decayofangel
this game is absolutely phenomenal, dare I say it's even better than any ace attorney. short and sweet, this game doesn't suffer from bad pacing, everything is p straight-forward, the puzzles were just right, no need to rip my hair out or smth, everything went pretty smooth, the music is so good and the character designs are really bright and unique as well as their personalities. i can't go into spoilers because this game just needs to be played blind. one of the rare games that got me so immersed and obsessed to just finish it because the plot is so appealing and makes you just wish to know what's the deal here. 5/5 from me also missile my most beloved doggo <3
2023
wow, this game just reminded me that games can be unapologetically fun, silly and heartwarming all at once. playing hi-fi rush is such a blast and the way how much love and care is put in it never ceases to amaze me, everything moving to the beat of the song, the soundtrack being phenomenal, seeing number girl as one of the tracks in the game, not to mention nine inch nails at the end of the game just left me speechless. the art and animation is so smooth and vibrant, the 2d to 3d change is so fluid and the character designs are very charming and unique i may say.
i had some gripes about the combat such as no lock-on option and some fights just being overwhelming but i quickly forgot my complaints, which are minor, when i was playing the ending, where i caught myself playing it with a big smile and jamming to the music, a priceless experience.
i would recommend this game to everyone, it's a sweet ride and perfect for just relaxing and soaking in the vibrant atmosphere and enjoying the banter between the characters. the evil within fans will see two fellow familiar characters making a cameo, which was very sweet :) i still have to do some post-game content but all in all i loved playing this!
i had some gripes about the combat such as no lock-on option and some fights just being overwhelming but i quickly forgot my complaints, which are minor, when i was playing the ending, where i caught myself playing it with a big smile and jamming to the music, a priceless experience.
i would recommend this game to everyone, it's a sweet ride and perfect for just relaxing and soaking in the vibrant atmosphere and enjoying the banter between the characters. the evil within fans will see two fellow familiar characters making a cameo, which was very sweet :) i still have to do some post-game content but all in all i loved playing this!
2022
man...i have a lot of things to say about this game. i decided to actually play it after hearing a lot of praise and honestly i expected way more than it delivered. this game felt like a weird mashup of nier automata, silent hill and resident evil. the vibes were there but the storytelling is too cryptic and unclear for my taste. also the endgame is very frustrating because you don't have a map and enough inventory space so most of the time you're just backtracking and the enemies are pretty annoying so that left a bad taste in my mouth. i respect what the devs wanted to do and i love the idea and concept but i think it's not executed THAT well as everyone claims it is. would enjoy it probably more if i didn't know german and japanese but oh well. i really wish i could like it as much as everyone did :/
2020
i heard a lot of praises for this game and to be fair, i really thought people overhyped this game too much so i was like, is it really this good and so i decided to finally sit down and play it. words cannot describe how every single person was right about this game, it deserves the praise it got. the visuals are cutesy and nice and the music is excellent, even the unsettling parts were very well done. i cried quite a few times while playing and i'm not the kind of person to cry while playing video games. the story hits close to home, the characters are amazingly written and this is the game i would reccomend to everyone, if they're okay with the various sensitive topics mentioned. truly a 5/5 game for me.
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
i understand this game is hit or miss, you can either absolutely adore it or you can simply hate it. personally, i enjoyed this game a LOT, i think it's even better than the first game, but that's mostly because ryuki and tama and of course mizuki made this game for me. i can't explain how much ryuki's character means to me.
the somniums were super fun and emotional, i even cried at some of the routes. i really love doing various routes and connecting the pieces no matter how absurd the story may be. sure there's some things left unsaid and incomplete but all in all it's about the friends we made along the way. it's heartwarming and good and i love the bonds between the characters. they feel genuine and not forced at all and that's what matters to me the most.
the somniums were super fun and emotional, i even cried at some of the routes. i really love doing various routes and connecting the pieces no matter how absurd the story may be. sure there's some things left unsaid and incomplete but all in all it's about the friends we made along the way. it's heartwarming and good and i love the bonds between the characters. they feel genuine and not forced at all and that's what matters to me the most.
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
i started this game because of ''haha lmao lol chaos limp bizkit jack is an asshole'' things, expecting literally nothing of this game except some memey fun times. boy, was I wrong.
