2005
Continuing my look into the "Kill The Past" series, I have finished what many consider to be Suda51's masterpiece: Killer7. This game was phenomenal. I truly have never played a game like it before.
To call it "arthouse" is a bit of an understatement. I loved how much of this game's story is left up to interpretation for the player. Every character is very interesting and pretty well voice acted as well. The story was told well enough to where I got the gist and a good look at some deeper elements on my own, but left enough to be research and discovered online as well.
Suda always knocks it out of the park with story, but the gameplay here was really engaging and fun as hell. Yes, the controls do take a bit to get used to in the beginning. But once you get a grasp of how to play, it becomes so damn fun. The shooting feels great (tho sometimes accuracy can be a bit troublesome), puzzles are fun to figure out and complete without being too obtuse, and there is a huge amount of enemy variety. I did feel that enemy placement could be a bit unfair at times (particularly after you exit certain Harman Rooms), but it didn't happen enough for me to be too annoyed.
This is a surreal masterpiece of video games. Suda51 outdid himself here in just about every way possible. This was another fantastic entry in his "Kill The Past" series that I am so happy I played.
To call it "arthouse" is a bit of an understatement. I loved how much of this game's story is left up to interpretation for the player. Every character is very interesting and pretty well voice acted as well. The story was told well enough to where I got the gist and a good look at some deeper elements on my own, but left enough to be research and discovered online as well.
Suda always knocks it out of the park with story, but the gameplay here was really engaging and fun as hell. Yes, the controls do take a bit to get used to in the beginning. But once you get a grasp of how to play, it becomes so damn fun. The shooting feels great (tho sometimes accuracy can be a bit troublesome), puzzles are fun to figure out and complete without being too obtuse, and there is a huge amount of enemy variety. I did feel that enemy placement could be a bit unfair at times (particularly after you exit certain Harman Rooms), but it didn't happen enough for me to be too annoyed.
This is a surreal masterpiece of video games. Suda51 outdid himself here in just about every way possible. This was another fantastic entry in his "Kill The Past" series that I am so happy I played.
Another slam dunk for the "Kill The Past" series. The gameplay was odd, and the walking isn't exactly exhilarating, but everything comes together in this really great package that serves as the sequel to The Silver Case.
I really enjoyed the themes of this game. What is paradise? Is being too kind a bad thing? Why do we procrastinate tasks even when they are so important? Is kindness even real or is it just a way to avoid our own problems?
Sumio Mondo is probably my favorite character in the series thus far. I really enjoyed his character and the changes he goes through. Everyone around him represents how he feels about himself. I love how everyone goes from praising him and revering his kindness, only to admit that they take advantage of him and find his stupid later on.
Sure, the gameplay could've been a bit more fleshed out. But the overall package here is definitely worth a playthrough for Suda fans. Hard to determine which I like more: This, or Silver case. But I do know that I don't regret playing this fantastic entry in the Silver Case trilogy.
I really enjoyed the themes of this game. What is paradise? Is being too kind a bad thing? Why do we procrastinate tasks even when they are so important? Is kindness even real or is it just a way to avoid our own problems?
Sumio Mondo is probably my favorite character in the series thus far. I really enjoyed his character and the changes he goes through. Everyone around him represents how he feels about himself. I love how everyone goes from praising him and revering his kindness, only to admit that they take advantage of him and find his stupid later on.
Sure, the gameplay could've been a bit more fleshed out. But the overall package here is definitely worth a playthrough for Suda fans. Hard to determine which I like more: This, or Silver case. But I do know that I don't regret playing this fantastic entry in the Silver Case trilogy.
This is a fun little game! Played the original on DS as a kid and wanted to give this a try. For $30, you get a fun time! Nothing groundbreaking by any means, but each game is fun and gets your brain working. Playing against online ghosts is fun and the customization is cute. For a discounted price, a cool little brain game for anyone of any age.
I enjoy this series a lot, but I felt that True Colors never fully reached the full potential of its concept. Being able to see and feel the emotions of others is a very interesting idea. Sometimes the game had confidence to explore this topic by fully transforming the area around you to reflect the emotional state of the characters, but other times it was just "look at this painting that makes me mad."
There were some big highlights for me, such as the ending chapter, the depiction of the downside of empathy (taking on too many emotions that are not your own), and I genuinely liked most of the characters. Though the game's story, the big thing that you're supposed to attach to in a game like this, had very hit-or-miss writing where at times it pulls your heartstrings, and at others makes you groan, and at the worst of times, makes you LARP for an hour and you almost die of cringe.
I still liked the game alright, but it could've been better.
There were some big highlights for me, such as the ending chapter, the depiction of the downside of empathy (taking on too many emotions that are not your own), and I genuinely liked most of the characters. Though the game's story, the big thing that you're supposed to attach to in a game like this, had very hit-or-miss writing where at times it pulls your heartstrings, and at others makes you groan, and at the worst of times, makes you LARP for an hour and you almost die of cringe.
I still liked the game alright, but it could've been better.
