donuts
Giving it 5 stars, fully aware of the pacing issues if you choose to 100% the game. It’s that good. Fully aware that not every location matches the vibe of the original. The attention to detail, story moments, and the way they handle the characters are just too good to include the shortcomings. Also the combat is incredibly deep and fun. Can’t wait for the third instalment
As someone who has been playing through the entire series fresh, with no prior experience, this was maybe the perfect last instalment. I was frequently impressed buy the graphics and the movie feel of it all. I didn't particularly enjoy the combat, but it was an enjoyable experience overall. Now to watch the movie.
As positive as I want to be about this game, I can't help but think to the negatives when reviewing. It's STUNNING and is now the first game I show people when showing off the PS5. But I didn't really enjoy the story, progression, much of the combat, MJ missions, and the writing in the game. Maybe part of it is because I've done this twice already (spiderman 1, miles morales), but I was hoping for more out of what I spent $100 on.
2023
Truthfully I’m not completely sure why this isn’t a 5 star and just short. But then it hit me, as amazing as this game already is (combat, pacing, challenge, discovery) it somehow still has room to grow. And that’s exciting.
2010
A product of its time but some parts really shine through (pun intended!)
2023
Seriously special game - and I say that knowing full well the story isn't the greatest and sometimes the dialogue fumbles. But the love and care of the dev team REALLY shines through, and I think that alone carries it quite far. Direct comparisons with Chained Echoes made me a little nervous going into it, but having played (and loved) both I can say they both have their own space in the retro RPG genre.
2023
A great game with it's share of flaws. The combat was amazing until I "figured it out" and it became predictable and samey. Would love a DLC!
Games like this (I imagine) never leave the cutting room floor.
To pitch this game in any other context than having Kojima's name attached to this (I imagine) would be impossible.
But whatever I imagined came to life anyways, and it's a masterpiece.
To pitch this game in any other context than having Kojima's name attached to this (I imagine) would be impossible.
But whatever I imagined came to life anyways, and it's a masterpiece.
I was compelled to finish it out of pure spite for the ring collecting minigame. I don't think visual novels should be inherently difficult by any stretch, and the ring collecting was frustrating to say the least. In a different context it'd be fine, but that's not what I was going into the game expecting. That being said, I finished it, and I enjoyed the visual novel part of the game!
The only thing I can say that hasn't been said is that I played this game in 2019, and didn't finish it until 2023. It rocks.
The difficulty curve was interesting and off-putting at times, and what I found myself doing (in retrospect) is putting the game down right before I would have gotten over the hump and continued to enjoy it.
In spite of that, potentially a top-10 gaming experience of all time! And you probably already know why.
The difficulty curve was interesting and off-putting at times, and what I found myself doing (in retrospect) is putting the game down right before I would have gotten over the hump and continued to enjoy it.
In spite of that, potentially a top-10 gaming experience of all time! And you probably already know why.
2022
This is my first VIDEO game, and I was blown away by it. The work that must have gone into creating 3 movies, chopping up the scenes and connecting all 3 via match-cuts is just an unfathomable task. The way that all this [almost] seamlessly flows together is amazing. I did have a little trouble navigating the game on an iPad, but what I got out of it was incredibly thought-provoking and still has me thinking about it.
2022
I initially gave this 5 stars fresh off my first playthrough, but it does have its hiccups as far as storytelling (it is overall STELLAR) and polishing of the crafting/upgrading systems is concerned. Aside from that, it is probably the greatest love letter to the retro JRPG genre I have ever played, with so many nods to classics and scenarios that just give you the feeling like you're 11 years old playing PS1 again. I find that feeling very hard to capture, but Chained Echoes does it in stride.
Certainly a weird one in 2022, even with the remaster from a few years ago. There's a ton to critique and appreciate about this, but viewing it as a growing experience and a figuring out of what the series was going to become makes up for many of its misgivings. Music and style are unmatched, though.
2017
Let me be clear: The (small) amount I played blew me away.
It did take a few tries to "get it", and I did end up dropping it at a point. The game is just not for me at this time, as far as difficulty is concerned. But I can appreciate what this is doing and cherish the time I spent with it. I also understand fully all the praise it received and is an absolute steal at its price.
It did take a few tries to "get it", and I did end up dropping it at a point. The game is just not for me at this time, as far as difficulty is concerned. But I can appreciate what this is doing and cherish the time I spent with it. I also understand fully all the praise it received and is an absolute steal at its price.
A foundational JRPG experience, which somehow has still retained all its charm in 2022 to me. My only complaint is I needed a guide for much of the game due to my lack of wanting to trial-and-error my way out of progressing the story. I think I enjoyed it more after having played DQXI, and will likely enjoy whichever instalment I choose to play next more because of this experience.