etsonic
3 reviews liked by etsonic
This is such a mixed bag for me, and is simultaneously a superb story experience mixed with a draining gameplay experience. Yet, even the story experience isn't enough to make the gameplay forgivable, but not bad enough where the game's strongest elements are completely overshadowed by it's faults.
Truth be told, I should've expected this form of storytelling considering I played Automata and yet it manages to be even more tedious & grating than Automata. The incessant requirement of replaying the game three times got so unbelievably draining (not to mention the full weapon collection requirement) that I ended up just save-swapping to save my time and my sanity. The side quests are boring, the gameplay loop is.. okay, but nothing too amazing to make me want to keep playing more of it, especially when I'm doing the same loops multiple times. I understand WHY its used but it doesn't take away from how frustrating it was to just do the same thing over and over again for minimal gain, especially Route C which felt like a slap in the face to play. The excessive tedium and unrewarding gameplay loop made this game a chore to play, and made me almost want to drop it a few times.
Yet on the other hand, the game's writing is fantastic. I'd say the first route is completely forgettable but moving forward the different narrative elements that are added upon each route and the exploration of the four main characters is fantastic. Their relationships & how they find their purposes through one another is beautifully done, the overarching idea of humanity amongst the inhuman, and what makes them human, is really well done. The soundtrack is phenomenal and amplifies each of these key moments and I found myself wrapped up in their stories especially by Ending E. I don't think it's as good as Automata though, not by any margin, but it still shows that Yoko Taro's ability to write compelling narratives is strong. I have to say I don't think I ended up liking Kaine because her dialogue was just eyeroll-worthy at times but her journey alongside Emil was fulfilling from start to finish.
NieR Replicant is something I'm completely torn on, I don't know whether I like it or I don't like it. The gameplay and story qualities couldn't be further apart and it's weird because the gameplay & the overall game design would be like a 3-4 for me, but the story is easily an 8 for me. It's a strange mix of the best parts of why video games can be considered art yet it shoots itself in the foot when it comes to the fundamental experience of playing a game.
For now, I'll give it the merit of its story and see how I feel about it overtime. A wonderful story & cast of characters with a powerful ending, rich in it's subtextual exploration of humanity/human nature, and yet weighed down so significantly by it's tedium.
[Fun fact, the entire time I was playing Replicant, I ended up appreciating Automata the more I thought about it while playing it... because it's gameplay isn't even remotely as annoying as Replicant's, and its story is far superior too. Shoutout Automata, I was too harsh on you.]
Truth be told, I should've expected this form of storytelling considering I played Automata and yet it manages to be even more tedious & grating than Automata. The incessant requirement of replaying the game three times got so unbelievably draining (not to mention the full weapon collection requirement) that I ended up just save-swapping to save my time and my sanity. The side quests are boring, the gameplay loop is.. okay, but nothing too amazing to make me want to keep playing more of it, especially when I'm doing the same loops multiple times. I understand WHY its used but it doesn't take away from how frustrating it was to just do the same thing over and over again for minimal gain, especially Route C which felt like a slap in the face to play. The excessive tedium and unrewarding gameplay loop made this game a chore to play, and made me almost want to drop it a few times.
Yet on the other hand, the game's writing is fantastic. I'd say the first route is completely forgettable but moving forward the different narrative elements that are added upon each route and the exploration of the four main characters is fantastic. Their relationships & how they find their purposes through one another is beautifully done, the overarching idea of humanity amongst the inhuman, and what makes them human, is really well done. The soundtrack is phenomenal and amplifies each of these key moments and I found myself wrapped up in their stories especially by Ending E. I don't think it's as good as Automata though, not by any margin, but it still shows that Yoko Taro's ability to write compelling narratives is strong. I have to say I don't think I ended up liking Kaine because her dialogue was just eyeroll-worthy at times but her journey alongside Emil was fulfilling from start to finish.
NieR Replicant is something I'm completely torn on, I don't know whether I like it or I don't like it. The gameplay and story qualities couldn't be further apart and it's weird because the gameplay & the overall game design would be like a 3-4 for me, but the story is easily an 8 for me. It's a strange mix of the best parts of why video games can be considered art yet it shoots itself in the foot when it comes to the fundamental experience of playing a game.
For now, I'll give it the merit of its story and see how I feel about it overtime. A wonderful story & cast of characters with a powerful ending, rich in it's subtextual exploration of humanity/human nature, and yet weighed down so significantly by it's tedium.
[Fun fact, the entire time I was playing Replicant, I ended up appreciating Automata the more I thought about it while playing it... because it's gameplay isn't even remotely as annoying as Replicant's, and its story is far superior too. Shoutout Automata, I was too harsh on you.]
There is an incredible game beyond one of the worst paced stories I have ever experienced. It has a couple of flaws that are just so insanely bad, which is so sad because when the game hits it has some of gaming's strongest moments. This 9/10 rating really is a "10/10 except a number of genuinely 2/10 aspects". Was it not for ending E being incredible, I might have developed much worse of a view on it, due to the final endings being so weakly executed and told, and the constant replay loop structure being functionally useless after a certain point. A 40 hour long game with about 30 hours of incredible content, 8 hours of suffering and 2 hours of moments that I wish hit harder. And yes after a negative focused review I'm still giving it a 9/10 because Yoko Taro legally owns 37% of my brain and most of my organs.