Idk, I guess I don't see what the big appeal here is for this game. Sure, the presentation is great. The cutscenes look like a Dreamworks animated movie. But the characters, in my opinion, are largely uninteresting. Perhaps I didn't get far enough in the story for it to become more intriguing, but I didn't much care for Kena or even fully understand what she was trying to accomplish outside of helping these spirits and getting to this mountain. Voice work was also extremely weak in my opinion. Its not House of the Dead 2 levels of awful (tho imo I would've liked that), but it is weak enough to where I'm just not believing that these characters are real.
As for gameplay, I've seen many compare it to an early platformer from the PS2 era. While this has a certain charm to it, it also comes with big drawbacks. The combat is very simple, but uninteresting. Enemies, even on normal difficulty, are a bit too spongey and hit extremely hard. There's nothing wrong with this being a difficult game (cue the Dark Souls references here), but I felt that the combat system never really did anything to make these challenging encounters very interesting or "skill based" in any way. In a souls game for example (there it is, the Souls reference), every death makes you want to try again because the gameplay is so refined that you know it was your own damn fault that you died. Here, the hitboxes and parry timing are so wonky that its difficult to even understand whats going on.
That is of course, assuming that the frustrating lock-on system worked properly. I greatly struggled with something that should be extremely simple. The camera here is a mess, straight up. Its perfectly fine in platforming sections, but is pretty garbage during enemy encounters with many enemies, which the game has a ton of. The platforming was painfully average as well. Kena has a double jump, but the second jump feels so stilted and difficult to maneuver. The puzzles were good, and I enjoyed solving them, but they never came off as clever as something you'd see in your average Zelda or Banjo-Kazooie type adventure/platforming game.
I find this game to be vastly overrated imo. While It is a beautiful looking game, and it certainly isn't broken by any means, I find it to be painfully average. For a first game from this studio, I am rather impressed at what they were able to accomplish. And don't get me wrong, there is a lot of good here. Great visuals, music is also somber and relaxing, and some of the puzzle solving I liked quite a bit. But this game was trying to shove too many different (and better) games into itself. The devs said "Let's put old-school 3d Zelda, Dark Souls, and Jak and Daxter together to make this!" and it just didn't work out as well as they had hoped in the end.
As for gameplay, I've seen many compare it to an early platformer from the PS2 era. While this has a certain charm to it, it also comes with big drawbacks. The combat is very simple, but uninteresting. Enemies, even on normal difficulty, are a bit too spongey and hit extremely hard. There's nothing wrong with this being a difficult game (cue the Dark Souls references here), but I felt that the combat system never really did anything to make these challenging encounters very interesting or "skill based" in any way. In a souls game for example (there it is, the Souls reference), every death makes you want to try again because the gameplay is so refined that you know it was your own damn fault that you died. Here, the hitboxes and parry timing are so wonky that its difficult to even understand whats going on.
That is of course, assuming that the frustrating lock-on system worked properly. I greatly struggled with something that should be extremely simple. The camera here is a mess, straight up. Its perfectly fine in platforming sections, but is pretty garbage during enemy encounters with many enemies, which the game has a ton of. The platforming was painfully average as well. Kena has a double jump, but the second jump feels so stilted and difficult to maneuver. The puzzles were good, and I enjoyed solving them, but they never came off as clever as something you'd see in your average Zelda or Banjo-Kazooie type adventure/platforming game.
I find this game to be vastly overrated imo. While It is a beautiful looking game, and it certainly isn't broken by any means, I find it to be painfully average. For a first game from this studio, I am rather impressed at what they were able to accomplish. And don't get me wrong, there is a lot of good here. Great visuals, music is also somber and relaxing, and some of the puzzle solving I liked quite a bit. But this game was trying to shove too many different (and better) games into itself. The devs said "Let's put old-school 3d Zelda, Dark Souls, and Jak and Daxter together to make this!" and it just didn't work out as well as they had hoped in the end.
Man oh man, what an experience this game was. As with The Silver Case, I played The 25th Ward as a part of "The Silver Case 2425" on Switch. What a sequel this game was! It took the already huge ambition of the original Silver Case and went even further. This time hosting 3 different storylines instead of 2, The 25th Ward takes the player on a surreal crime thriller that cannot be compared to anything else out there.
In Suda51's Correctness chapter, we follow detective Shiroyabu of the Heinous Crimes Unit in Ward 25. This storyline was just as, if not more surreal and mind bending as Transmitter was in the original Silver Case. Shiroyabu was an incredibly interesting character, tho I still found Sumio a bit more compelling when comparing the two. It was a little more difficult to follow than the other 2 storylines in this game, but I still very much enjoyed the characters and storyline presented here. It was written incredibly well and was surreal af.
The next storyline we have is Match Maker. This storyline was probably my favorite for the majority of the run time, except for the ending. The ending of it just felt a little underwritten. I was surprised that with the added chapters in this version of the game that they did nothing extra for Match Maker. But I loved everyone that made up the Regional Adjustment Bureau; in particular Tsuki and Osato. I would've liked more info about Osato's backstory, but I loved everything we got from Tsuki and his storyline. How his past comes back to haunt him and affect not just him, but everyone around him is so well done, and screams "Kill the past."
