuza final bosses so i was simply left impressed. loved dressing up kiryu and having a blast with the side content.
the ending left me an emotional wreck, i just want kiryu to have a happy ending after everything he went through. the ending also gave us a lot to think about and i hope infinite wealth will answer us these questions. off to IW i hope soon, can't wait. <3
i was a bit skeptic about handling the story in a much shorter running time (compared to other yakuza games) and how is this entry gonna mesh into the timeline, but the rgg team proved themselves capable of that feat.
the cast is simply charming, i loved akame and tsuruno the most and i hope they'll show up once more, they were delightful. other familiar faces were also a sight to see and the flashbacks to Y7 were so good, i had a smile on my face the whole time. the tie in into 7 and 8 was done so smoothly, i was utterly impressed.
as for the gameplay / combat i can really say this game perfected it, it was so so so much fun and none of the battles felt tedious. the final boss fight was AMAZING and memorable unlike some yakuza final bosses so i was simply left impressed. loved dressing up kiryu and having a blast with the side content.
the ending left me an emotional wreck, i just want kiryu to have a happy ending after everything he went through. the ending also gave us a lot to think about and i hope infinite wealth will answer us these questions. off to IW i hope soon, can't wait. <3
pretty much everyone who already played this game summed up my thoughts and articulated them better but still i'll try to give my two cents too.
playing this game while having a fever is honestly such a wild experience and it doesn't help that the game itself is pretty surreal and unhinged. not to sound like a suda51 dickrider (i am) but his games are really something special and something crafted with a lot of love and care. i've been debating a long time whether or not to play it because of the fsr remake rumors and i was kinda avoiding playing it because of the tedious gameplay (hence a half star less) otherwise the narrative is something so unique and well written that it doesn't deserve less than five stars.
flower, sun and rain is a bright, summery experience, where we follow sumio mondo in his searcher adventures. i like how the game didn't shy away from giving every character a personality and story to tell, one of my favourite parts were exactly those where sumio's kindness and sometimes naivety were highlighted. maybe the tedious gameplay is giving an impact to the whole narrative. i saw many opinions and comments how this is the true the silver case sequel and i can somewhat agree, it does fill a decent number of plot holes that were left after finishing the silver case and seeing some of the tsc characters brought a smile to my face. :)
the music paired with various suda's interests scattered around the dialogue and guidebook is something so special and endearing to me and i love how suda pushes his interests in the game he makes unapologetically and i totally respect him for that.
all in all, not to ramble, even though i understand divided opinions about this game i recommend at least watching a let's play compilation because it really is a shame to miss out such a great narrative, especially if you already played any suda51 game👍
playing this game while having a fever is honestly such a wild experience and it doesn't help that the game itself is pretty surreal and unhinged. not to sound like a suda51 dickrider (i am) but his games are really something special and something crafted with a lot of love and care. i've been debating a long time whether or not to play it because of the fsr remake rumors and i was kinda avoiding playing it because of the tedious gameplay (hence a half star less) otherwise the narrative is something so unique and well written that it doesn't deserve less than five stars.
flower, sun and rain is a bright, summery experience, where we follow sumio mondo in his searcher adventures. i like how the game didn't shy away from giving every character a personality and story to tell, one of my favourite parts were exactly those where sumio's kindness and sometimes naivety were highlighted. maybe the tedious gameplay is giving an impact to the whole narrative. i saw many opinions and comments how this is the true the silver case sequel and i can somewhat agree, it does fill a decent number of plot holes that were left after finishing the silver case and seeing some of the tsc characters brought a smile to my face. :)
the music paired with various suda's interests scattered around the dialogue and guidebook is something so special and endearing to me and i love how suda pushes his interests in the game he makes unapologetically and i totally respect him for that.
all in all, not to ramble, even though i understand divided opinions about this game i recommend at least watching a let's play compilation because it really is a shame to miss out such a great narrative, especially if you already played any suda51 game👍
lamento really deserves a proper localisation (kudos to the fan-translation, everyone did an excellent job!) but i understand why the localisation is a big deal to do. good news though, a lamento stageplay will be released in 2024! the cast is amazing so another win for us guys!
the game is HUGE. took me 70h hours to do two main routes and almost the whole third one, which i will finish soon but the world building and the atmosphere, not to mention the character writing and the routes themselves are absolutely amazing. it is a bit tiring going through some parts while replaying but i do think it's worth because compared to other n+c games in my opinion lamento's writing is the strongest.
the main menu and the whole interface is so fairylike i adore it + the ost is gorgeous!!! such an enjoyable experience.
