jbcrowe
A dream-y odyssey of a game that I won't forget anytime soon. I've become very familiar with Analgesic Productions the past while, with Sephonie being a great little introduction to their style, Even The Ocean winning me over even more and then Anodyne 2 solidifying their presence as one of the best and original indie developers going today. You genuinely will not find other game experiences out there like what they have to offer.
There's so much here to love for the nostalgic gamer from another era, with the hazy 3D adventure platformer exploration along with 2D top down dungeon-style levels with puzzles and enemies. The liminal psychedelic world that feels like you dreamed up a video game you never played from the 90's is a sad, lonely landscape, eerie-ly deserted and devoid of most life, except for the odd bizarre being you'll come across. Most of the areas feel unique and distinguishable as you navigate the various sections, with certain landmarks keeping you aware of where you are.
Just wandering/driving around these areas gives you that strange feeling that has become so well known online nowadays - social media is full of videos and posts of liminal spaces; empty malls, toy stores, nighttime parking lots, closed businesses, places from our childhood that are warm and fuzzy in our brains, but feel cold and alien now. Warbly fuzzy synth music is playing over the videos, almost like it's playing from a distant speaker. It's a feeling we all have thinking of our childhoods, but these videos have that huge whiff of "weaponized nostalgia"; oh look how perfect life used to be as a kid. Don't you hate having bills to pay and adult responsibilities? Don't you wish you could still go to Blockbuster and rent PS1 games and have a sleepover and get Pizza Hut?
What Analgesic Productions do with their games that feels like an anomaly in these times is somehow give you that same feeling with their worlds. Yeah sure, they use graphics and art direction and music that resembles that foregone time. But they create their own original worlds with it all, while also making subtle references to the real world and emotions and struggles. Anxiety, self-worth, isolation, it's all here in spades. There's a moment here in Anodyne 2 with a specific character interaction that takes the game and places you into a completely different place that had me completely turned around - I had no idea what was happening and I did not expect it. As the sequence went on and it began exploring real world emotions and feelings, it got... strange. Things felt.. not right. And then it went to a dark and scary place that I was quickly adamant to get through so I could (hopefully) return to the other world I got to know. Even if that world didn't even feel like where I belonged.
I have said this about every Analgesic game I've reviewed so far but the music in their games is always just amazing. Melos Han-Tani knocks it out of the park with memorable song after memorable song, each one distinct enough and perfectly encapsulating the area that its featured in, music that you welcome every time you return to the region. It pulls you into the world like a warm ghostly embrace; it's a soundtrack to fall asleep to, wake up to, feel comforted by and yet also feel tense and uncertain. There's also just some great bops... the guy can write a good bop!
The writing in their games (usually primarily) by Marina Kittaka is a lot... there is a ton of dialogue in their titles, but I'm constantly impressed and taken aback by the sincerity, the train-of-thought observations (and often sometimes real thoughts or opinions a lot of us have had before that feel too personal or weird to share) that they can give to a weird ass looking creature person thing that slightly resembles what a child may endearingly design in a 3D animation program, and who just stands in one spot of the world chilling. Especially with how this game handles its main story/objective; doing an Inception-style dive into these characters' inner self and exploring the little world inside, to rid them of Dust, which is what is infecting the denizens of this world. There is a lot to read in their games (they don't feature voice acting, which is totally fine), and I'm constantly surprised by the writing style and how much thought and care was put into it. Some passages really got to me.
If you're still reading (hi!) and haven't played this and are wondering if it's for you, I want to compare this to one of my favorite games, The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask, which is a comparison I made after completing the game:
You wander around a world (Termina) divided up into regions (north/south/east/west) with a central town type hub (Clown Town) in the middle. There's a looming apocalyptic threat (the moon). You're going around talking to NPC's and helping them with problems (Bombers Notebook), which usually results in a dungeon-type level with puzzles and sometimes a boss battle, and doing so you collect a card (mask..?) and dust, both resources you need to then go back to the central hub and deposit (rupees in the bank) before you begin each new "cycle" (there's no days in Anodyne 2 like in Majora's Mask, but you need to deposit the dust or else you cap off at a certain amount and won't get any new dust until it's deposited). Both feel light-hearted and whimsical at times but have those oppressive and sad moments... their worlds are connected, but disconnected by a threat of darkness. If I really wanted to I could probably make some more far-reaching connections but I'll leave it at that. Both are still very different games but when I suddenly made those comparions, I felt like I could see why this game clicked with me so much. On top of it just being a fantastic indie title.
Analgesic should be on so many peoples radars, I really really adore their work and I find them very influential as someone who writes fiction and would love to take a stab writing a video game some day.
There's so much here to love for the nostalgic gamer from another era, with the hazy 3D adventure platformer exploration along with 2D top down dungeon-style levels with puzzles and enemies. The liminal psychedelic world that feels like you dreamed up a video game you never played from the 90's is a sad, lonely landscape, eerie-ly deserted and devoid of most life, except for the odd bizarre being you'll come across. Most of the areas feel unique and distinguishable as you navigate the various sections, with certain landmarks keeping you aware of where you are.
Just wandering/driving around these areas gives you that strange feeling that has become so well known online nowadays - social media is full of videos and posts of liminal spaces; empty malls, toy stores, nighttime parking lots, closed businesses, places from our childhood that are warm and fuzzy in our brains, but feel cold and alien now. Warbly fuzzy synth music is playing over the videos, almost like it's playing from a distant speaker. It's a feeling we all have thinking of our childhoods, but these videos have that huge whiff of "weaponized nostalgia"; oh look how perfect life used to be as a kid. Don't you hate having bills to pay and adult responsibilities? Don't you wish you could still go to Blockbuster and rent PS1 games and have a sleepover and get Pizza Hut?
What Analgesic Productions do with their games that feels like an anomaly in these times is somehow give you that same feeling with their worlds. Yeah sure, they use graphics and art direction and music that resembles that foregone time. But they create their own original worlds with it all, while also making subtle references to the real world and emotions and struggles. Anxiety, self-worth, isolation, it's all here in spades. There's a moment here in Anodyne 2 with a specific character interaction that takes the game and places you into a completely different place that had me completely turned around - I had no idea what was happening and I did not expect it. As the sequence went on and it began exploring real world emotions and feelings, it got... strange. Things felt.. not right. And then it went to a dark and scary place that I was quickly adamant to get through so I could (hopefully) return to the other world I got to know. Even if that world didn't even feel like where I belonged.
I have said this about every Analgesic game I've reviewed so far but the music in their games is always just amazing. Melos Han-Tani knocks it out of the park with memorable song after memorable song, each one distinct enough and perfectly encapsulating the area that its featured in, music that you welcome every time you return to the region. It pulls you into the world like a warm ghostly embrace; it's a soundtrack to fall asleep to, wake up to, feel comforted by and yet also feel tense and uncertain. There's also just some great bops... the guy can write a good bop!