Then we have Placebo, a continuation of the storyline of the same name from Silver Case. In my opinion, Placebo is the best storyline of this game, and destroys the previous game's story by a long shot. In SC, Placebo mostly served as a way to describe and clarify plot points in Transmitter. Here, its a fully fledged story and character arc for Tokio, who was my absolute favorite character in this game. It was both intense and surreal, as well as had the best music in the game. It struck the balance between computer/messaging interaction and actual storylines and compelling dialogue. The added chapter, YUKI, was also absolutely stellar. It reminded me a lot of Suda's Moonlight Syndrome days.
Outside of the storylines, the presentation is absolutely phenomenal. It is equal parts gritty and stylish, even more so than its predecessor. Each storyline has slight variations of art styles. My personal favorite would probably be Match Maker's art, since it sort of reminded me of a more grungy Disco Elysium painting art. The soundtrack is also absolutely incredible. Some of the tracks stick in your mind days after you hear them, particularly when they showcase more instruments like piano and violin.
Overall, I think I like this game as a package just a tiny bit more than the original Silver Case. Both are masterpiece VNs imo, and should not be missed by any fans of the genre. Even if something more abstract and surreal isn't your style, I think the game's presentation and soundtrack will keep you playing/reading.
In Suda51's Correctness chapter, we follow detective Shiroyabu of the Heinous Crimes Unit in Ward 25. This storyline was just as, if not more surreal and mind bending as Transmitter was in the original Silver Case. Shiroyabu was an incredibly interesting character, tho I still found Sumio a bit more compelling when comparing the two. It was a little more difficult to follow than the other 2 storylines in this game, but I still very much enjoyed the characters and storyline presented here. It was written incredibly well and was surreal af.
The next storyline we have is Match Maker. This storyline was probably my favorite for the majority of the run time, except for the ending. The ending of it just felt a little underwritten. I was surprised that with the added chapters in this version of the game that they did nothing extra for Match Maker. But I loved everyone that made up the Regional Adjustment Bureau; in particular Tsuki and Osato. I would've liked more info about Osato's backstory, but I loved everything we got from Tsuki and his storyline. How his past comes back to haunt him and affect not just him, but everyone around him is so well done, and screams "Kill the past."
Then we have Placebo, a continuation of the storyline of the same name from Silver Case. In my opinion, Placebo is the best storyline of this game, and destroys the previous game's story by a long shot. In SC, Placebo mostly served as a way to describe and clarify plot points in Transmitter. Here, its a fully fledged story and character arc for Tokio, who was my absolute favorite character in this game. It was both intense and surreal, as well as had the best music in the game. It struck the balance between computer/messaging interaction and actual storylines and compelling dialogue. The added chapter, YUKI, was also absolutely stellar. It reminded me a lot of Suda's Moonlight Syndrome days.
Outside of the storylines, the presentation is absolutely phenomenal. It is equal parts gritty and stylish, even more so than its predecessor. Each storyline has slight variations of art styles. My personal favorite would probably be Match Maker's art, since it sort of reminded me of a more grungy Disco Elysium painting art. The soundtrack is also absolutely incredible. Some of the tracks stick in your mind days after you hear them, particularly when they showcase more instruments like piano and violin.
Overall, I think I like this game as a package just a tiny bit more than the original Silver Case. Both are masterpiece VNs imo, and should not be missed by any fans of the genre. Even if something more abstract and surreal isn't your style, I think the game's presentation and soundtrack will keep you playing/reading.
2018
You can check out my full reviews of each game separately, but this package is a must own for Kill The Past, Suda51/Grasshopper Manufacture, and/or VN fans alike. Fantastic presentation, music, storylines, characters, and performance on Switch.
The Silver Case Review: https://www.backloggd.com/u/jryancey/review/290626/
The 25th Ward Review: https://www.backloggd.com/u/jryancey/review/304494/
The Silver Case Review: https://www.backloggd.com/u/jryancey/review/290626/
The 25th Ward Review: https://www.backloggd.com/u/jryancey/review/304494/
2001
I never really gave the Silent Hill franchise a chance until now. I had been made to believe that it was a series about a spooky, foggy town with some spooky monsters inhabiting it and our hero trying to survive. Little did I know that it was much, much more than that. Silent Hill 2 is a horrifying, yet beautiful tale about trauma, regret, suffering, and how we deal with those feelings.
Everything in SH2 is purposeful. The environments, the various NPCs you meet, and the even the enemy designs reflect the mental state of James and his past. Is it all real? Or is it all in his head? That is up to the player's interpretation, but either way, everything is designed around James.
The ending system in this game is pure perfection from a narrative standpoint. How the player treats James and NPCs affect the ending given. All of the endings are intriguing and share different messages to the player. Besides the obvious joke endings, each one reflects how one deals with trauma and regret in a beautiful and meaningful way.
The gameplay itself hasn't aged the best, admittedly. It is still perfectly playable in 2022 (especially with the amazing fan-made Enhanced Edition for PC), but you definitely feel like you are playing a game from 2001. Regardless, it is still incredibly engaging. Puzzles are fairly simple but still require some brain power to solve. This is also the perfect opportunity to praise this games' puzzle difficulty settings. I have legitimately never seen a game do this and I am baffled that this didn't take off more in more games, as not only does it tailor the experience to whatever the player wants from the puzzles, but also gives the player a new experience even on subsequent playthroughs.