also because i'm a tormented good looking old man enjoyer bardo's route hit the hardest for me. i'm sorry asato and rai fans, they're good but old tiger man supremacy >:)
the game is HUGE. took me 70h hours to do two main routes and almost the whole third one, which i will finish soon but the world building and the atmosphere, not to mention the character writing and the routes themselves are absolutely amazing. it is a bit tiring going through some parts while replaying but i do think it's worth because compared to other n+c games in my opinion lamento's writing is the strongest.
the main menu and the whole interface is so fairylike i adore it + the ost is gorgeous!!! such an enjoyable experience.
also because i'm a tormented good looking old man enjoyer bardo's route hit the hardest for me. i'm sorry asato and rai fans, they're good but old tiger man supremacy >:)
shin megami tensei nocturne is great! a bit dated and tedious when it comes to some of the dungeons and the encounter rate is super high, but that can all be mended with mods. it is a bit annoying replaying the final three dungeons or so to get all the endings but it's worth it, considering the story is really solid and def more appealing than smt v's (since that's the last smt game i played).
i enjoyed the ost and atmosphere so much and the philosophical aspect of the story was really appealing. freedom ending for the win honestly.
also felt good seeing raidou again, since he's one of my fav smt protagonists, wish they would remaster and port the raidou games to pc. :/
i enjoyed the ost and atmosphere so much and the philosophical aspect of the story was really appealing. freedom ending for the win honestly.
also felt good seeing raidou again, since he's one of my fav smt protagonists, wish they would remaster and port the raidou games to pc. :/
2021
this is probably my favourite shin megami tensei game. i know this is a pretty hot take and understandably so, even tho the characters except v-kun and aogami were not enough explored...honestly? i didn't really care for the others... maybe except for nuwa and yakumo, where i really wish their backstories were explored more, but i digress.
the atmosphere is amazing and the combat is super fun! it could easily be a 5* game imo if the dungeons were more memorable and less tedious. as for the endings, the true ending was absolutely perfect and a fitting conclusion. also i love aogami so much best smt character. that's that. took me waaaaay too long to get my hands on this game and to finish it but all in all a very fun and pretty ride!
the atmosphere is amazing and the combat is super fun! it could easily be a 5* game imo if the dungeons were more memorable and less tedious. as for the endings, the true ending was absolutely perfect and a fitting conclusion. also i love aogami so much best smt character. that's that. took me waaaaay too long to get my hands on this game and to finish it but all in all a very fun and pretty ride!
wow, well, what to say...i'm typing this review with tears in my eyes, that's all i'm going to say.
final fantasy games are a big part of my life, 7 even more so than the others considering i played it 3 times or so and whenever i remember this game only fond and good emotions come up.
this remake left me speechless. it's everything a remake SHOULD be, i imagined the original game exactly like this when i was young and had only pixels at my service.
i love how this remake gave more dimension to characters and their respective dynamics, i love how fleshed out barret is and he became instantly one of those characters i can't wait to see on screen, aerith and tifa? i adore their interactions and that's exactly what i wanted to see in this game, their friendship feels so genuine and brought a smile to my face. as for cloud i can't wait to see the other part of the game which gives him more spotlight, but either way i love how he developed next to other characters.
i won't really delve into spoiler teritory right now and honestly i understand the scepticism about the new story elements and stuff and i really hope the story won't divulge into a different path considering important characters deaths etc. i have every hope the game will remain in core the same except some maybe additional what if scenarios but we'll see!
another thing i enjoyed was the yuffie dlc! playing the og ff7 i usually skipped her and went for vincent and never really paid much attention to her so this dlc was a welcome addition and made me love her and appreciate her more along with sonon who was such a good addition.
overall this is an almost perfect game for me. i experienced childlike wonder like i did the first time i played the original, i cried, i felt overwhelmed seeing everything i played as a child being restored in glorious HD. patiently waiting for january<3
final fantasy games are a big part of my life, 7 even more so than the others considering i played it 3 times or so and whenever i remember this game only fond and good emotions come up.
this remake left me speechless. it's everything a remake SHOULD be, i imagined the original game exactly like this when i was young and had only pixels at my service.
i love how this remake gave more dimension to characters and their respective dynamics, i love how fleshed out barret is and he became instantly one of those characters i can't wait to see on screen, aerith and tifa? i adore their interactions and that's exactly what i wanted to see in this game, their friendship feels so genuine and brought a smile to my face. as for cloud i can't wait to see the other part of the game which gives him more spotlight, but either way i love how he developed next to other characters.
