jkirstyn
2022
The story carries this game, and made me more excited for the Pokemon mainline series. Arven's story is so good. I love the professor's motivations in this one. The characters are very good and their motivations are well written. I haven't had this much fun with a Pokemon game in a while.
The multiplayer was really fun. I liked being able to play with viewers and connect with them and their teams on a new level in Pokemon outside of battling.
That being said, this is the most frustrating and infuriating gamplay experience ever. Glitches, cutting, and pop-in show a lack of polish and care. Basic Pokemon functions and quality-of-life upgrades that were solved in previous games are just not here (healing with potions multiple times with multiple Pokemon without having to go back into the bag section. I didn't realize how QOL that small feature was until it was missing in this game). Lack of a lot of favourites missing, empty towns with no purpose, unable to go into buildings, really show how corners were cut and features that Pokemon fans love were removed for the sake of time, it really shows.
It's all the small things adding up made for a frustrating experience. I want to like this game. I DO like this game, but it's unacceptable to have a game in this state STILL, months later. I am hoping the DLC rectifies at the very least, the bugs and lag.
The multiplayer was really fun. I liked being able to play with viewers and connect with them and their teams on a new level in Pokemon outside of battling.
That being said, this is the most frustrating and infuriating gamplay experience ever. Glitches, cutting, and pop-in show a lack of polish and care. Basic Pokemon functions and quality-of-life upgrades that were solved in previous games are just not here (healing with potions multiple times with multiple Pokemon without having to go back into the bag section. I didn't realize how QOL that small feature was until it was missing in this game). Lack of a lot of favourites missing, empty towns with no purpose, unable to go into buildings, really show how corners were cut and features that Pokemon fans love were removed for the sake of time, it really shows.
It's all the small things adding up made for a frustrating experience. I want to like this game. I DO like this game, but it's unacceptable to have a game in this state STILL, months later. I am hoping the DLC rectifies at the very least, the bugs and lag.
This review contains spoilers
There may be light contextual spoilers in this review.
AITSF-NI is a great follow-up to the first game. It does not disappoint. I had a lot of fun playing it and after a certain point I could not put the game down. However, I do have grievances with certain things with the game.
The second game took the gameplay of the first and improved it immensely. In the first game, the game is split into two different gameplay modes: Story/Talk mode and Somniums. In the first game, the story/talk mode left me a little disappointed as a lot of it is just talking and listening (the story carries this so it's not as stale, but the gameplay is typical to visual novel games). In this game, the developers did a great job in adding more variety in both modes. There are new investigation modes to breakup the story better, and the somniums have way more variety in how they function. The somniums in particular each had their own set of rules to work within which varied the gameplay a lot more.
The story is really where this game shines. It has no problem luring you in and keeping you there. I loved the premise of the story and it introduces all the new characters in a way that isn't overwhelming, and allows each character to have their space.
After finishing the game and looking back, the amount of details that this game has for consistent story telling really show the care that the devs have for "this type of story." The twists and turns and the WOW moments are great and made my jaw drop. The small details and "tricks" the devs did in this story really make you go wow. While positive, all this highlights the negative of the next point...
My problems with this game comes from character development (or lack thereof). There are maybe 5 characters out of 23 that actually had a fleshed-out story. I understand with such a large cast now it would be impossible to have a full story for each, but in the first game all characters, even small side characters, felt more 3 dimensional. Ryuki, Komeji, Tama, Amame and Mizuki are the real standouts from the cast. Other characters like Gen, Iris, Shoma, Kizuna and Lien felt very flat and I feel had wasted potential to have a more fleshed-out story their respective routes. It was frustrating that in particular, Gen and Lien had basically the same story tropes (Guy meets girl that changes their life for the better). Gen I feel in particular had really wasted potential with his connection to Naix. Not to say that lack of character development makes the game bad, but this game could have been thaaaat much better if they took more care in the other routes.