The writing in their games (usually primarily) by Marina Kittaka is a lot... there is a ton of dialogue in their titles, but I'm constantly impressed and taken aback by the sincerity, the train-of-thought observations (and often sometimes real thoughts or opinions a lot of us have had before that feel too personal or weird to share) that they can give to a weird ass looking creature person thing that slightly resembles what a child may endearingly design in a 3D animation program, and who just stands in one spot of the world chilling. Especially with how this game handles its main story/objective; doing an Inception-style dive into these characters' inner self and exploring the little world inside, to rid them of Dust, which is what is infecting the denizens of this world. There is a lot to read in their games (they don't feature voice acting, which is totally fine), and I'm constantly surprised by the writing style and how much thought and care was put into it. Some passages really got to me.
If you're still reading (hi!) and haven't played this and are wondering if it's for you, I want to compare this to one of my favorite games, The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask, which is a comparison I made after completing the game:
You wander around a world (Termina) divided up into regions (north/south/east/west) with a central town type hub (Clown Town) in the middle. There's a looming apocalyptic threat (the moon). You're going around talking to NPC's and helping them with problems (Bombers Notebook), which usually results in a dungeon-type level with puzzles and sometimes a boss battle, and doing so you collect a card (mask..?) and dust, both resources you need to then go back to the central hub and deposit (rupees in the bank) before you begin each new "cycle" (there's no days in Anodyne 2 like in Majora's Mask, but you need to deposit the dust or else you cap off at a certain amount and won't get any new dust until it's deposited). Both feel light-hearted and whimsical at times but have those oppressive and sad moments... their worlds are connected, but disconnected by a threat of darkness. If I really wanted to I could probably make some more far-reaching connections but I'll leave it at that. Both are still very different games but when I suddenly made those comparions, I felt like I could see why this game clicked with me so much. On top of it just being a fantastic indie title.
Analgesic should be on so many peoples radars, I really really adore their work and I find them very influential as someone who writes fiction and would love to take a stab writing a video game some day.
2016
The second Analgesic title for me in a few weeks - call me a fan now because these games really do it for me in so many different ways. They tell an engaging story with great character dialogue and emotions, with super impressive and memorable music all throughout, and always in these weird colorful worlds that feel out of place, out of time; futuristic and bizarre. And their design philosophy is all about the appreciation of simple and classic old games that give us nostalgia, but that everyone can play and enjoy. Both this game and Sephonie have customizable options that can make the game as easy or accessible as you want from the get go, or just to play the game normally. And they also "break the fourth wall" by talking to you directly as game designers, offering personal advice for the game, showing you how they made certain things, and even containing hidden little rooms and debug options that kind of break the game in a fun way.
Even the Ocean tells a super interesting story using very solid puzzle platforming and exploration, and with ethereal music that feels like Brian Eno meets Grant Kirkhope at times (one of my faves is this track you'll hear quite often in an area that you return to frequently... such a nice dreamy bop). It feels like a lost SNES or Genesis game in the best way. It's not a hard puzzle game except for some late-game sections but even then you won't struggle too much - as I mentioned this is something anyone can enjoy. It wraps up in a way I did not expect and had me engaged the whole time. I can't wait to play other Analgesic titles, what a great team of only two members with a ton of creative zest
Even the Ocean tells a super interesting story using very solid puzzle platforming and exploration, and with ethereal music that feels like Brian Eno meets Grant Kirkhope at times (one of my faves is this track you'll hear quite often in an area that you return to frequently... such a nice dreamy bop). It feels like a lost SNES or Genesis game in the best way. It's not a hard puzzle game except for some late-game sections but even then you won't struggle too much - as I mentioned this is something anyone can enjoy. It wraps up in a way I did not expect and had me engaged the whole time. I can't wait to play other Analgesic titles, what a great team of only two members with a ton of creative zest
2016
I was mixed on Bioshock when I played it back in 2007; this and Gears Of War were the first 2 games I bought with my Xbox 360 as they were the two games that you couldn't escape hearing about in regards to that console. But I found Bioshock a bit frustrating; for some reason I almost felt like I was playing it wrong or something... it just wasn't clicking for me like it seemed to be for everyone else. I think I even gave up during the final stretch of the game as I have no memory of the final boss fight during my initial playthrough.
Coming back 17 years later it smacked me hard over the head like a wrench - this thing aged insanely well. The guns feel great and chunky, and the plasmids encourage you to try different things constantly. It's so so easy to see how this knocked the socks off everyone back then, this is an amazing game for so many reasons.
The plot and all it's mysteries and twists got me engaged all over again, but there's two things I want to mention quickly here that blew me away.
1. The SOUND - my God... playing this with headphones is enough to make you think you're a Rapture citizen gone mad yourself. The noises of each room and location, the vending machines, the insane babbling and screaming, the haunting music playing from old speakers; hearing "How Much Is That Doggy In The Window" playing on a jukebox while a woman cries in another room and a man violently talks to himself in another, and you hear the pounding THUD of the Big Daddies walking around and making that low whale-call type groan they make... it's almost too overwhelming. When chaos erupts and there's several people shouting and bullets flying and shit is on fire and exploding and drones are buzzing around shooting people... pure madness, especially like I mentioned above with headphones on. The game sounds absolutely bonkers all the time.
2. Rapture as a setting has been talked about to death but every room, every hallway, has a purpose here, and it's been planned and structured and detailed to an almost painful level. It all makes sense as a city and doesn't feel video game level-y, if you scrubbed it clean of all the garbage and dead bodies and ruin that it's now in, you can picture it being this perfect idyllic city for capitalistic rich bastards to frolic around in. But my main thing I really noticed here this time is the complete lack of any outdoor area - for obvious reasons, but the fact that it's all big rooms, hallways, confined spaces, really sets it apart from almost every other shooter. There's always a roof over your head and just thinking about that makes you feel claustrophobic even if you aren't.
5 stars for this sucker, this playthrough made me see what everyone else has been saying for years, and I think age has helped it in a weird way. You don't often think of Bioshock when people mention the best horror games, because despite not really being scared at all while playing this, it's also easily one of the scariest games out there. And that's saying something
Coming back 17 years later it smacked me hard over the head like a wrench - this thing aged insanely well. The guns feel great and chunky, and the plasmids encourage you to try different things constantly. It's so so easy to see how this knocked the socks off everyone back then, this is an amazing game for so many reasons.
The plot and all it's mysteries and twists got me engaged all over again, but there's two things I want to mention quickly here that blew me away.
1. The SOUND - my God... playing this with headphones is enough to make you think you're a Rapture citizen gone mad yourself. The noises of each room and location, the vending machines, the insane babbling and screaming, the haunting music playing from old speakers; hearing "How Much Is That Doggy In The Window" playing on a jukebox while a woman cries in another room and a man violently talks to himself in another, and you hear the pounding THUD of the Big Daddies walking around and making that low whale-call type groan they make... it's almost too overwhelming. When chaos erupts and there's several people shouting and bullets flying and shit is on fire and exploding and drones are buzzing around shooting people... pure madness, especially like I mentioned above with headphones on. The game sounds absolutely bonkers all the time.