i won't really delve into spoiler teritory right now and honestly i understand the scepticism about the new story elements and stuff and i really hope the story won't divulge into a different path considering important characters deaths etc. i have every hope the game will remain in core the same except some maybe additional what if scenarios but we'll see!
another thing i enjoyed was the yuffie dlc! playing the og ff7 i usually skipped her and went for vincent and never really paid much attention to her so this dlc was a welcome addition and made me love her and appreciate her more along with sonon who was such a good addition.
overall this is an almost perfect game for me. i experienced childlike wonder like i did the first time i played the original, i cried, i felt overwhelmed seeing everything i played as a child being restored in glorious HD. patiently waiting for january<3
ishin was pretty okay! i can totally understand people who think it didn't live up to the hype like other yakuza entries usually do and i understand people who think this was a pretty good remaster / yakuza entry.
i'm somewhere in the middle, i certainly did enjoy ishin but i kinda expected something more of it and i would change some things etc etc so i'll try quickly to mark up what i liked and disliked;
-i didn't like the combat that much, felt really clunky, expected something more akin to judgment combat which is fast and fluid; here in ishin combat falls flat. brawler style is completely void and in late game wild dancer is kinda useless too. swordmaster and gunner was the winning combo for me.
-the card system is really weird tbh i can get behind the concept but all in all it's just useless addition imo
-weapon crafting and upgrading felt like a chore and you can pretty much use that one heavenly sword from mukurogai until the lategame bosses
-speaking of bosses; combat wise the last portion of the last chapter was really crammed with mini bosses and boss fights in general and there's not a minute of respite not to mention the shortage of resources which made me restart some fights several times and ultimately killed my enjoyment
-as for the story aspect - the final boss esp didn't really live up to my hype and it was predictable, like one of my mutuals here mentioned
i may be projecting here a lot bc of the og yakuza characters and i realise that's not the main point here but it didn't sit well with me that they used specifically shibusawa for kiryu (ryoma's) kyodai. i'm a firm believer that should've been nishiki and everything would be more emotional and the stakes would be higher. but for those that think that'd be just a kiwami rehash they could've put someya at least, i think it would be a bit more believable compared to an old ass guy being the same age as ryoma LOL
-also like my mutual here said we were led to believe some characters would have a bigger role but in the end they just. did not.
-not a big fan of the oryo and ryoma romance angle, felt a bit forced
now the things i liked!
-the whole another life with haruka segment was so wholesome and fun and i would spend so much time there i just love ryoma and haruka so so so much
-the minigames were super fun
-this is my bias but i love how hijikata (mine) had a prominent role here and him interacting with kiryu filled my yakuza 3 holes with joy :) i love mine so much guys def my fave yakuza character + akiyama and hana too! although i wanted more screentime of them
-the shinsengumi quartet in the endgame was so good and gave me yakuza 4 vibes which i really liked
-even though the sidecontent could get sometimes overwhelming it sure was a fun ride
all in all a pretty decent game! def expected more but in the end i don't regret buying it and experiencing it for myself! hoping gaiden and y8 will be even better than this!
i'm somewhere in the middle, i certainly did enjoy ishin but i kinda expected something more of it and i would change some things etc etc so i'll try quickly to mark up what i liked and disliked;
-i didn't like the combat that much, felt really clunky, expected something more akin to judgment combat which is fast and fluid; here in ishin combat falls flat. brawler style is completely void and in late game wild dancer is kinda useless too. swordmaster and gunner was the winning combo for me.
-the card system is really weird tbh i can get behind the concept but all in all it's just useless addition imo
-weapon crafting and upgrading felt like a chore and you can pretty much use that one heavenly sword from mukurogai until the lategame bosses
-speaking of bosses; combat wise the last portion of the last chapter was really crammed with mini bosses and boss fights in general and there's not a minute of respite not to mention the shortage of resources which made me restart some fights several times and ultimately killed my enjoyment
-as for the story aspect - the final boss esp didn't really live up to my hype and it was predictable, like one of my mutuals here mentioned
i may be projecting here a lot bc of the og yakuza characters and i realise that's not the main point here but it didn't sit well with me that they used specifically shibusawa for kiryu (ryoma's) kyodai. i'm a firm believer that should've been nishiki and everything would be more emotional and the stakes would be higher. but for those that think that'd be just a kiwami rehash they could've put someya at least, i think it would be a bit more believable compared to an old ass guy being the same age as ryoma LOL
-also like my mutual here said we were led to believe some characters would have a bigger role but in the end they just. did not.
-not a big fan of the oryo and ryoma romance angle, felt a bit forced
now the things i liked!