Persona 3 Reload
2024
Death is something that no one will escape. Not only do we have to face our own deaths but we also deal with the pain of loved ones losing their lives as well. Learning how to live, heal, and grow through loss, tragedy, and acceptance that this will happen to you and all your loved ones is not easily overcome. There is no one way to go about it, there is no correct path to take, nor is there any timetable for the healing or acceptance. After a loved one dies or knowing you will be gone soon, some will lean on others(this is what MOST of the cast does in this game, also its what I would do), some will go into their shell, and for some they cannot handle the magnitude of some losses. Death is not something that most feel comfortable openly talking about, but Persona 3 Reload puts death front and center of their narrative and shows all the effects it can bring on the most excellent cast of characters I’ve ever experienced in gaming. While this game comes with a trigger warning for suicide, bullying, and death (and believe me by the end I was thoroughly depressed) and the content matter is uncomfortable I think its something that needs to be addressed and talked about more. This game needs to be heard and played. Its message is powerful and very real.
Persona 3 Reload has 4 things that single handedly make this a 5 star game. The first two of which I’ve already touched on. First this is my favorite cast in my 3 decades of playing video games. Every character is well written, likable, believable, and relatable. The main cast specifically has 6 characters (The MC, Aigis, Yukari, Misuru, Shinji, and Akihiko) that would be worthy of being the main character of a game. Even the villains, while clearly on the wrong side of things, have relatable, believable reasons for their actions. You will be hard pressed to find a better set of characters in the medium. Secondly is the story which goes in tandem with the characters to make a story that I will remember in detail for the rest of my life.
While I mentioned death is at the forefront of the game, the story to me is more about how to deal with tragedy, sacrifice, love, and ultimately the bonds we forge with the people in our lives. To me it is about how the bonds we forge make life worth it and while death will ultimately end it in sadness it only hurts because of how good the journey was making it more than worth the pain at the end.
Our main cast have been devastated with tragedies before the game even starts. The MC is an orphan, Junpei has a big spoiler happen to him that broke my heart, Yukari’s father has passed, Akihiko’s entire family is gone, Aigis is searching for a reason to live, Mitsuru has dealt with death from her family as well as having to deal with ultimate demons that her family left her with, shinji has no family, Amada lost his parents while in elementary school, Koromaru’s owner recently passed, and they all deal with multiple spoiler losses that affect them all throughout the story. They learn to grow and heal by leaning on and loving each other becoming the family that they all had been missing. I want to go much deeper into the story but it is hard without just spoiling everything but please please play this game to find out what happens for yourself. It is heart wrenching, emotionally draining, downright depressing, but it also has heart warming, uplifting moments, hilarious moments, genuine beautiful moments that again make the journey worth it. I won't spoil the ending either but it was a beautiful tragic bitter sweet moment with major ramifications for all the major characters you meet along the way. I literally couldn’t believe everything I had just witnessed… Also the MC went through and accomplished more than pretty much any protagonist in any game ever.
The 3rd and 4th thing that immediately elevate this to a 5 star for me are the music and art style. Baby Baby Baby Baby Baby Baby!!! One of the most electric and amazing soundtracks gaming has to offer can be found in Persona 3 Reload. “Full Moon Full Life” “Joy” “It’s Going Down Now” “Mass Destruction” are all stand out hits but the Final Boss Theme is by far my favorite in the series so far. When the velvet room hits in the track it immediately became my favorite. The UI is something to behold. It is flashy and beautiful. It captures the spirit of the series very similar to Persona 5’s interface. The characters are unique and well designed and there are some really awesome shadow designs as well.
The gameplay loop is extremely solid and satisfying. It doesn’t reinvent the wheel but it does require strategy and with knowledge of the persona system you can make the MC wildly overpowered. I always appreciate JRPG’S where you don't just use a physical attack all the way through the game except on bosses and this game definitely isn’t that. The life sim aspects of the game are awesome as well. I will say there are a few social links that I didn't care for at all like the kid in your class whose whole arc is simping for his teacher and “The Gourmet King” who has a touching moment but for 90% he’s a pompous asshole that eats a lot. However there are some truly great and touching social links as well that make it well worth your time to invest in all of them.
My one and literally only complaint in this game is that you have way too many things to juggle during the day time to try and complete and very few night time options. This is especially true during the late game. If day and night was more balanced I would say this is a perfect game.
The story (mostly spoiler stuff that I really want to talk about but wont) really touched me, hit me, hurt me, made me want to cry, made me laugh, and most of all made me think quite a bit, both about the game and about life in general. Not many games have made me do half of that stuff. I haven’t even mentioned the twist and turns this game throws at you, Strega, Pharos, Tarturus, love interests, and so many other things that if I mention this would turn into a 100,00 word review. This is one of the few games I think everyone should play before it's their turn to face death.
It made many lists for me!!