The original cast was sidelined completely in this game. This may have been a directorial choice to give the new characters screen time and a chance to develop, but after seeing how little many of the new characters were fleshed out, its disappointing to see your favourite characters from the first game just forgotten about.
2 routes, both in Lien's Somnium, felt rushed and incomplete. It felt like they added more routes for the sake of matching the same number of routes to the first game. The little bits of information obtained in these routes did not feel satisfying to achieve after 2 hours of gameplay.
The ending really drags for no particular reason other than to add more QTE. It diminishes the real impact of the ending. Maybe it didn't help that I was finishing the game at 5 in the morning (I couldn't stop playing, the game is good!), but the ending ruins the "magic" of the end with the drawn out last segnment.
Aside from the negatives, I really enjoyed this game. As a whole, this game is a solid entry with many improvements from the first. However, hardcore fans will be left disappointed with character development and weak story routes.
AITSF-NI is a great follow-up to the first game. It does not disappoint. I had a lot of fun playing it and after a certain point I could not put the game down. However, I do have grievances with certain things with the game.
The second game took the gameplay of the first and improved it immensely. In the first game, the game is split into two different gameplay modes: Story/Talk mode and Somniums. In the first game, the story/talk mode left me a little disappointed as a lot of it is just talking and listening (the story carries this so it's not as stale, but the gameplay is typical to visual novel games). In this game, the developers did a great job in adding more variety in both modes. There are new investigation modes to breakup the story better, and the somniums have way more variety in how they function. The somniums in particular each had their own set of rules to work within which varied the gameplay a lot more.
The story is really where this game shines. It has no problem luring you in and keeping you there. I loved the premise of the story and it introduces all the new characters in a way that isn't overwhelming, and allows each character to have their space.
After finishing the game and looking back, the amount of details that this game has for consistent story telling really show the care that the devs have for "this type of story." The twists and turns and the WOW moments are great and made my jaw drop. The small details and "tricks" the devs did in this story really make you go wow. While positive, all this highlights the negative of the next point...
My problems with this game comes from character development (or lack thereof). There are maybe 5 characters out of 23 that actually had a fleshed-out story. I understand with such a large cast now it would be impossible to have a full story for each, but in the first game all characters, even small side characters, felt more 3 dimensional. Ryuki, Komeji, Tama, Amame and Mizuki are the real standouts from the cast. Other characters like Gen, Iris, Shoma, Kizuna and Lien felt very flat and I feel had wasted potential to have a more fleshed-out story their respective routes. It was frustrating that in particular, Gen and Lien had basically the same story tropes (Guy meets girl that changes their life for the better). Gen I feel in particular had really wasted potential with his connection to Naix. Not to say that lack of character development makes the game bad, but this game could have been thaaaat much better if they took more care in the other routes.
The original cast was sidelined completely in this game. This may have been a directorial choice to give the new characters screen time and a chance to develop, but after seeing how little many of the new characters were fleshed out, its disappointing to see your favourite characters from the first game just forgotten about.
2 routes, both in Lien's Somnium, felt rushed and incomplete. It felt like they added more routes for the sake of matching the same number of routes to the first game. The little bits of information obtained in these routes did not feel satisfying to achieve after 2 hours of gameplay.
The ending really drags for no particular reason other than to add more QTE. It diminishes the real impact of the ending. Maybe it didn't help that I was finishing the game at 5 in the morning (I couldn't stop playing, the game is good!), but the ending ruins the "magic" of the end with the drawn out last segnment.
Aside from the negatives, I really enjoyed this game. As a whole, this game is a solid entry with many improvements from the first. However, hardcore fans will be left disappointed with character development and weak story routes.
I played the remastered version by Dopply, which has better controls and an HD touch-up.
In Wand of Gamelon you play as Zelda, which is a really nice change of pace for the Zelda series. While she plays exactly the same as Link in Faces of Evil, I liked the thought of Zelda going on her own adventure.