I would like to say people did not exaggerate when they said ''game of the century, peak gaming''. the battle system was a bit hard for me, though i felt a great joy after going thru the levels and bosses because i thought a lot while tackling bosses, changing job classes, using various techniques and such. the levels can be a bit overwhelming, esp with no map so i needed to consult guides from time to time, but the atmosphere and the BRILLIANT ost with various old final fantasy references made it all worth.
the game starts of meme-y, but the group dynamic is so genuine and good, I loved all the characters, nothing seemed forced and they just did their thing. by the end, jack definitively became one of my fave final fantasy protags, his self-awareness and realisations really hit home and wrapped everything up neatly. the ending was also really really good, I did this spoiler free review so I can't really elaborate much but everything fell into place and blew my mind, 'til that point I didn't think much of it, but after that? changed my whole experience.
sop > midal midtasy 15
I would like to say people did not exaggerate when they said ''game of the century, peak gaming''. the battle system was a bit hard for me, though i felt a great joy after going thru the levels and bosses because i thought a lot while tackling bosses, changing job classes, using various techniques and such. the levels can be a bit overwhelming, esp with no map so i needed to consult guides from time to time, but the atmosphere and the BRILLIANT ost with various old final fantasy references made it all worth.
the game starts of meme-y, but the group dynamic is so genuine and good, I loved all the characters, nothing seemed forced and they just did their thing. by the end, jack definitively became one of my fave final fantasy protags, his self-awareness and realisations really hit home and wrapped everything up neatly. the ending was also really really good, I did this spoiler free review so I can't really elaborate much but everything fell into place and blew my mind, 'til that point I didn't think much of it, but after that? changed my whole experience.
sop > midal midtasy 15
another shadow drop i'm positively impressed with! i really adore the showa era vibe and sound along with japanese folklore and i love how detailed everything was, i absorbed the whole atmosphere and read all the files i got along the way. also another thing i really appreciate is the sprites, they're really expressive and not repetitive like it can get in most visual novels. the characters are very good, i enjoyed what i got out of them!
the only thing i didn't like was that at moments the game got a bit predictable and some plot points were a bit rushed but honestly this game got me seated and engaged for a fair bit of time so i won't be getting too critical of it. it's fun, it's got a vibe going on and it's neatly packed and wrapped up :) a recommendation for anyone who likes zero escape!
the only thing i didn't like was that at moments the game got a bit predictable and some plot points were a bit rushed but honestly this game got me seated and engaged for a fair bit of time so i won't be getting too critical of it. it's fun, it's got a vibe going on and it's neatly packed and wrapped up :) a recommendation for anyone who likes zero escape!
2019
to be fair i didn't really have many expectations for this game, but after playing tanimura's side and the final chapter, my opinion shifted greatly.
tanimura is honestly a really underrated character, he's so refreshing and i'm a sucker for morally gray detectives. he and shun make a great pair ngl their dynamic is so fun... the requiem chapter wrapped everything neatly and sometimes the game gets so corny and over the top it made me laugh so much several times. the ost is brilliant, maybe another favourite after the y0 ost. i have to admit the game is lacking in several places, for example saejima was a pain to play and kiryu didn't really spark any interest in me, but the pros overweight the cons imo.
tanimura is honestly a really underrated character, he's so refreshing and i'm a sucker for morally gray detectives. he and shun make a great pair ngl their dynamic is so fun... the requiem chapter wrapped everything neatly and sometimes the game gets so corny and over the top it made me laugh so much several times. the ost is brilliant, maybe another favourite after the y0 ost. i have to admit the game is lacking in several places, for example saejima was a pain to play and kiryu didn't really spark any interest in me, but the pros overweight the cons imo.
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!
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!
2018
I wanted to play this game for a long while because it checked all my boxes - plainly speaking, Yakuza meets Ace Attorney. I'm really happy the wait was worth everything because this just became my favourite game ever, which speaks volumes, not to mention that I was obsessively playing it day and night, it's that good.
While I was waiting for it to get ported to PC I heard many good things for this game, but I wanted to see it all for myself and dug in blind, without any big expectations because having played 6 Yakuza games I expected something of similar quality. Turns out, I was wrong.
I can say with confindence that this is in my opinion the best RGG game (tied with Yakuza 0 and Yakuza 7, which in my are peak gaming, in terms of story and combat). The plot was amazingly done, it felt so fluid and smooth and everything fell together nicely when we consider the full picture of everything happening in seemingly ordinary ''yakuza serial killings''. Usually, even in a good chunk of Yakuza games the plot gets a bit too much and flies over your head or the protagonists cough Kiryu cough are above everyone and pull some asspulls to get their point across.
It was very refreshing to see a bit of a slower setting, with a more realistic protagonist. I like how Yagami has throughout his journey a lot of rising and falling and bumps along the road which remind us how he's just a normal person who can get in danger when he digs deeper than he should. Also I love how most of stuff that Yagami needed to finally get to the truth was because of his various bonds; Kaito, Higashi and the Matsugane gang, Sugiura, Hoshino, Saori and Mafuyu too. Everyone got their time to shine and I like that very much, their bonds really felt genuine, not to mention how every of the characters I mentioned are amazing, the writing in this game is excellent imo.