-the whole another life with haruka segment was so wholesome and fun and i would spend so much time there i just love ryoma and haruka so so so much
-the minigames were super fun
-this is my bias but i love how hijikata (mine) had a prominent role here and him interacting with kiryu filled my yakuza 3 holes with joy :) i love mine so much guys def my fave yakuza character + akiyama and hana too! although i wanted more screentime of them
-the shinsengumi quartet in the endgame was so good and gave me yakuza 4 vibes which i really liked
-even though the sidecontent could get sometimes overwhelming it sure was a fun ride
all in all a pretty decent game! def expected more but in the end i don't regret buying it and experiencing it for myself! hoping gaiden and y8 will be even better than this!
after my 3 month gaming hiatus, starting off with a fatal frame game i really enjoyed! i think that's because suda51 co-directed the game and you can just feel his influence. i, as a kill the past enjoyer, was really thrilled. and it made me want to play moonlight syndrome.
anyways i enjoyed this entry more than the maiden of black water, i connected with the characters better, i was feeling the atmosphere more and the setting was more to my taste.
the biggest complaint here are the controls and the camera. its too clunky and makes exploring sometimes a chore. also i feel sometimes that there's too much backtracking but maybe that's on me. i loved playing as choshiro the most, i felt he was the smoothest to play with.
the story was also very very good and i hope this will bring us more fatal frame entries!
anyways i enjoyed this entry more than the maiden of black water, i connected with the characters better, i was feeling the atmosphere more and the setting was more to my taste.
the biggest complaint here are the controls and the camera. its too clunky and makes exploring sometimes a chore. also i feel sometimes that there's too much backtracking but maybe that's on me. i loved playing as choshiro the most, i felt he was the smoothest to play with.
the story was also very very good and i hope this will bring us more fatal frame entries!
2011
played the 2021 version.
corpse party, well, sure is a product of its time. i won't really go into a deep analysis of the game because the game itself isn't deep at all but i'll just mark some of my thoughts.
it's a pixel horror rpg and iirc the 2021 version improved the sprite arts which is cool. the art reminds me of the early 2000s animes so yeah, it's pretty neat. the ost and general atmosphere is good too. the story isn't something revolutionary not seen before, to be honest it was really predictable but the characters were interesting enough to finish this relatively quick.
as for the cons, ummm the writer sure wasn't shy to share his l0li bordering fetishes with piss kink sprinkles and lowkey incest. i sure didn't want to know that but considering the time the game came out i am not surprised.
though i wonder if the writer watched litchi hikari club because morishige reminds me a lot of zera. oh well.
corpse party, well, sure is a product of its time. i won't really go into a deep analysis of the game because the game itself isn't deep at all but i'll just mark some of my thoughts.
it's a pixel horror rpg and iirc the 2021 version improved the sprite arts which is cool. the art reminds me of the early 2000s animes so yeah, it's pretty neat. the ost and general atmosphere is good too. the story isn't something revolutionary not seen before, to be honest it was really predictable but the characters were interesting enough to finish this relatively quick.
as for the cons, ummm the writer sure wasn't shy to share his l0li bordering fetishes with piss kink sprinkles and lowkey incest. i sure didn't want to know that but considering the time the game came out i am not surprised.
though i wonder if the writer watched litchi hikari club because morishige reminds me a lot of zera. oh well.
thank you hit singer tm revolution for giving me samurai brainrot once again. it's really nice to see how big of a senbasa fan he is, considering his album ''utage'' is wholly dedicated to this game.
i heard about this game way before but i fixated on samurai warriors instead and this version being JPN only didn't help much. luckily, few years later being a japanology major led me here and i'm glad to play the complete version of the game.
senbasa utage is very fun! it's a classic musou game, some characters do have a bit of annoying combat kit but the quirks and cool character designs along with funny and heartwarming interactions make up for some of the gripes i had with this game.
i'm sad it's not localised because most of the interactions between characters are too funny (date and sasuke roasting each other through poetry, sorin literally singing all the time, oichi and mitsuhides interaction etc etc.)
probably gonna stick a while longer playing as date masamune because they nailed his whole character, his design, kit, voice actor, personality, everything. unfortunately this game runs poorly on the rpcs3 emulator so i had to make my experience a bit shorter than intended 😞
i heard about this game way before but i fixated on samurai warriors instead and this version being JPN only didn't help much. luckily, few years later being a japanology major led me here and i'm glad to play the complete version of the game.
senbasa utage is very fun! it's a classic musou game, some characters do have a bit of annoying combat kit but the quirks and cool character designs along with funny and heartwarming interactions make up for some of the gripes i had with this game.