2. Rapture as a setting has been talked about to death but every room, every hallway, has a purpose here, and it's been planned and structured and detailed to an almost painful level. It all makes sense as a city and doesn't feel video game level-y, if you scrubbed it clean of all the garbage and dead bodies and ruin that it's now in, you can picture it being this perfect idyllic city for capitalistic rich bastards to frolic around in. But my main thing I really noticed here this time is the complete lack of any outdoor area - for obvious reasons, but the fact that it's all big rooms, hallways, confined spaces, really sets it apart from almost every other shooter. There's always a roof over your head and just thinking about that makes you feel claustrophobic even if you aren't.
5 stars for this sucker, this playthrough made me see what everyone else has been saying for years, and I think age has helped it in a weird way. You don't often think of Bioshock when people mention the best horror games, because despite not really being scared at all while playing this, it's also easily one of the scariest games out there. And that's saying something
2003
Max Payne on the GBA - pretty damn good! If a physical copy of this wasn't $$$ I'd love to have it for a collector's item, even if I don't own a GBA anymore. But playing this on my homebrew Wii (on my 50 inch TV which looked hilarious) was a trip... and thank god for the save states because this game can be bullshit sometimes.
Bullet time on the GBA never looked cooler (and even the slo-mo sound effects are great) and this version is surprisingly faithful to the original, levels are very similar and even certain rooms and details are identical. It's a bit more stripped down/condensed but that's appreciated.
As for the bullshit, since this is isometric and you're thrown into large rooms where you can't see everything, expect to get shot from offscreen enemies constantly. And there are fire obstacles here that can kill you in one hit which can be almost impossible to avoid as you have to be pixel perfect - the isometric view makes this even worse.
Just make sure to save state a ton in the later levels and you'll be fine - absolutely worth checking out if you're a fan of the series and you'd like to see Sam Lake's pixelized face and hear James McCaffrey's voice in all its 8-bit glory
Bullet time on the GBA never looked cooler (and even the slo-mo sound effects are great) and this version is surprisingly faithful to the original, levels are very similar and even certain rooms and details are identical. It's a bit more stripped down/condensed but that's appreciated.
As for the bullshit, since this is isometric and you're thrown into large rooms where you can't see everything, expect to get shot from offscreen enemies constantly. And there are fire obstacles here that can kill you in one hit which can be almost impossible to avoid as you have to be pixel perfect - the isometric view makes this even worse.
Just make sure to save state a ton in the later levels and you'll be fine - absolutely worth checking out if you're a fan of the series and you'd like to see Sam Lake's pixelized face and hear James McCaffrey's voice in all its 8-bit glory
2024
The goopy and slimy alien design of this game is a huge selling point - the sheer artistic creativity here is off the charts, and it gets really gross at some points. Very phallic and butthole-like things here. If the idea of exploring a completely original feeling world made up of organic and industrial matter in a Metroidvania fashion sounds good to you, definitely put this on your radar.
But there was a lot here that pushed me away despite only taking a few days to finish the main story. There are 2 endings, I think I got the "evil" one... but the game kind of forces you in that direction anyways, so they expect you to go back and try it all a second time to find a "nice" way of finishing things. I felt done by the end though, and satisfied with what I had ended with.
The exploration of the environment is exactly how you'd expect if you're familiar with the genre, and lots of those games have sprawling interconnected maps and systems that are easy to get lost in. Ultros was maybe the most lost I've felt playing a game like this. It's very big, and absolutely full of rooms and hallways that are a slog to run and jump through. They felt like unnecessary padding than anything. Something about this game made it feel like more of a chore than anything about halfway through, when I got lost and unaware of what my next objective was when I got stuck in an area. There's unlockable abilities after you complete a section/boss as per usual, but there's a slightly complicated gardening/seed system that the game kind of haphazardly explains to you. I'll admit, I wasn't using these seeds/plants to their full potential until I was almost done the game, and I think they did that on purpose - to show you, now that you've probably figured out how this shit actually works, go play the game a second time and do all the extra stuff. And one of the endgame things here is to connect all of the sprawling systems on the map. It just feels like too much work in the long run, I didn't really enjoy my time in this world and I was ready to get out.
That being said... I could see myself going back to this in a year or so and trying it again. So for now, 3 stars for a general feel of the game after completing - but there is stuff worth exploring here for lots of folks
But there was a lot here that pushed me away despite only taking a few days to finish the main story. There are 2 endings, I think I got the "evil" one... but the game kind of forces you in that direction anyways, so they expect you to go back and try it all a second time to find a "nice" way of finishing things. I felt done by the end though, and satisfied with what I had ended with.
The exploration of the environment is exactly how you'd expect if you're familiar with the genre, and lots of those games have sprawling interconnected maps and systems that are easy to get lost in. Ultros was maybe the most lost I've felt playing a game like this. It's very big, and absolutely full of rooms and hallways that are a slog to run and jump through. They felt like unnecessary padding than anything. Something about this game made it feel like more of a chore than anything about halfway through, when I got lost and unaware of what my next objective was when I got stuck in an area. There's unlockable abilities after you complete a section/boss as per usual, but there's a slightly complicated gardening/seed system that the game kind of haphazardly explains to you. I'll admit, I wasn't using these seeds/plants to their full potential until I was almost done the game, and I think they did that on purpose - to show you, now that you've probably figured out how this shit actually works, go play the game a second time and do all the extra stuff. And one of the endgame things here is to connect all of the sprawling systems on the map. It just feels like too much work in the long run, I didn't really enjoy my time in this world and I was ready to get out.
That being said... I could see myself going back to this in a year or so and trying it again. So for now, 3 stars for a general feel of the game after completing - but there is stuff worth exploring here for lots of folks
2022
I've never played an Analgesic game before despite being very interested in how Anodyne 2 looks, but Sephonie stood out to me as a puzzle platformer and looking just weird enough to be up my alley.
Any fellow Canadians reading this, if you remember the "Short Circuitz" clips that used to play during commercials on YTV back in the day, this game feels and sounds like that. It really nails the bizarre, dreamscape setting of the island and the music evokes that N64 keys/synth style that is so familiar to a lot of us that it tickles that special little spot in the back of your brain - that weird little sad nostalgia zone that causes certain emotions. Like exploring an empty Super Mario 64 level or lonely Ocarina Of Time dungeon. The track that plays during the puzzle bits especially gives me that specific feeling - it feels so familiar and lonely.
This game is made exclusively by 2 people and I give them loads of credit where its due - the imaginative ways it displays its world and the creative story and writing that broadens the characters, their past, and their connection to the island, really makes this a great piece of art.
The game does feel clunky during certain platforming/wall-running sections, and I found myself failing to do things that felt like it wasn't my fault, but the game itself. You'll run at a wall at the exact angle you need to and jump onto it and it just won't work sometimes. The running itself takes some getting used to, and you'll find yourself speeding off the edge many times. BUT when it works, and when it clicks, and you're pulling off really awesome platforming and using your brain to reach nooks and crannies, it feels great. I applaud a team of 2 people that can make tricky platforming work at all.