This game was less grindy and less frustrating than FOE. No more grinding endlessly for snowballs or fireballs, and the enemy spawn was more fair, and not everything came at you all at once. Rupees were abundant in this one too and easier to get, especially in the main town where they're needed the most.
That being said, I think the overall level design in this could be better. In FOE, I kinda knew where to go and what NPCs needed items and never needed a guide. In this game, I needed a guide at many points as the game does not make it clear on exactly where you needed to go.
The level design and environments are as good as you expect. It's just as bad-looking as you think. It's hard to see what ground you can actually stand on.
The cutscenes are... well, we've all seen the memes. But I think knowing the memes behind the game and now seeing the context to them to what's happening in the story make for a better experience haha. The ending is the best part cause it literally makes no sense.
Overall, I enjoyed playing this game more than FOE cause it was a less frustrating experience.
In Wand of Gamelon you play as Zelda, which is a really nice change of pace for the Zelda series. While she plays exactly the same as Link in Faces of Evil, I liked the thought of Zelda going on her own adventure.
This game was less grindy and less frustrating than FOE. No more grinding endlessly for snowballs or fireballs, and the enemy spawn was more fair, and not everything came at you all at once. Rupees were abundant in this one too and easier to get, especially in the main town where they're needed the most.
That being said, I think the overall level design in this could be better. In FOE, I kinda knew where to go and what NPCs needed items and never needed a guide. In this game, I needed a guide at many points as the game does not make it clear on exactly where you needed to go.
The level design and environments are as good as you expect. It's just as bad-looking as you think. It's hard to see what ground you can actually stand on.
The cutscenes are... well, we've all seen the memes. But I think knowing the memes behind the game and now seeing the context to them to what's happening in the story make for a better experience haha. The ending is the best part cause it literally makes no sense.
Overall, I enjoyed playing this game more than FOE cause it was a less frustrating experience.
The game is alright.
Let's talk positives first. First, the game is gorgeous. The colours are wonderful, I remember this game looking pretty ugly on the Wii but in this version you can really appreciate how this game looks. The story is really good, I definitely think the NPC character development and the general overarching story is a standout. The dungeons in this game are also well thought out and unique. My favourite was the pirate ship section! Difficulty is just right, at some parts I just pulled a guide up to help me but you could probably figure out all the dungeons if you had the patience for it haha.
First negative: controls are super wonky. I played on a controller for 99% of the game, then picked up motion controls at the end and I don't know how ANYONE played this game with motion controls at all. The motion controls are inaccurate and don't pick up your directional slices or inputs accurately, which really hinders this game as you REALLY need accuracy in certain boss fights.
Another negative I have are the items you get. There are maybe 2 I liked, the rest just seemed gimmicky for the sake of gimmicky. I am not sure how to describe it but some items really seemed useless until one particular section of a game then never used again. It didn't seem like a cohesive set of items.
This game is also SUUUPER long. The story, while strong, really dragged out in certain parts and often times I would ask myself "So why am I doing this again?" as I would forget what I was doing in the same play session.
I would recommend playing this if you have the time and are willing to deal with the controls.
Let's talk positives first. First, the game is gorgeous. The colours are wonderful, I remember this game looking pretty ugly on the Wii but in this version you can really appreciate how this game looks. The story is really good, I definitely think the NPC character development and the general overarching story is a standout. The dungeons in this game are also well thought out and unique. My favourite was the pirate ship section! Difficulty is just right, at some parts I just pulled a guide up to help me but you could probably figure out all the dungeons if you had the patience for it haha.
First negative: controls are super wonky. I played on a controller for 99% of the game, then picked up motion controls at the end and I don't know how ANYONE played this game with motion controls at all. The motion controls are inaccurate and don't pick up your directional slices or inputs accurately, which really hinders this game as you REALLY need accuracy in certain boss fights.
Another negative I have are the items you get. There are maybe 2 I liked, the rest just seemed gimmicky for the sake of gimmicky. I am not sure how to describe it but some items really seemed useless until one particular section of a game then never used again. It didn't seem like a cohesive set of items.