Now for the antagonists, Mole was soooo interesting and the whole web around them, got me thinking a lot about the plot and their identity which kept me entertained the whole duration of the game, I actually felt like a part of it. I wish I could write a bit more about it all but it's spoiler teritory so that's that.
The ost is brilliant and the atmosphere is top notch. Kamurocho is so bright and walking around making friends along the way was amazing, even though some of the friends weren't that good. The things that made such a great impression on me were, of course, the classic cozy Yagami Detective Office, but more importantly, the last segment of chapter 12 which gave me chills and the last segment of the final chapter, I unironically felt creeped out and it was so well done I was at the edge of my seat all the time.
To sum it up: Yagami as the protag is a breath of fresh air, he's charming (KimuTaku wink wink), witty, interesting and not afraid to fight for what is right, the other main characters are stunning and brimming with personality, the plot is superb - this is imo the best written rgg game, ost and setting - brilliant. Can't wait to play the sequel and see more of the story.
While I was waiting for it to get ported to PC I heard many good things for this game, but I wanted to see it all for myself and dug in blind, without any big expectations because having played 6 Yakuza games I expected something of similar quality. Turns out, I was wrong.
I can say with confindence that this is in my opinion the best RGG game (tied with Yakuza 0 and Yakuza 7, which in my are peak gaming, in terms of story and combat). The plot was amazingly done, it felt so fluid and smooth and everything fell together nicely when we consider the full picture of everything happening in seemingly ordinary ''yakuza serial killings''. Usually, even in a good chunk of Yakuza games the plot gets a bit too much and flies over your head or the protagonists cough Kiryu cough are above everyone and pull some asspulls to get their point across.
It was very refreshing to see a bit of a slower setting, with a more realistic protagonist. I like how Yagami has throughout his journey a lot of rising and falling and bumps along the road which remind us how he's just a normal person who can get in danger when he digs deeper than he should. Also I love how most of stuff that Yagami needed to finally get to the truth was because of his various bonds; Kaito, Higashi and the Matsugane gang, Sugiura, Hoshino, Saori and Mafuyu too. Everyone got their time to shine and I like that very much, their bonds really felt genuine, not to mention how every of the characters I mentioned are amazing, the writing in this game is excellent imo.
Now for the antagonists, Mole was soooo interesting and the whole web around them, got me thinking a lot about the plot and their identity which kept me entertained the whole duration of the game, I actually felt like a part of it. I wish I could write a bit more about it all but it's spoiler teritory so that's that.
The ost is brilliant and the atmosphere is top notch. Kamurocho is so bright and walking around making friends along the way was amazing, even though some of the friends weren't that good. The things that made such a great impression on me were, of course, the classic cozy Yagami Detective Office, but more importantly, the last segment of chapter 12 which gave me chills and the last segment of the final chapter, I unironically felt creeped out and it was so well done I was at the edge of my seat all the time.
To sum it up: Yagami as the protag is a breath of fresh air, he's charming (KimuTaku wink wink), witty, interesting and not afraid to fight for what is right, the other main characters are stunning and brimming with personality, the plot is superb - this is imo the best written rgg game, ost and setting - brilliant. Can't wait to play the sequel and see more of the story.
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. :/
999 is a perfect game in my opinion. The story didn't overstay its welcome and everything was pretty much straight to the point and the twists were interesting and well timed if I can say so. The puzzles were easy and quick, it would be nice if they were just a little bit more challenging. Also wish we could skip escape rooms while doing other routes. The cast is amazing and honestly I think Akane is one of the best written female characters. Some characters, like Lotus for example, were a bit sidelined so I couldn't really form an opinion but other than that it truly is a 10/10 game for me.
VLR on the other hand is a bit of a mixed bag imo. I didn't really get attached to the cast like I did with the 999 one and some branches were a chore to play. The puzzles were challenging I gotta admit and the story and endgame twists were truly intriguing while some early game parts were just... boring :/ I'm a bit dissappointed in the character models and UI considering this is a remaster of sorts, I expected a more polished look, it looks poorly aged otherwise.
All in all, I'm glad I got into Zero Escape, I very much enjoy Uchikoshi's writing and it's a warm recommendation from me~
VLR on the other hand is a bit of a mixed bag imo. I didn't really get attached to the cast like I did with the 999 one and some branches were a chore to play. The puzzles were challenging I gotta admit and the story and endgame twists were truly intriguing while some early game parts were just... boring :/ I'm a bit dissappointed in the character models and UI considering this is a remaster of sorts, I expected a more polished look, it looks poorly aged otherwise.
All in all, I'm glad I got into Zero Escape, I very much enjoy Uchikoshi's writing and it's a warm recommendation from me~