Sephonie is a game that feels like it could use a bunch of gameplay polish to make it shine that much brighter, but at the end of the day it shines in its own special way. Truly unique and aspirational game design, presentation and writing.
Any fellow Canadians reading this, if you remember the "Short Circuitz" clips that used to play during commercials on YTV back in the day, this game feels and sounds like that. It really nails the bizarre, dreamscape setting of the island and the music evokes that N64 keys/synth style that is so familiar to a lot of us that it tickles that special little spot in the back of your brain - that weird little sad nostalgia zone that causes certain emotions. Like exploring an empty Super Mario 64 level or lonely Ocarina Of Time dungeon. The track that plays during the puzzle bits especially gives me that specific feeling - it feels so familiar and lonely.
This game is made exclusively by 2 people and I give them loads of credit where its due - the imaginative ways it displays its world and the creative story and writing that broadens the characters, their past, and their connection to the island, really makes this a great piece of art.
The game does feel clunky during certain platforming/wall-running sections, and I found myself failing to do things that felt like it wasn't my fault, but the game itself. You'll run at a wall at the exact angle you need to and jump onto it and it just won't work sometimes. The running itself takes some getting used to, and you'll find yourself speeding off the edge many times. BUT when it works, and when it clicks, and you're pulling off really awesome platforming and using your brain to reach nooks and crannies, it feels great. I applaud a team of 2 people that can make tricky platforming work at all.
Sephonie is a game that feels like it could use a bunch of gameplay polish to make it shine that much brighter, but at the end of the day it shines in its own special way. Truly unique and aspirational game design, presentation and writing.
2023
A joyous miraculous bundle of fun, I don't even wanna hear or read about people that don't like this game because even though opinions are subjective... you're wrong! Do you even play video games for enjoyment if you don't like this??
I'm a guy who watched a ton of cartoons and played a ton of beat-em-up and platformers in the 90s/2000s and has played drums for 20-ish years. Hi-Fi Rush was made for me. The unabashed style that practically bursts through the screen and shakes you silly is impossible to resist. The quirky loveable cast, the colors and effects, the jokes and emotional beats, the goddamn zig and zag of this thing - come on!
As a big fan of 'guitar music' or general rock & roll/alternative/punk/indie/what have you, the soundtrack could've been make or break for me here. So many games have been a total miss when it came to the soundtrack - whether it's all stuff that just isn't my style or comes across as a little cringe-y or try hard (and I'm really trying my best not to sound like a total music snob here... I just like what I like! I have my own tastes! Sorry not sorry!!!).
Hi-Fi Rush has a shit ton of original music that just throbs, bounces and shreds, and as a major gameplay/design point, it fucking rules. There's stuff here that sounds like Sonic Youth and Blonde Redhead, surf-y and punk-y, jazz fusion and noise rock, I don't use this word often but the shit slaps. And on top of that you have actual good licensed music from Nine Inch Nails, The Prodigy, Number Girl (who I wasn't aware of before but that song rules), and more. I'm not a big Black Keys fan but the song used works here as a playful introduction to Chai. But man... the end credits with "Honestly" by Zwan, that one got me. A song I hadn't really heard since I originally saw the music video on TV, and despite being a Smashing Pumpkins fan, didn't really like. But goddamn what a tune, and the way it's used here, perfect.
If you sometimes play games with headphones, which for me is usually rare, this is the one to play with the music pumping into your ears. It makes everything GO that much more.
Combat and action, just rules. Not gonna go into it too much but of course it rules, read any review or watch a ten second clip of it and you'll see why this game has won over so many. The hop in and assist nature of Chai's buddies + incorporating them into combos and special attacks looks so fucking cool every time that it never gets old. I'm sorry for sounding like a tryhard cool guy and saying fuck all the time here but I do it when I'm really feeling what I'm typing. Fucking good SHIT
The only little thing stopping a 5 star rating for me, and honestly I could really ignore this gripe and go 5 stars easily, but the exploration/corridor/platforming stuff sometimes is a little stiff, too easy, and barren. I love collectathons and exploring nooks and crannies for stuff and hopping and bopping around on platforms, and I really wish this went fully there and did that stuff. If there were some full-on open levels with wall jumping and big structures to manually climb and find little treasures as well as linear stages and combat, this would've been perfect. Something like what Tinykin did. But that's a little nitpick, I still had an absolute blast of a time in every moment I spent in this world.
I'm so happy this came to PS5 as I felt total FOMO when I saw everyone enjoying this last year on Xbox. It feels amazing with the Dualsense too. Play this fucking game y'all. Play it!!!
I'm a guy who watched a ton of cartoons and played a ton of beat-em-up and platformers in the 90s/2000s and has played drums for 20-ish years. Hi-Fi Rush was made for me. The unabashed style that practically bursts through the screen and shakes you silly is impossible to resist. The quirky loveable cast, the colors and effects, the jokes and emotional beats, the goddamn zig and zag of this thing - come on!
As a big fan of 'guitar music' or general rock & roll/alternative/punk/indie/what have you, the soundtrack could've been make or break for me here. So many games have been a total miss when it came to the soundtrack - whether it's all stuff that just isn't my style or comes across as a little cringe-y or try hard (and I'm really trying my best not to sound like a total music snob here... I just like what I like! I have my own tastes! Sorry not sorry!!!).
Hi-Fi Rush has a shit ton of original music that just throbs, bounces and shreds, and as a major gameplay/design point, it fucking rules. There's stuff here that sounds like Sonic Youth and Blonde Redhead, surf-y and punk-y, jazz fusion and noise rock, I don't use this word often but the shit slaps. And on top of that you have actual good licensed music from Nine Inch Nails, The Prodigy, Number Girl (who I wasn't aware of before but that song rules), and more. I'm not a big Black Keys fan but the song used works here as a playful introduction to Chai. But man... the end credits with "Honestly" by Zwan, that one got me. A song I hadn't really heard since I originally saw the music video on TV, and despite being a Smashing Pumpkins fan, didn't really like. But goddamn what a tune, and the way it's used here, perfect.
If you sometimes play games with headphones, which for me is usually rare, this is the one to play with the music pumping into your ears. It makes everything GO that much more.
Combat and action, just rules. Not gonna go into it too much but of course it rules, read any review or watch a ten second clip of it and you'll see why this game has won over so many. The hop in and assist nature of Chai's buddies + incorporating them into combos and special attacks looks so fucking cool every time that it never gets old. I'm sorry for sounding like a tryhard cool guy and saying fuck all the time here but I do it when I'm really feeling what I'm typing. Fucking good SHIT
The only little thing stopping a 5 star rating for me, and honestly I could really ignore this gripe and go 5 stars easily, but the exploration/corridor/platforming stuff sometimes is a little stiff, too easy, and barren. I love collectathons and exploring nooks and crannies for stuff and hopping and bopping around on platforms, and I really wish this went fully there and did that stuff. If there were some full-on open levels with wall jumping and big structures to manually climb and find little treasures as well as linear stages and combat, this would've been perfect. Something like what Tinykin did. But that's a little nitpick, I still had an absolute blast of a time in every moment I spent in this world.