It easily made my top 100! Spoiler you're going to have to scroll way down to find it.
https://www.backloggd.com/u/DVince89/list/my-favorite-100-video-game-of-all-time/
My games i played in 2024 ranked
https://www.backloggd.com/u/DVince89/list/games-i-played-in-2024-ranked-1/
My games of each year
https://www.backloggd.com/u/DVince89/list/my-game-of-the-year-1985-present/
Best Soundtracks in games
https://www.backloggd.com/u/DVince89/list/my-favorite-sounds-tracks-in-video-games-no-order/
Best Box Arts
https://www.backloggd.com/u/DVince89/list/my-favorite-box-arts-of-all-time-ranked/
Persona 3 Reload has 4 things that single handedly make this a 5 star game. The first two of which I’ve already touched on. First this is my favorite cast in my 3 decades of playing video games. Every character is well written, likable, believable, and relatable. The main cast specifically has 6 characters (The MC, Aigis, Yukari, Misuru, Shinji, and Akihiko) that would be worthy of being the main character of a game. Even the villains, while clearly on the wrong side of things, have relatable, believable reasons for their actions. You will be hard pressed to find a better set of characters in the medium. Secondly is the story which goes in tandem with the characters to make a story that I will remember in detail for the rest of my life.
While I mentioned death is at the forefront of the game, the story to me is more about how to deal with tragedy, sacrifice, love, and ultimately the bonds we forge with the people in our lives. To me it is about how the bonds we forge make life worth it and while death will ultimately end it in sadness it only hurts because of how good the journey was making it more than worth the pain at the end.
Our main cast have been devastated with tragedies before the game even starts. The MC is an orphan, Junpei has a big spoiler happen to him that broke my heart, Yukari’s father has passed, Akihiko’s entire family is gone, Aigis is searching for a reason to live, Mitsuru has dealt with death from her family as well as having to deal with ultimate demons that her family left her with, shinji has no family, Amada lost his parents while in elementary school, Koromaru’s owner recently passed, and they all deal with multiple spoiler losses that affect them all throughout the story. They learn to grow and heal by leaning on and loving each other becoming the family that they all had been missing. I want to go much deeper into the story but it is hard without just spoiling everything but please please play this game to find out what happens for yourself. It is heart wrenching, emotionally draining, downright depressing, but it also has heart warming, uplifting moments, hilarious moments, genuine beautiful moments that again make the journey worth it. I won't spoil the ending either but it was a beautiful tragic bitter sweet moment with major ramifications for all the major characters you meet along the way. I literally couldn’t believe everything I had just witnessed… Also the MC went through and accomplished more than pretty much any protagonist in any game ever.
The 3rd and 4th thing that immediately elevate this to a 5 star for me are the music and art style. Baby Baby Baby Baby Baby Baby!!! One of the most electric and amazing soundtracks gaming has to offer can be found in Persona 3 Reload. “Full Moon Full Life” “Joy” “It’s Going Down Now” “Mass Destruction” are all stand out hits but the Final Boss Theme is by far my favorite in the series so far. When the velvet room hits in the track it immediately became my favorite. The UI is something to behold. It is flashy and beautiful. It captures the spirit of the series very similar to Persona 5’s interface. The characters are unique and well designed and there are some really awesome shadow designs as well.
The gameplay loop is extremely solid and satisfying. It doesn’t reinvent the wheel but it does require strategy and with knowledge of the persona system you can make the MC wildly overpowered. I always appreciate JRPG’S where you don't just use a physical attack all the way through the game except on bosses and this game definitely isn’t that. The life sim aspects of the game are awesome as well. I will say there are a few social links that I didn't care for at all like the kid in your class whose whole arc is simping for his teacher and “The Gourmet King” who has a touching moment but for 90% he’s a pompous asshole that eats a lot. However there are some truly great and touching social links as well that make it well worth your time to invest in all of them.
My one and literally only complaint in this game is that you have way too many things to juggle during the day time to try and complete and very few night time options. This is especially true during the late game. If day and night was more balanced I would say this is a perfect game.
The story (mostly spoiler stuff that I really want to talk about but wont) really touched me, hit me, hurt me, made me want to cry, made me laugh, and most of all made me think quite a bit, both about the game and about life in general. Not many games have made me do half of that stuff. I haven’t even mentioned the twist and turns this game throws at you, Strega, Pharos, Tarturus, love interests, and so many other things that if I mention this would turn into a 100,00 word review. This is one of the few games I think everyone should play before it's their turn to face death.
It made many lists for me!!
It easily made my top 100! Spoiler you're going to have to scroll way down to find it.
https://www.backloggd.com/u/DVince89/list/my-favorite-100-video-game-of-all-time/
My games i played in 2024 ranked
https://www.backloggd.com/u/DVince89/list/games-i-played-in-2024-ranked-1/
My games of each year
https://www.backloggd.com/u/DVince89/list/my-game-of-the-year-1985-present/
Best Soundtracks in games
https://www.backloggd.com/u/DVince89/list/my-favorite-sounds-tracks-in-video-games-no-order/
Best Box Arts
https://www.backloggd.com/u/DVince89/list/my-favorite-box-arts-of-all-time-ranked/