This game is also SUUUPER long. The story, while strong, really dragged out in certain parts and often times I would ask myself "So why am I doing this again?" as I would forget what I was doing in the same play session.
I would recommend playing this if you have the time and are willing to deal with the controls.
For reference to this review I played with many suspend points and rewinded a lot. If that was not an option I would give this 2 stars.
I had a lot of fun playing these levels! They were challenging and for the most part made sense in what they were trying to accomplish with the design. However there are some levels, such as the "loop" levels and 8-3 that I had no idea what to do unless I looked at a guide. If you like a bit of challenge and don't mind rewinding then I would reccomend!
I had a lot of fun playing these levels! They were challenging and for the most part made sense in what they were trying to accomplish with the design. However there are some levels, such as the "loop" levels and 8-3 that I had no idea what to do unless I looked at a guide. If you like a bit of challenge and don't mind rewinding then I would reccomend!
2019
Played with Maggie, Kev, Zurreal, Ramen, Andrew.
2021
Introduced to me by Ramen, 7, Boss, and Andrew! This was an attempted speedrun
2017
Shame it's not on Steam anymore. Played this for a podcast and it was bad, hilarious, terrible yet funnily charming all in one.
2021
.... Thank you to Lago for gifting me this game.
2018
Gifted by Anura and 7 :3 Very much enjoyed playing this game on stream.
2019
Not good. Wish I could have liked it but the game felt so empty.
Played on Discord for Matt, Kev, Zam, and Jon. Matt introduced me to this game!
EDIT 7/16/2022
AITSF is an amazing game. If you love murder mystery, visual novels, and not taking yourself too seriously, I think you will like this game.
AITSF is a game where the story is above all. All the details from the story make for the type of experience that needs a second playthrough/watch through. Not that you "wont understand" after the first time playing (the type of story that leaves you confused), but because you will WANT to experience the game again to see all the foreshadowing and details you will just not get the first time. That's what makes this game so special.
It has its WOAH, and OMG, and WOW moments and revelation that make the long sessions worth it.
Where this game fails is the lack of variety in gameplay. There are two main "modes," story/investigation time, and somnium time. While the story carries these sections enough I think some others would feel bored between somnium sections because it's just clicking for a couple hours and listening to voice acting. Even while investigating the environment, it was still just moving the joystick/mouse then pressing A. While that is typical for visual novels, I feel like having varied gameplay in the investigation sections would really vary the experience (they fix this in the second game).
The voice acting is Top-tier. I will not spill why, but you can hear really good voice direction.
Overall, AITSF is a really good stand-alone game for any murder mystery junkie. A must-play for those who love Ace Attorney-type games.
EDIT 7/16/2022
AITSF is an amazing game. If you love murder mystery, visual novels, and not taking yourself too seriously, I think you will like this game.
AITSF is a game where the story is above all. All the details from the story make for the type of experience that needs a second playthrough/watch through. Not that you "wont understand" after the first time playing (the type of story that leaves you confused), but because you will WANT to experience the game again to see all the foreshadowing and details you will just not get the first time. That's what makes this game so special.
It has its WOAH, and OMG, and WOW moments and revelation that make the long sessions worth it.
Where this game fails is the lack of variety in gameplay. There are two main "modes," story/investigation time, and somnium time. While the story carries these sections enough I think some others would feel bored between somnium sections because it's just clicking for a couple hours and listening to voice acting. Even while investigating the environment, it was still just moving the joystick/mouse then pressing A. While that is typical for visual novels, I feel like having varied gameplay in the investigation sections would really vary the experience (they fix this in the second game).
The voice acting is Top-tier. I will not spill why, but you can hear really good voice direction.
Overall, AITSF is a really good stand-alone game for any murder mystery junkie. A must-play for those who love Ace Attorney-type games.
2018
Played with ramenbomber_, krisypaulinee, and kevelopergg
2019
Played for ExtraLife 2020