I'm so happy this came to PS5 as I felt total FOMO when I saw everyone enjoying this last year on Xbox. It feels amazing with the Dualsense too. Play this fucking game y'all. Play it!!!
2018
As incredibly fun to look at as it is to play. Only played a couple hours so far but probably one of the best fighting games I’ve ever played.
RIP Akira Toriyama, you changed my life as a kid
RIP Akira Toriyama, you changed my life as a kid
2022
What else can I say - one of the best gaming experiences ever. Looks down on its brethren and laughs.
Rykard, Astel and the giant rotting body of Godwyn are among my favorite freaks in anything ever.
I love this perfect, frustrating, scary, breathtaking, junior high bully masterpiece video game and always will.
Rykard, Astel and the giant rotting body of Godwyn are among my favorite freaks in anything ever.
I love this perfect, frustrating, scary, breathtaking, junior high bully masterpiece video game and always will.
2024
I think 20 hours spent with this game, according to what my PS5 says I've done so far, is more than enough time to warrant a review. I can't tell how much of those 20 hours was time spent actually playing the game though, as opposed to waiting to get in at the title screen or standing around on the bridge of my ship waiting for a match.
This is a time capsule review of sorts - it's been just barely 2 weeks after the game came out and it's gotten so popular that it cannot handle the amount of people trying to play. Among not being able to literally start the game up due to servers being clogged, it's also crashed on me a handful of times either at the end of a mission or randomly during. So this is the time capsule part of the review - currently the game is in a very poor state for a strictly online multiplayer game, and it almost deserves a half to 1 star review for this alone. But the devs have been working their hardest nonstop to fix this, so it's not all totally dire, and (hopefully) it's not like this forever.
ANYWAYS - when this game works and you fully squad up with some buddies and are fighting for your life in a total warzone of either swarms of bugs or an army of cyborgs, it's a fucking blast. Unleashing the entire clip of your big machine gun into a horde of bugs as your Helldiver cackles maniacally gets me every time. The dive mechanic is one of my favorite parts, either diving to safety to escape being surrounded, or (best of all) diving and shooting at the same time like you're Max Payne in space. The cyborg guys riding those little AT-ST armored vehicles that can only be shot from behind - run past them and dive/shoot the guys in the back. Trust me, it looks and feels cool as hell each time. The ragdoll effects as you fly through the air from explosions, and the chaotic mayhem that involves calling in, firing and running away from a deadly barrage that rains from the skies above (and sometimes takes out one of your unsuspecting teammates who didn't notice everyone else running away), it's never not a good ass time.
I played the first Helldivers for like 30 mins on PS4 in 2015 and never thought about it again, and didn't even pay much attention to this one when it was announced; even with the fun Starship Troopers homages in all the marketing. I haven't been much of an online multiplayer gamer for years now, aside from Warzone when COVID had everyone playing it like a big cultural event, but the hype got me way too interested in this one and I got it a few days after release (especially with the cheaper price point). If this somehow was released day one on PS Plus I think it would've crashed Sony's servers. The success is amazing to see, I just hope they can keep up with it.
Can't wait to keep playing this with friends for the foreseeable future
This is a time capsule review of sorts - it's been just barely 2 weeks after the game came out and it's gotten so popular that it cannot handle the amount of people trying to play. Among not being able to literally start the game up due to servers being clogged, it's also crashed on me a handful of times either at the end of a mission or randomly during. So this is the time capsule part of the review - currently the game is in a very poor state for a strictly online multiplayer game, and it almost deserves a half to 1 star review for this alone. But the devs have been working their hardest nonstop to fix this, so it's not all totally dire, and (hopefully) it's not like this forever.
ANYWAYS - when this game works and you fully squad up with some buddies and are fighting for your life in a total warzone of either swarms of bugs or an army of cyborgs, it's a fucking blast. Unleashing the entire clip of your big machine gun into a horde of bugs as your Helldiver cackles maniacally gets me every time. The dive mechanic is one of my favorite parts, either diving to safety to escape being surrounded, or (best of all) diving and shooting at the same time like you're Max Payne in space. The cyborg guys riding those little AT-ST armored vehicles that can only be shot from behind - run past them and dive/shoot the guys in the back. Trust me, it looks and feels cool as hell each time. The ragdoll effects as you fly through the air from explosions, and the chaotic mayhem that involves calling in, firing and running away from a deadly barrage that rains from the skies above (and sometimes takes out one of your unsuspecting teammates who didn't notice everyone else running away), it's never not a good ass time.
I played the first Helldivers for like 30 mins on PS4 in 2015 and never thought about it again, and didn't even pay much attention to this one when it was announced; even with the fun Starship Troopers homages in all the marketing. I haven't been much of an online multiplayer gamer for years now, aside from Warzone when COVID had everyone playing it like a big cultural event, but the hype got me way too interested in this one and I got it a few days after release (especially with the cheaper price point). If this somehow was released day one on PS Plus I think it would've crashed Sony's servers. The success is amazing to see, I just hope they can keep up with it.
Can't wait to keep playing this with friends for the foreseeable future
2023
Once you're in on the bit you'll get what Wanted Dead is, a wild game that absolutely deserves a look if you like weird kooky third person action, period. Sorry, but all the half star reviews and "worst game of 2023" videos I've seen are a total joke. This isn't a "triple A god tier" title but a little jank never hurt anybody, especially when it's done this stylish and zany. You can slice dudes into several pieces and pull off gun-fu finishing moves, this is a GOOD game people.
It's hard as hell sometimes, the checkpoints get brutally spaced out in the later levels, resulting in some cheap deaths from tough enemies and repetitively playing the same sections over and over that make you want to rage quit. This was my main problem with the game, but it's hard to say when difficulty should be a factor when criticizing a game - FromSoftware get away with it all the time. But when you do get through, you feel so fucking badass. I can't count how many times I was getting my ass handed to me by squads of goons and ninjas, but then tried again and sliced and shot my way through like a combat master, perfectly dodging and countering attacks with ease. When the combat clicks, it fucking goes hard.
In between the Metal Gear-ass strange plot you have arcade cabinets, claw machines, karaoke and ramen eating minigames like you're in a Yakuza game suddenly, and it's just so cool and silly. You don't like a game that lets you sing "99 Luftballons"? Bite me!
More games like this, please, always
It's hard as hell sometimes, the checkpoints get brutally spaced out in the later levels, resulting in some cheap deaths from tough enemies and repetitively playing the same sections over and over that make you want to rage quit. This was my main problem with the game, but it's hard to say when difficulty should be a factor when criticizing a game - FromSoftware get away with it all the time. But when you do get through, you feel so fucking badass. I can't count how many times I was getting my ass handed to me by squads of goons and ninjas, but then tried again and sliced and shot my way through like a combat master, perfectly dodging and countering attacks with ease. When the combat clicks, it fucking goes hard.