Overall, this game is a work of art. Yes, it's scary. But its also very thought provoking and meaningful. It is the type of substance that you never really receive in modern day horror games. It is really a shame that Silent Hill has been so dormant as of late, especially when considering the absolute amazing heights that this entry provided. Consider me a Silent Hill fan from now on.
Everything in SH2 is purposeful. The environments, the various NPCs you meet, and the even the enemy designs reflect the mental state of James and his past. Is it all real? Or is it all in his head? That is up to the player's interpretation, but either way, everything is designed around James.
The ending system in this game is pure perfection from a narrative standpoint. How the player treats James and NPCs affect the ending given. All of the endings are intriguing and share different messages to the player. Besides the obvious joke endings, each one reflects how one deals with trauma and regret in a beautiful and meaningful way.
The gameplay itself hasn't aged the best, admittedly. It is still perfectly playable in 2022 (especially with the amazing fan-made Enhanced Edition for PC), but you definitely feel like you are playing a game from 2001. Regardless, it is still incredibly engaging. Puzzles are fairly simple but still require some brain power to solve. This is also the perfect opportunity to praise this games' puzzle difficulty settings. I have legitimately never seen a game do this and I am baffled that this didn't take off more in more games, as not only does it tailor the experience to whatever the player wants from the puzzles, but also gives the player a new experience even on subsequent playthroughs.
Overall, this game is a work of art. Yes, it's scary. But its also very thought provoking and meaningful. It is the type of substance that you never really receive in modern day horror games. It is really a shame that Silent Hill has been so dormant as of late, especially when considering the absolute amazing heights that this entry provided. Consider me a Silent Hill fan from now on.
While I still have the post game to go, I have seen the credits roll on Legends Arceus. And my god, what an absolutely fantastic game this is. This is up there with HGSS, Platinum, and Gen 5 for me. But what makes Legends Arceus so great?
It is truly hard to describe why this game resonates so much with me. Don't get me wrong, there are plenty of flaws here. The graphics are a bit rough (not ugly, not stunning), there could be more trainer battles, and there is a little bit of jank at times when it comes to several aspects of the game.
But everything else here is so damn addicting and fresh. Pokémon desperately needed a change to the formula. While some entries tried to innovate here and there, particularly Sun and Moon, Legends Arceus blows up everything that we thought Pokémon could be.
I won't go over every single change or new mechanic that Legends Arceus throws at you, but we get new battle mechanics, new balancing, open world exploration, wild Pokémon that you can sneak up on and catch without battling, and so much more. It is sort of a mix between open world and Monster Hunter-esc areas that have their own ecosystems and Pokémon to catch.
Because of the Pokémon being in the world for you to approach and catch in a myriad of ways, I actually want to complete the Pokedex in this game. That's something that I have never really wanted to do in a Pokémon game before.
The story and characters are also great in this game. While it is nothing groundbreaking, its very entertaining and the writing is sharp. I know some people complain about the lack of voice acting, and maybe this is just nostalgia talking, but I don't really think the game needs it. The writing is good, wholesome, and entertaining throughout the whole ride.
I just couldn't put this game down. Is it perfect? Hell no. There definitely needs to be some improvements if GameFreak plans on making this the new standard for Pokémon games. Which they absolutely should. This game has made me fall in love with Pokémon again; as if I'm 9 years old playing Pokémon Ruby again for the first time. Don't listen to people trying to review bomb this game simply because whiny Pokémon fans can never be pleased. Legends Arceus is easily the best Pokémon game on the Switch and proves that the future is bright for Gen 9.
Game Freak, don't make this a side series. Every Pokémon game from here on out needs to build upon this amazing foundation you have laid out here.
It is truly hard to describe why this game resonates so much with me. Don't get me wrong, there are plenty of flaws here. The graphics are a bit rough (not ugly, not stunning), there could be more trainer battles, and there is a little bit of jank at times when it comes to several aspects of the game.
But everything else here is so damn addicting and fresh. Pokémon desperately needed a change to the formula. While some entries tried to innovate here and there, particularly Sun and Moon, Legends Arceus blows up everything that we thought Pokémon could be.
I won't go over every single change or new mechanic that Legends Arceus throws at you, but we get new battle mechanics, new balancing, open world exploration, wild Pokémon that you can sneak up on and catch without battling, and so much more. It is sort of a mix between open world and Monster Hunter-esc areas that have their own ecosystems and Pokémon to catch.
Because of the Pokémon being in the world for you to approach and catch in a myriad of ways, I actually want to complete the Pokedex in this game. That's something that I have never really wanted to do in a Pokémon game before.
The story and characters are also great in this game. While it is nothing groundbreaking, its very entertaining and the writing is sharp. I know some people complain about the lack of voice acting, and maybe this is just nostalgia talking, but I don't really think the game needs it. The writing is good, wholesome, and entertaining throughout the whole ride.
I just couldn't put this game down. Is it perfect? Hell no. There definitely needs to be some improvements if GameFreak plans on making this the new standard for Pokémon games. Which they absolutely should. This game has made me fall in love with Pokémon again; as if I'm 9 years old playing Pokémon Ruby again for the first time. Don't listen to people trying to review bomb this game simply because whiny Pokémon fans can never be pleased. Legends Arceus is easily the best Pokémon game on the Switch and proves that the future is bright for Gen 9.