i'm sad it's not localised because most of the interactions between characters are too funny (date and sasuke roasting each other through poetry, sorin literally singing all the time, oichi and mitsuhides interaction etc etc.)
probably gonna stick a while longer playing as date masamune because they nailed his whole character, his design, kit, voice actor, personality, everything. unfortunately this game runs poorly on the rpcs3 emulator so i had to make my experience a bit shorter than intended 😞
i really wish i played this game earlier. being a big twewy fan, a game that formed up my youth and brings back many great memories, i was a bit sceptic if the sequel could deliver as the original game did and i was also scared whether the sequel would sour my opinion on the franchise etc etc.
thank god, i was absolutely wrong. neo twewy polishes up some technical and graphical stuff that i felt was lacking in the first game. the ost is brilliant, the 2010s vibe is there, immaculate and the combat system is absurdly fun, a rare case where grinding isn't a chore, it's fun instead.
the story and characters are amazing, every character felt human and relatable and the reccuring characters were a delight to welcome back, even the antagonists were intriguing and had a story to tell. the ending was like a nice little bow that wrapped up neku's and rindo's saga. i wish i could write up more how this game needs to be played and how it's an absolute blast and joy to experience everyone's side of the story but i think this is enough.
so glad these games are a part of me :) i want everyone to feel a piece of what i felt while journeying with the neo twewy cast.
thank god, i was absolutely wrong. neo twewy polishes up some technical and graphical stuff that i felt was lacking in the first game. the ost is brilliant, the 2010s vibe is there, immaculate and the combat system is absurdly fun, a rare case where grinding isn't a chore, it's fun instead.
the story and characters are amazing, every character felt human and relatable and the reccuring characters were a delight to welcome back, even the antagonists were intriguing and had a story to tell. the ending was like a nice little bow that wrapped up neku's and rindo's saga. i wish i could write up more how this game needs to be played and how it's an absolute blast and joy to experience everyone's side of the story but i think this is enough.
so glad these games are a part of me :) i want everyone to feel a piece of what i felt while journeying with the neo twewy cast.
i just want to say that i really wish i spent 20h of my life on something productive or heck, something more fun and engaging but here we are.
i absolutely adore 999. vlr was kinda wonky but still interesting and i actually had a wish to play it and find out what happens, ztd on the other hand? boring, nonsensical, ugly and relies a lot on shock value which isn't really shocking, it's more like an uncomfortable and weird scene one after another.
the 1.5 star goes to team d, especially phi, because she is the only Normal character in this hell of a game.
akane and junpei are unrecognizable in this game, everything that made them likable and real - gone, now we have some puppets pretending to be a butchered up version of them. carlos is the token siscon character and i couldn't find myself caring for him as most of the people did, sigma and diana are okay, some moments were definitely weird but, well, it could be worse. team q? the most irrelevant and useless addition to the character roster. q is okay, i felt bad for him because the worst character in existence, eric, was picking on him all the time because he can't offer anything other than being obsessed with the second worst character - mira, or bitching and moaning about his family issues which weren't even explored enough.
as for the final antagonist and his motivations and the overall ending of the game? no comment, i think you just can't even make that up even if you tried, pointless, nonsensical and not satisfying at all.
i'm just sad and angry that this series didn't get the closure it deserved, instead we got this ??? really weird attempt of tying loose ends by making it even more farfetched and crazy. amazing.
i absolutely adore 999. vlr was kinda wonky but still interesting and i actually had a wish to play it and find out what happens, ztd on the other hand? boring, nonsensical, ugly and relies a lot on shock value which isn't really shocking, it's more like an uncomfortable and weird scene one after another.
the 1.5 star goes to team d, especially phi, because she is the only Normal character in this hell of a game.
akane and junpei are unrecognizable in this game, everything that made them likable and real - gone, now we have some puppets pretending to be a butchered up version of them. carlos is the token siscon character and i couldn't find myself caring for him as most of the people did, sigma and diana are okay, some moments were definitely weird but, well, it could be worse. team q? the most irrelevant and useless addition to the character roster. q is okay, i felt bad for him because the worst character in existence, eric, was picking on him all the time because he can't offer anything other than being obsessed with the second worst character - mira, or bitching and moaning about his family issues which weren't even explored enough.
as for the final antagonist and his motivations and the overall ending of the game? no comment, i think you just can't even make that up even if you tried, pointless, nonsensical and not satisfying at all.
i'm just sad and angry that this series didn't get the closure it deserved, instead we got this ??? really weird attempt of tying loose ends by making it even more farfetched and crazy. amazing.