In between the Metal Gear-ass strange plot you have arcade cabinets, claw machines, karaoke and ramen eating minigames like you're in a Yakuza game suddenly, and it's just so cool and silly. You don't like a game that lets you sing "99 Luftballons"? Bite me!
More games like this, please, always
Hopped into this one to give it a shot for a few minutes in between other games to see what it was like. And then hours flew by in the blink of an eye, I was leveling up and I realized I was hooked line and sinker. Other than like a half hour of Diablo 3 splitscreen co-op play on the Switch, I've never played a Diablo or any other similar action RPG - despite my partner putting several hundred hours into Diablo 2 I would watch her play and go, eh I don't really think it's for me. But Nobody Saves The World made me see the appeal big time, holy shit.
The best part of this was that the "grinding" to level up, was just a ton of playing around with every player form and trying out all of their attacks and mixing their unique powers with other forms' attacks to make these wacky builds. Going into dungeons and wrecking shit, it didn't feel tedious until the very end of ranking every form to the max level, and even then I wasn't bored. I got every guy to S rank and still wanted more.
The world building, stupid little freaks and characters everywhere with their silly lines and quests, so much funny and cute stuff - and then there's some really gross and nasty cartoon-ish horror effects for some enemies, and especially the main villain; that final guy was nuts and I loved the design. I loved the Skyrim-like factions you join, and all of the regions and villages with their own flair and feel - reminded me of Paper Mario a bit.
What a sleek little title, super easy to navigate UI and menus, the addictive pop of leveling up and completing quests, the combat is just horde smashing fun (along with a tiny bit of a planning required for dungeons/enemies having different criteria for completing/defeating).
I got every trophy except the one for completing new game plus, otherwise I'd have the Platinum. I just got other games I wanna play instead, but I can def see myself going back someday and doing another run through the story. I also beat the final boss at level 69 - hell yeah. Great great great little game!
The best part of this was that the "grinding" to level up, was just a ton of playing around with every player form and trying out all of their attacks and mixing their unique powers with other forms' attacks to make these wacky builds. Going into dungeons and wrecking shit, it didn't feel tedious until the very end of ranking every form to the max level, and even then I wasn't bored. I got every guy to S rank and still wanted more.
The world building, stupid little freaks and characters everywhere with their silly lines and quests, so much funny and cute stuff - and then there's some really gross and nasty cartoon-ish horror effects for some enemies, and especially the main villain; that final guy was nuts and I loved the design. I loved the Skyrim-like factions you join, and all of the regions and villages with their own flair and feel - reminded me of Paper Mario a bit.
What a sleek little title, super easy to navigate UI and menus, the addictive pop of leveling up and completing quests, the combat is just horde smashing fun (along with a tiny bit of a planning required for dungeons/enemies having different criteria for completing/defeating).
I got every trophy except the one for completing new game plus, otherwise I'd have the Platinum. I just got other games I wanna play instead, but I can def see myself going back someday and doing another run through the story. I also beat the final boss at level 69 - hell yeah. Great great great little game!
This review contains spoilers
I didn't realize I wanted to play this again until this remaster was announced (and the cheap upgrade + bonus features helped). When I finished TLOU2 back in June 2020 I wasn't sure if I ever wanted to go back into this world - we all remember those rough first few COVID lockdown months and TLOU2 came out on a sunny and hot Friday when the sun was shining and I spent that day after work swimming with friends (when social distancing was still encouraged and expected). I was ecstatic to get to jump into the game that night, and ended up playing it for almost 12 hours straight on the Sunday of that weekend - I even had the curtains closed because the beautiful sunshine was causing a glare on the screen. It felt surreal to be sucked into a game about a virus destroying humanity, filled with disgusting creatures and death, and playing it during such nice weather.
When I finally finished the story a week or so later and experienced that crushing ending, I felt accomplished but drained. I hopped back into a few combat encounters for a quick action fix, and even played a couple hours of NG+ to try and mop up some collectibles and upgrades for some trophies, but didn't get very far. I wanted to be done with the game and scrub clean that feeling for the time being.
My feelings on this second playthrough about the story haven't really changed, and despite reading and watching tons of critical takes and analysis on this game, only a few have really made me change my thoughts - and only in the way that certain points were brought up that I hadn't thought about, or picked up on. A few ideas of what the plot could've been instead which would've been interesting to see, and a few opinions of the morality and themes that I also agreed with, but didn't neccessarily feel myself. I tried to avoid the absolute dog shit takes, which was near impossible, but any complaint of this game being "woke" for including trans or gay characters... it's easy to forget we still live amongst neanderthal-brained people in this day and age.
The critical points about the actions of Ellie, Abby, and the dozen other characters that kill or are killed here, and the cycle of revenge/who is the real villain/who deserved to die/is violence always the answer, those are the interesting and thoughtful takes that are worth reading about. Nakeyjakey's video, while I didn't personally agree with all of it, is one of the better criticisms, and I also just love that goopy goblin brained boy.
TLOU2 never lets you choose what happens during the story, and that's what it wants you to remember every step of the way. This isn't a game with a morality system, or player choices that affect who lives or dies or triggers one of seven different endings. Every quicktime event during a cutscene, you're not the one stabbing someone or bludgeoning someones head in with a pipe, Ellie is. Abby is. When you as a player have to fight or kill someone you don't want to, it's not your decision. You're just guiding these characters along through their story. You sometimes feel their emotion, but most of the time, you want them to stop, turn around and go home.
The climatic fight is horrible for a reason; I've read some takes saying that it's overbearingly brutal and torturous to the characters and that participating in these characters suffering through this brutal fight is too much. I agree with this, but it's the final act of fury that shouldn't be happening and we all understand this. So should this be how the story ends? For a moment you think everything's okay, they're both going to escape. But Ellie just can't fucking let it go. And it kind of surprises me to know so many players still wanted her to kill Abby in this moment. After spending so much time with her, you still want this person to die a horrific death. A game filled to the brim with horrific deaths, and they think Abby dying is going to make Ellie feel better - that her quest for revenge is complete, Joel's death is avenged. I think it's painfully obvious that nothing Ellie could do here will make her feel better, and she is long past that point. She made the worst possible decision ever to go after Abby again, and a moment of clarity when you think she's going to just let Abby and Lev go peacefully, she sees Joels bloodied face and remembers her goal.