Game Freak, don't make this a side series. Every Pokémon game from here on out needs to build upon this amazing foundation you have laid out here.
2021
A fun, daily word game that keeps the mind active. Can’t say much more than that really. Not really a game that you can analyze or anything, but it’s been a fun time playing every morning and has become a bit of a morning routine for me. Enough said.
2015
There are games out there where it is very easy to tell people why its a masterpiece. People can watch video essays on why a game like, Silent Hill 2 for example, does an amazing job with its storytelling through environments and gameplay, and understand to a point where they never have to really play it themselves. Bloodborne, on the other hand, is the exact opposite. Bloodborne is a masterpiece that only those who have played it will truly understand why this game is a masterpiece of game design. It is hard to really describe why this is, but I will try my best.
Bloodborne, at its core, is another Souls-like game from From Software. The setting is completely different from any other Souls game, opting for a more Victorian-era setting with some heavy Lovecraftian inspiration. The player is thrusted into this world to be a hunter, seeking to kill the monsters that have plagued this cursed town.
But, as many FromSoft fans know, there is a lot more to the story and world than meets the eye at first. Through cutscenes, dialogue exchanges with NPCs, item descriptions, and boss encounters, the player learns more about how this place was created and what exactly they're really working towards.
While lore enthusiasts only make up a certain percentage of Souls players, most agree that the gameplay is what makes the Soulsborne games so damn good, and Bloodborne is no exception to that. The game broke free of the expectations that people had for Souls games. Instead of being more methodical in your approach to enemies, picking times to strike, block, and parry accordingly, Bloodborne elects to be more about crazy offense. There are no shields (well, effective ones anyway) to protect the player, so they must rely on dodging and parrying. Bloodborne even rewards those who goes on the offensive by letting players regain some lost health if they attack enemies at a certain time as their health drops. The combat in Bloodborne is absolute perfection. Everything is balanced by these simple mechanics to create combat that feels so satisfying.
The bosses in this game are also incredible. Yeah, theres some that are just okay or downright bad, but most of the bosses are absolutely fantastic, well designed, and memorable. The music is absolutely godlike as well. It goes from melancholic melodies to epic orchestral pieces, and they all slap.
The game is not perfect, however. Yes, its a 10/10 GOATed experience, but there are things that can be a little lackluster at times. For example, Arcane, the replacement for magic, is severely lacking here. There are a moderate amount of spells for players to use, but they are all pretty weak and aren't very effective against most bosses or fast enemies. The game also SEVERELY needs either a PS5 upgrade or a PC port, as the 30 FPS make this one of the more difficult Souls games to play because of its low native framerate. The game still looks gorgeous, but could use a big boost.
This is one of my favorite games of all time. The world and gameplay of Bloodborne fit together to make the perfect vibe and tone for this game. Everything about it makes me giddy with excitement. It's a true work of art, and a masterpiece game that I highly recommend everyone play at least once in their lives. No videos on YouTube could ever provide you with the memories and experiences that playing this game has to offer.
Bloodborne, at its core, is another Souls-like game from From Software. The setting is completely different from any other Souls game, opting for a more Victorian-era setting with some heavy Lovecraftian inspiration. The player is thrusted into this world to be a hunter, seeking to kill the monsters that have plagued this cursed town.
But, as many FromSoft fans know, there is a lot more to the story and world than meets the eye at first. Through cutscenes, dialogue exchanges with NPCs, item descriptions, and boss encounters, the player learns more about how this place was created and what exactly they're really working towards.
While lore enthusiasts only make up a certain percentage of Souls players, most agree that the gameplay is what makes the Soulsborne games so damn good, and Bloodborne is no exception to that. The game broke free of the expectations that people had for Souls games. Instead of being more methodical in your approach to enemies, picking times to strike, block, and parry accordingly, Bloodborne elects to be more about crazy offense. There are no shields (well, effective ones anyway) to protect the player, so they must rely on dodging and parrying. Bloodborne even rewards those who goes on the offensive by letting players regain some lost health if they attack enemies at a certain time as their health drops. The combat in Bloodborne is absolute perfection. Everything is balanced by these simple mechanics to create combat that feels so satisfying.
The bosses in this game are also incredible. Yeah, theres some that are just okay or downright bad, but most of the bosses are absolutely fantastic, well designed, and memorable. The music is absolutely godlike as well. It goes from melancholic melodies to epic orchestral pieces, and they all slap.
The game is not perfect, however. Yes, its a 10/10 GOATed experience, but there are things that can be a little lackluster at times. For example, Arcane, the replacement for magic, is severely lacking here. There are a moderate amount of spells for players to use, but they are all pretty weak and aren't very effective against most bosses or fast enemies. The game also SEVERELY needs either a PS5 upgrade or a PC port, as the 30 FPS make this one of the more difficult Souls games to play because of its low native framerate. The game still looks gorgeous, but could use a big boost.
This is one of my favorite games of all time. The world and gameplay of Bloodborne fit together to make the perfect vibe and tone for this game. Everything about it makes me giddy with excitement. It's a true work of art, and a masterpiece game that I highly recommend everyone play at least once in their lives. No videos on YouTube could ever provide you with the memories and experiences that playing this game has to offer.