Throughout this game, Ellie is empty and cold. But at the end, she's fucking gone. A completely broken husk of a person. TLOU2 took a bubbly, spunky teenager, a fully realized character with a great sense of humor, artistically talented and full of life, and hollowed her out like a pumpkin, who now looks like a jack o'lantern a week after Halloween, rotting on the front porch. Is this upsetting? Of course it is... but who am I to say that's how she shouldn't end up? I'm not saying Ellie didn't deserve a happy ending, she definitely did, with Dina and JJ on the farm, hell even with Joel alive and in Jackson. And you could easily say that this ending is just to cause controversy, guarantee talking points and criticisms, and even guaranteeing damage to some players wellbeing who get very attached to these characters by manipulating emotions using this poor girls grieving. But... I dunno, it's fiction, and it can be whatever you want, and the freedom to end this in such a way that they did is what makes art and fiction and writing fun in the first place. How many endings do you think they had done up for this before they ended up here is what I want to know.
My last bit about the morality/death/emotional manipulation is how much humanizing of the enemies they do here - naming all of the killable enemies so that when you kill them their friend calls out their name in agony works because they want you to feel like a monster. They want you to think, oh shit, that Joey guy I just turned to red mist might've had parents that are gonna be bummed, hey maybe they'll hunt me down for revenge after this. They really, really want you to understand that anyone can be given a bloodthirst to avenge someones death, and that everyone has an emotional core behind their NPC brain. While this is a major "hey isn't this deep?! see what we're doing here?!" thing that they bash you over the head for the entire game, it at least does something new with it I've never seen before that made me think about mostly everyone I was killing (except the Rattlers, who are just evil for the sake of evil). I still ended up killing everyone though, so does that mean it fully works?
I however did NOT kill a single dog during this playthrough - except for that one quicktime cutscene in the aquarium - and I felt way better about it. It still bummed me out seeing them paw at their dead comrades after I headshotted them, but it was actually more fun and tense to sneak around and avoid the dogs using bricks/bottles to throw them off my scent, or using smoke bombs to confuse them.
The only thing I wanted to say about this video game-wise, is that this game is built like a brick shithouse. Not that I got any, but I couldn't even imagine getting a glitch or hiccup or bug of the sort here - it runs so perfect 100% of the time that it doesn't even seem possible. Playing performance mode is a technical marvel, and the graphics that blew my noggin off in 2020 still look fucking insane here. They are doing some kind of witchcraft over at Naughty Dog, if they and Sony Santa Monica colloborated on a project someday it might make your PS5 explode.
I haven't mentioned or played much of No Return, which is kinda already proven fun based on how wild and intense TLOU combat is, but it does feel strange jumping into a rogue mode laying waste to hordes of enemies after the main storyline hammers home its points on violence. But oh well... BANG! BANG! SPLAT! Headshot! I'll play it some more eventually.
TLOU2 is kind of a 5 star game in every way for me, especially for how much I could sit and talk about the story and everything about it for hours - which kinda feels like trying to stand out as a singular grain of sand on a massive beach considering how much this single game has caused the ripple that it did. Does this game need another voice talking about it? Definitely not. But I had to write something for this in this lil box for my own thoughts, and if you're still reading, I think it's obvious this one had a big effect on me.
Realistically, the more I talk about it and really truly look deep down into my soul, it could be less than 5 stars, but in the same way, for how it's wormed its way deep down into that same soul and still resides, it's an all-time video game experience.
When I finally finished the story a week or so later and experienced that crushing ending, I felt accomplished but drained. I hopped back into a few combat encounters for a quick action fix, and even played a couple hours of NG+ to try and mop up some collectibles and upgrades for some trophies, but didn't get very far. I wanted to be done with the game and scrub clean that feeling for the time being.
My feelings on this second playthrough about the story haven't really changed, and despite reading and watching tons of critical takes and analysis on this game, only a few have really made me change my thoughts - and only in the way that certain points were brought up that I hadn't thought about, or picked up on. A few ideas of what the plot could've been instead which would've been interesting to see, and a few opinions of the morality and themes that I also agreed with, but didn't neccessarily feel myself. I tried to avoid the absolute dog shit takes, which was near impossible, but any complaint of this game being "woke" for including trans or gay characters... it's easy to forget we still live amongst neanderthal-brained people in this day and age.
The critical points about the actions of Ellie, Abby, and the dozen other characters that kill or are killed here, and the cycle of revenge/who is the real villain/who deserved to die/is violence always the answer, those are the interesting and thoughtful takes that are worth reading about. Nakeyjakey's video, while I didn't personally agree with all of it, is one of the better criticisms, and I also just love that goopy goblin brained boy.
TLOU2 never lets you choose what happens during the story, and that's what it wants you to remember every step of the way. This isn't a game with a morality system, or player choices that affect who lives or dies or triggers one of seven different endings. Every quicktime event during a cutscene, you're not the one stabbing someone or bludgeoning someones head in with a pipe, Ellie is. Abby is. When you as a player have to fight or kill someone you don't want to, it's not your decision. You're just guiding these characters along through their story. You sometimes feel their emotion, but most of the time, you want them to stop, turn around and go home.
The climatic fight is horrible for a reason; I've read some takes saying that it's overbearingly brutal and torturous to the characters and that participating in these characters suffering through this brutal fight is too much. I agree with this, but it's the final act of fury that shouldn't be happening and we all understand this. So should this be how the story ends? For a moment you think everything's okay, they're both going to escape. But Ellie just can't fucking let it go. And it kind of surprises me to know so many players still wanted her to kill Abby in this moment. After spending so much time with her, you still want this person to die a horrific death. A game filled to the brim with horrific deaths, and they think Abby dying is going to make Ellie feel better - that her quest for revenge is complete, Joel's death is avenged. I think it's painfully obvious that nothing Ellie could do here will make her feel better, and she is long past that point. She made the worst possible decision ever to go after Abby again, and a moment of clarity when you think she's going to just let Abby and Lev go peacefully, she sees Joels bloodied face and remembers her goal.
Throughout this game, Ellie is empty and cold. But at the end, she's fucking gone. A completely broken husk of a person. TLOU2 took a bubbly, spunky teenager, a fully realized character with a great sense of humor, artistically talented and full of life, and hollowed her out like a pumpkin, who now looks like a jack o'lantern a week after Halloween, rotting on the front porch. Is this upsetting? Of course it is... but who am I to say that's how she shouldn't end up? I'm not saying Ellie didn't deserve a happy ending, she definitely did, with Dina and JJ on the farm, hell even with Joel alive and in Jackson. And you could easily say that this ending is just to cause controversy, guarantee talking points and criticisms, and even guaranteeing damage to some players wellbeing who get very attached to these characters by manipulating emotions using this poor girls grieving. But... I dunno, it's fiction, and it can be whatever you want, and the freedom to end this in such a way that they did is what makes art and fiction and writing fun in the first place. How many endings do you think they had done up for this before they ended up here is what I want to know.
My last bit about the morality/death/emotional manipulation is how much humanizing of the enemies they do here - naming all of the killable enemies so that when you kill them their friend calls out their name in agony works because they want you to feel like a monster. They want you to think, oh shit, that Joey guy I just turned to red mist might've had parents that are gonna be bummed, hey maybe they'll hunt me down for revenge after this. They really, really want you to understand that anyone can be given a bloodthirst to avenge someones death, and that everyone has an emotional core behind their NPC brain. While this is a major "hey isn't this deep?! see what we're doing here?!" thing that they bash you over the head for the entire game, it at least does something new with it I've never seen before that made me think about mostly everyone I was killing (except the Rattlers, who are just evil for the sake of evil). I still ended up killing everyone though, so does that mean it fully works?