2021
This review contains spoilers
Inscryption has high highs, and low lows that ultimately culminate in an interesting and enjoyable card game experience. I'm not normally into card games, but this game kept me hooked with a very fun gameplay loop.
The game is split into three acts. The first act is absolutely 10/10. It has such an intriguing setting, fun escape room-esc puzzles, and card mechanics that are simple to learn, but difficult to master. This is coupled with it being a rogue-like game where you have to build your deck again each time you die. It can be extremely punishing, but also equally rewarding. The villain is intriguing and creepy af. I definitely was hooked from the very beginning.
Act 2 is where things get shaky and divisive for people. It goes from a first-person card game to a 3rd person, 8-bit RPG. The game loses a ton of charm during this session. It also loses all sense of difficulty. There are a ton of new cards introduced that can severely break the game. You also keep all of cards when you die, meaning that a lot of the game's difficulty goes out the window as well. Overall I just didn't enjoy this section as much as the first one, and its made even worse because of how amazing the first act is. I'd give act 2 a 5/10.
Act 3 and the finale pick up significantly from act 2. The new setting isn't as interesting as act 1, but it is full of more dread. The game changes genres yet again into more of a tabletop RPG. Its still not a roguelike like act 1, but its still enjoyable. You still keep your cards when you die, but fights are more difficult and require a bit more strategy, so I feel that it is more balanced. The finale is very cool and leads to an astonishing ending. I'd say act 3 is a solid 8/10 for me.
I will say that I did not like the live-action videos in this game. I think the game would have been more effective if it interacted with the actual player, rather than Mr. Carder. The acting just wasn't very good from any of the cast. At times it feels forced and just unnatural. The conspiracy angle is interesting, but the game never goes far enough in that direction to really draw you in.
All-in-all, Inscryption is a great game. Its certainly a mixed bag at times, but I still really enjoyed my time with it. Its a great card game that, at the very least, keeps you playing thanks to its great gameplay loop and mechanics. The story is a bit mixed, but the vibe is something that is very good and unique. It averages out to around a 7/10 for me. A great card game that is undeniably unique.
The game is split into three acts. The first act is absolutely 10/10. It has such an intriguing setting, fun escape room-esc puzzles, and card mechanics that are simple to learn, but difficult to master. This is coupled with it being a rogue-like game where you have to build your deck again each time you die. It can be extremely punishing, but also equally rewarding. The villain is intriguing and creepy af. I definitely was hooked from the very beginning.
Act 2 is where things get shaky and divisive for people. It goes from a first-person card game to a 3rd person, 8-bit RPG. The game loses a ton of charm during this session. It also loses all sense of difficulty. There are a ton of new cards introduced that can severely break the game. You also keep all of cards when you die, meaning that a lot of the game's difficulty goes out the window as well. Overall I just didn't enjoy this section as much as the first one, and its made even worse because of how amazing the first act is. I'd give act 2 a 5/10.
Act 3 and the finale pick up significantly from act 2. The new setting isn't as interesting as act 1, but it is full of more dread. The game changes genres yet again into more of a tabletop RPG. Its still not a roguelike like act 1, but its still enjoyable. You still keep your cards when you die, but fights are more difficult and require a bit more strategy, so I feel that it is more balanced. The finale is very cool and leads to an astonishing ending. I'd say act 3 is a solid 8/10 for me.
I will say that I did not like the live-action videos in this game. I think the game would have been more effective if it interacted with the actual player, rather than Mr. Carder. The acting just wasn't very good from any of the cast. At times it feels forced and just unnatural. The conspiracy angle is interesting, but the game never goes far enough in that direction to really draw you in.
All-in-all, Inscryption is a great game. Its certainly a mixed bag at times, but I still really enjoyed my time with it. Its a great card game that, at the very least, keeps you playing thanks to its great gameplay loop and mechanics. The story is a bit mixed, but the vibe is something that is very good and unique. It averages out to around a 7/10 for me. A great card game that is undeniably unique.
2013
Got this game awhile ago and decided to play it on my laptop during breaks or travel. Was very surprised with the level of complexity and depth that this game has in it. Papers, Please is a bit of a border simulator, but also a deeply political game that is all about choice.
Choice is everything in Papers, Please. Sure, you're given instructions every day and given general rules to follow. But you can choose to align yourself with those who wish to overthrow the oppressive government, simply look out for yourself, make alliances with other employees of the border control, and so much more. All of these choices affect the ending given, of which theres 20. I have gotten a couple of endings thus far, and look forward to seeing more.
The gameplay looks a bit boring when watching it. Yet, when you play, you can't help but become addicted to the gameplay loop. This is because the game is always introducing new things to watch out for. Just as you're getting bored or too good at inspecting the people and papers you're given, BOOM, a new mechanic or type of paper that completely changes the way you look at things. It keeps things interesting enough to carry you through the entire story.
That being said, the game definitely plays best in short bursts. I wouldn't recommend playing this game in a marathon session, as you will most likely get bored of it very quickly.
Despite this though, Papers, Please is a very unique and well made game. The short bursts I played of this game have all been very fun and compelling. The writing is simple but very effective. Its look is minimalistic and very unique, as is its concept. While it can definitely drag towards the latter half, I can't help but enjoy most everything about this game. If you haven't given this game a shot, I highly recommend it. It's the perfect game for those looking for something to play on work breaks or if they have limited gaming time.
Choice is everything in Papers, Please. Sure, you're given instructions every day and given general rules to follow. But you can choose to align yourself with those who wish to overthrow the oppressive government, simply look out for yourself, make alliances with other employees of the border control, and so much more. All of these choices affect the ending given, of which theres 20. I have gotten a couple of endings thus far, and look forward to seeing more.
The gameplay looks a bit boring when watching it. Yet, when you play, you can't help but become addicted to the gameplay loop. This is because the game is always introducing new things to watch out for. Just as you're getting bored or too good at inspecting the people and papers you're given, BOOM, a new mechanic or type of paper that completely changes the way you look at things. It keeps things interesting enough to carry you through the entire story.
That being said, the game definitely plays best in short bursts. I wouldn't recommend playing this game in a marathon session, as you will most likely get bored of it very quickly.
Despite this though, Papers, Please is a very unique and well made game. The short bursts I played of this game have all been very fun and compelling. The writing is simple but very effective. Its look is minimalistic and very unique, as is its concept. While it can definitely drag towards the latter half, I can't help but enjoy most everything about this game. If you haven't given this game a shot, I highly recommend it. It's the perfect game for those looking for something to play on work breaks or if they have limited gaming time.
Samus Returns is a very mixed bag for me. I never really hear anyone describe this as the best 2D Metroid game, and I def see why. On one hand, it has fantastic level design and gameplay. On the other hand, environments are largely forgettable, and the game is extremely repetitive. I am not sure if the original was this way as well, but it is certainly present in this remake/definitive version.
The combat and gameplay is pretty much the same as every other Metroid game that came before it, in a good way. Moment-to-moment gameplay is so much fun here. MercurySteam did add the now iconic parry system that was so well done in Metroid Dread. Here, it is a bit overused and overpowered. It works very well for boss fights, but normal enemy encounters are a joke because of how effective and easy the parry is.
Speaking of boss fights, this game has a very strange approach to them. Theres some absolutely fantastic fights here, such as Diggernaut and Proteus Ridley. However, the main issue arises from what the game is truly about. Samus is sent to this planet to destroy all remaining Metroids. Seems simple enough. And it is, admittedly. The issue though is how damn repetitive it is to kill all of these metroids. They have attached themselves to various monsters, of which there are about 3-4 variants of. This wouldn't be so bad if there wasn't an incredible amount of metroids to kill in the game. It gets so damn repetitive: go to a new area, kill Metroids in the same form they were in before. Rinse and repeat until the game is over. If it wasn't for the extremely good level design here, I would have really struggled to keep playing. And the level design is truly great here. I do think that it is better than games like Fusion. But the game actively goes against itself by making the main objective so damn repetitive.
I cannot stress enough how much of a mixed bag this is. It sort of has the opposite problems that I have with Fusion. Fusion is extremely creative, but has pretty bland level design. Samus Returns has extremely good level design, but enemy types and bosses feel lazy overall. And its a shame, because MercurySteam really could have improved the original drastically.
Despite my complaints tho, I did enjoy my time quite a bit with Samus Returns. It's still a Metroid game, which has quickly become one of my favorite series as of late. However, it is far from the best that the series has to offer as a whole. Is it wholly necessary to play? Eh, I wouldn't say so. But as a big fan of this series now, I overall enjoyed the experience despite the flaws that I did see.
Definitely pick up this title soon as the 3DS E-Shop is closing down soon. Despite my 7/10 rating here, I still highly recommend it as a great experience that, if you're a Metroid fan, you shouldn't miss out on.
The combat and gameplay is pretty much the same as every other Metroid game that came before it, in a good way. Moment-to-moment gameplay is so much fun here. MercurySteam did add the now iconic parry system that was so well done in Metroid Dread. Here, it is a bit overused and overpowered. It works very well for boss fights, but normal enemy encounters are a joke because of how effective and easy the parry is.
Speaking of boss fights, this game has a very strange approach to them. Theres some absolutely fantastic fights here, such as Diggernaut and Proteus Ridley. However, the main issue arises from what the game is truly about. Samus is sent to this planet to destroy all remaining Metroids. Seems simple enough. And it is, admittedly. The issue though is how damn repetitive it is to kill all of these metroids. They have attached themselves to various monsters, of which there are about 3-4 variants of. This wouldn't be so bad if there wasn't an incredible amount of metroids to kill in the game. It gets so damn repetitive: go to a new area, kill Metroids in the same form they were in before. Rinse and repeat until the game is over. If it wasn't for the extremely good level design here, I would have really struggled to keep playing. And the level design is truly great here. I do think that it is better than games like Fusion. But the game actively goes against itself by making the main objective so damn repetitive.
I cannot stress enough how much of a mixed bag this is. It sort of has the opposite problems that I have with Fusion. Fusion is extremely creative, but has pretty bland level design. Samus Returns has extremely good level design, but enemy types and bosses feel lazy overall. And its a shame, because MercurySteam really could have improved the original drastically.
Despite my complaints tho, I did enjoy my time quite a bit with Samus Returns. It's still a Metroid game, which has quickly become one of my favorite series as of late. However, it is far from the best that the series has to offer as a whole. Is it wholly necessary to play? Eh, I wouldn't say so. But as a big fan of this series now, I overall enjoyed the experience despite the flaws that I did see.