I however did NOT kill a single dog during this playthrough - except for that one quicktime cutscene in the aquarium - and I felt way better about it. It still bummed me out seeing them paw at their dead comrades after I headshotted them, but it was actually more fun and tense to sneak around and avoid the dogs using bricks/bottles to throw them off my scent, or using smoke bombs to confuse them.
The only thing I wanted to say about this video game-wise, is that this game is built like a brick shithouse. Not that I got any, but I couldn't even imagine getting a glitch or hiccup or bug of the sort here - it runs so perfect 100% of the time that it doesn't even seem possible. Playing performance mode is a technical marvel, and the graphics that blew my noggin off in 2020 still look fucking insane here. They are doing some kind of witchcraft over at Naughty Dog, if they and Sony Santa Monica colloborated on a project someday it might make your PS5 explode.
I haven't mentioned or played much of No Return, which is kinda already proven fun based on how wild and intense TLOU combat is, but it does feel strange jumping into a rogue mode laying waste to hordes of enemies after the main storyline hammers home its points on violence. But oh well... BANG! BANG! SPLAT! Headshot! I'll play it some more eventually.
TLOU2 is kind of a 5 star game in every way for me, especially for how much I could sit and talk about the story and everything about it for hours - which kinda feels like trying to stand out as a singular grain of sand on a massive beach considering how much this single game has caused the ripple that it did. Does this game need another voice talking about it? Definitely not. But I had to write something for this in this lil box for my own thoughts, and if you're still reading, I think it's obvious this one had a big effect on me.
Realistically, the more I talk about it and really truly look deep down into my soul, it could be less than 5 stars, but in the same way, for how it's wormed its way deep down into that same soul and still resides, it's an all-time video game experience.
A Plague Tale is a must-play series for fans of first-party Sony story games, very Naughty Dog inspired, and even sometimes gives The Last Of Us a run for its money in terms of bleak brutality.
There are so many nice moments in Requiem; sunny forests, a crowded marketplace full of happy townspeople, fields of flowers, and on the other side of the spectrum you'll be wading through murky diseased water full of blood, guts, human and animal corpses and god knows what other bodily fluids. The rat nests/hives are full of slimy webbing and eggs, looking like the black symbiote from Spider-Man made its way through there. It's jawdropping how far the game goes to show you how utterly terrifying and apocalyptic this world has become, despite it also feeling hopeful and beautiful.
The game looks incredible, environments are insanely detailed and the lighting works wonders. The stealth gameplay is more or less a carbon copy of the first game, Innocence, but with more open playing fields (again with a Last Of Us comparison), and also some newly added weapons and items at hand. And like the first game there's tons of navigational puzzles and dungeon-like sequences to work your way through, which are always fun to try and figure out, especially using your tools in different ways to experiment solutions.
The characters of A Plague Tale make the series as engaging as it is, Amicia and Hugo are both likeable and have a great relationship; Amicia especially has many moments to shine here, especially when she goes into a blind rage several times and you can feel her murderous fury in every word. The side characters are especially great, Lucas (the MVP in my opinion) is back from the first game, and special shoutouts to Sophia and Arnaud for being really engaging and interesting sidekicks as you go through your journey - I legit liked these people and cared about them.
This series is an easy big recommend from me, a fan of linear action/stealth story games, and I might go back and get all the collectibles and upgrades to get the Platinum eventually like I did with the first game... there's just other things I'm playing/want to play at the moment. If they are finished with this series, this was a satisfying conclusion, but if not, I'll definitely be there for the next installment
There are so many nice moments in Requiem; sunny forests, a crowded marketplace full of happy townspeople, fields of flowers, and on the other side of the spectrum you'll be wading through murky diseased water full of blood, guts, human and animal corpses and god knows what other bodily fluids. The rat nests/hives are full of slimy webbing and eggs, looking like the black symbiote from Spider-Man made its way through there. It's jawdropping how far the game goes to show you how utterly terrifying and apocalyptic this world has become, despite it also feeling hopeful and beautiful.
The game looks incredible, environments are insanely detailed and the lighting works wonders. The stealth gameplay is more or less a carbon copy of the first game, Innocence, but with more open playing fields (again with a Last Of Us comparison), and also some newly added weapons and items at hand. And like the first game there's tons of navigational puzzles and dungeon-like sequences to work your way through, which are always fun to try and figure out, especially using your tools in different ways to experiment solutions.
The characters of A Plague Tale make the series as engaging as it is, Amicia and Hugo are both likeable and have a great relationship; Amicia especially has many moments to shine here, especially when she goes into a blind rage several times and you can feel her murderous fury in every word. The side characters are especially great, Lucas (the MVP in my opinion) is back from the first game, and special shoutouts to Sophia and Arnaud for being really engaging and interesting sidekicks as you go through your journey - I legit liked these people and cared about them.
This series is an easy big recommend from me, a fan of linear action/stealth story games, and I might go back and get all the collectibles and upgrades to get the Platinum eventually like I did with the first game... there's just other things I'm playing/want to play at the moment. If they are finished with this series, this was a satisfying conclusion, but if not, I'll definitely be there for the next installment
2023
Far from perfect but kinda perfect for exactly what it is. Cover shooter this ain't, you strut into shootouts and lay waste to anyone in your way, just the way Robocop ought to be. The upgrades to both Robo and the Auto 9 help to make you feel even more powerful as the enemies get stronger with more firepower. And the Auto 9 feels amazing, especially with the upgrade that gets rid of reloading altogether. There's tons of other guns around you can pick up and use, but you could ignore them altogether and just clean house with the trusty Auto 9 no problem.
Aside from a few areas you can do some side quests in, it's mainly a simple linear game which I do admire - something about games that just have you walk here, open this door, kill these guys, that I really like. Throw me a vast open world map with a million things to do every now and then, but point me in a straight line and have me kill whatever's in my path and I appreciate the good old fashioned simple nature of what is expected of you - the same reason why I really liked Evil West.
If you're a fan of Robocop this is definitely something you should experience all the way through for the attention to detail and nods and references. And it's also a really easy and fun Platinum as well, mostly quest related and sometimes random miscellaneous combat challenges in there too.
Aside from a few areas you can do some side quests in, it's mainly a simple linear game which I do admire - something about games that just have you walk here, open this door, kill these guys, that I really like. Throw me a vast open world map with a million things to do every now and then, but point me in a straight line and have me kill whatever's in my path and I appreciate the good old fashioned simple nature of what is expected of you - the same reason why I really liked Evil West.
If you're a fan of Robocop this is definitely something you should experience all the way through for the attention to detail and nods and references. And it's also a really easy and fun Platinum as well, mostly quest related and sometimes random miscellaneous combat challenges in there too.