Definitely pick up this title soon as the 3DS E-Shop is closing down soon. Despite my 7/10 rating here, I still highly recommend it as a great experience that, if you're a Metroid fan, you shouldn't miss out on.
2022
Oh Elden Ring, the culmination of every FromSoftware title that has ever graced our computer monitors and TVs. To be quite blunt, this game is my favorite FromSoft title, and quite honestly is now in my top 5 favorite games ever. To say that it is a masterpiece is almost an understatement.
But what makes Elden Ring so fantastic? Let's start with the best thing about the game: the exploration. If Breath Of The Wild gave you a sense of adventure and awe with its "you see it, go there!" mentality, then Elden Ring will give you similar vibes. There are so many little secrets to find here. From mines, dungeons, overworld bosses, and entire levels both mandatory and optional for you to tackle. And tackle them you will, because it is so damn fun to do so. Every moment I spent exploring this world that Miyazaki and GRRM created gave me a sense of adventure and discovery that I rarely get from games anymore.
Let's talk about difficulty. Yes, this is yet another "git gud" entry in FromSoft's catalogue. And yet, it's also one of their most accessible. There are plenty of tutorials on how things work, there are NPC summons and the newly implemented enemy summons that give you an extra leg up in boss battles (I even argue many bosses are built around the idea of co-op or the enemy summons), and theres so many tools to help you beat that next challenge. That's not to say that this game is easy, though. I've played all of FromSoft's work, and I still got my ass kicked a good amount in Elden Ring. But with getting demolished also comes great reward, and it is totally highlighted here in Elden Ring.
Combat here is a blend of pretty much everything that has lead up to this game. It is very reminiscent of all the Dark Souls games (Dark Souls III in particular), but also rewards the player for being more aggressive with enemies being stagger-able if you do enough damage quickly, ala Bloodborne, and even has jumping and stealth ala Sekiro. All builds feel viable (tho magic still is a bit broken) and are fun as hell to play around with.
This is not to say Elden Ring is perfect, though. While this is basically a 6/5 game for me, there are still things I found annoying. For starters, yes, the PC version stutters a lot and can sometimes cost you good runs because of it. There has been some improvements, but not enough to make it the definitive way to play the game. Elden Ring also suffers from one of my most hated open world tropes: the good ole copy-and-paste. There are a ton of bosses in this game, but a good amount of them are reskins or the same boss with one-or-two added mechanics. It can sometimes feel a bit anticlimactic when tackling this challenging side dungeon only to be met with a normal enemy as a boss.
These setbacks do not sour the experience for me though. Elden Ring is a masterclass of open world design. It combines the best of all FromSoft's work up to now. Which begs the question: where the hell do they go from here? I'm not sure how FromSoft is going to top this game going forward, but I will sure as hell be one of the first to play when they try.
But what makes Elden Ring so fantastic? Let's start with the best thing about the game: the exploration. If Breath Of The Wild gave you a sense of adventure and awe with its "you see it, go there!" mentality, then Elden Ring will give you similar vibes. There are so many little secrets to find here. From mines, dungeons, overworld bosses, and entire levels both mandatory and optional for you to tackle. And tackle them you will, because it is so damn fun to do so. Every moment I spent exploring this world that Miyazaki and GRRM created gave me a sense of adventure and discovery that I rarely get from games anymore.
Let's talk about difficulty. Yes, this is yet another "git gud" entry in FromSoft's catalogue. And yet, it's also one of their most accessible. There are plenty of tutorials on how things work, there are NPC summons and the newly implemented enemy summons that give you an extra leg up in boss battles (I even argue many bosses are built around the idea of co-op or the enemy summons), and theres so many tools to help you beat that next challenge. That's not to say that this game is easy, though. I've played all of FromSoft's work, and I still got my ass kicked a good amount in Elden Ring. But with getting demolished also comes great reward, and it is totally highlighted here in Elden Ring.
Combat here is a blend of pretty much everything that has lead up to this game. It is very reminiscent of all the Dark Souls games (Dark Souls III in particular), but also rewards the player for being more aggressive with enemies being stagger-able if you do enough damage quickly, ala Bloodborne, and even has jumping and stealth ala Sekiro. All builds feel viable (tho magic still is a bit broken) and are fun as hell to play around with.
This is not to say Elden Ring is perfect, though. While this is basically a 6/5 game for me, there are still things I found annoying. For starters, yes, the PC version stutters a lot and can sometimes cost you good runs because of it. There has been some improvements, but not enough to make it the definitive way to play the game. Elden Ring also suffers from one of my most hated open world tropes: the good ole copy-and-paste. There are a ton of bosses in this game, but a good amount of them are reskins or the same boss with one-or-two added mechanics. It can sometimes feel a bit anticlimactic when tackling this challenging side dungeon only to be met with a normal enemy as a boss.
These setbacks do not sour the experience for me though. Elden Ring is a masterclass of open world design. It combines the best of all FromSoft's work up to now. Which begs the question: where the hell do they go from here? I'm not sure how FromSoft is going to top this game going forward, but I will sure as hell be one of the first to play when they try.