moschidae
2019
Pikuniku is a silly and short platformer in which you play as the red circle Piku and generally just enjoy walking around, bouncing and kicking people.
Pikuniku presents a very strong and unique sense of aloofness, pairing together its floaty physics and visual style to great effects. The music also plays a large role in this game's mood, probably the one element that imprinted on me the most while playing. Its the only soundtrack ive ever heard that lives up to/matches the same energy as quirky early Nintendo music, reminding me of Animal Crossing or Super Paper Mario specifically
This game has a lot of honest world building and physical comedy set up so it is a huge letdown that the writers of this game were not confident enough with Pikuniku's originality and instead had to resort to using meme dialouge. This is the original sin of indie games for me, can turn a perfectly crafted experience into something completely unbearable. You know... the type of dialouge where they
type like this
no punctuation or anything just
typing like theyre texting
3 words per sentence
And they feel the need to fall back on (already outdated) meme formats that does nothing but put an expiration date on your otherwise fun game. "Its dangerous to go alone, take this", "el bunko", and just generally the style of comedy that one may find on ifunny. Its a real shame because like I said Pikuniku feels original enough on its own that I dont think they had to fall back on this to make the game charming. I think the devs may have just thought it was funny on their own which is quite sad. They are also French which confused me since Pikuniku seems to have japanese text underneath it on all promotional images of the game, so I assumed it was japanese. But I suppose it isnt...
Otherwise, if you want a short and silly game I would suggest Pikuniku on sale, but don't expect something on the same level as something like Katamari.
Pikuniku presents a very strong and unique sense of aloofness, pairing together its floaty physics and visual style to great effects. The music also plays a large role in this game's mood, probably the one element that imprinted on me the most while playing. Its the only soundtrack ive ever heard that lives up to/matches the same energy as quirky early Nintendo music, reminding me of Animal Crossing or Super Paper Mario specifically
This game has a lot of honest world building and physical comedy set up so it is a huge letdown that the writers of this game were not confident enough with Pikuniku's originality and instead had to resort to using meme dialouge. This is the original sin of indie games for me, can turn a perfectly crafted experience into something completely unbearable. You know... the type of dialouge where they
type like this
no punctuation or anything just
typing like theyre texting
3 words per sentence
And they feel the need to fall back on (already outdated) meme formats that does nothing but put an expiration date on your otherwise fun game. "Its dangerous to go alone, take this", "el bunko", and just generally the style of comedy that one may find on ifunny. Its a real shame because like I said Pikuniku feels original enough on its own that I dont think they had to fall back on this to make the game charming. I think the devs may have just thought it was funny on their own which is quite sad. They are also French which confused me since Pikuniku seems to have japanese text underneath it on all promotional images of the game, so I assumed it was japanese. But I suppose it isnt...
Otherwise, if you want a short and silly game I would suggest Pikuniku on sale, but don't expect something on the same level as something like Katamari.
2022
"A world where man can never stand... To actualize that world, I decided to engrave it within the canvas"
Heavenly Thread, Embodiment of Spirit. Casting glances at the paintings on the walls and feeling the texture of the crayon and paint that lines the floors. Ib presents a noticeably polished atmosphere, not one of explicit hostility (such as Witch's House, Ao Oni) but the art gallery in which our young protagonist finds herself lost is better depicted as another world entirely. The lonely paintings and dim hallways are endlessly empty, your safety is more dependant on something's impulsive whim more than the outright threat of some monster. And it's not some flat interpretation of an exhibit, the works of Guertena are as strong and consistent as its real life counterparts, the complexity of the man make the encounters in his exhibit even more unique. It is so visually varied and endlessly stimulating, despite the limitations of pixelization.
Standing proud 12 years later as one of the best classic rpgmaker games, there are very few flaws that this remake has not ironed out. The writing goes above and beyond- it has such a mystique and charm lent to it. The art style is so unique. Everything here is so smooth, never too much and never too little, everything examined and well thought out. Ultimately a perfectly crafted experience that cant be asked to give more or less. The outstanding child of the 2010s rpgmaker craze.
Heavenly Thread, Embodiment of Spirit. Casting glances at the paintings on the walls and feeling the texture of the crayon and paint that lines the floors. Ib presents a noticeably polished atmosphere, not one of explicit hostility (such as Witch's House, Ao Oni) but the art gallery in which our young protagonist finds herself lost is better depicted as another world entirely. The lonely paintings and dim hallways are endlessly empty, your safety is more dependant on something's impulsive whim more than the outright threat of some monster. And it's not some flat interpretation of an exhibit, the works of Guertena are as strong and consistent as its real life counterparts, the complexity of the man make the encounters in his exhibit even more unique. It is so visually varied and endlessly stimulating, despite the limitations of pixelization.
Standing proud 12 years later as one of the best classic rpgmaker games, there are very few flaws that this remake has not ironed out. The writing goes above and beyond- it has such a mystique and charm lent to it. The art style is so unique. Everything here is so smooth, never too much and never too little, everything examined and well thought out. Ultimately a perfectly crafted experience that cant be asked to give more or less. The outstanding child of the 2010s rpgmaker craze.
"Hmm... even if the lights are out, I can still water the plants and feed the animals.
But why does it feel like I'm being watched?"
A Pet Shop After Dark is a cute and short meta horror game made by the same people who produced A Year of Springs, a game some might be more familiar with. I'd heard good things about Springs before so I thought I'd pick up this game on a whim, as the latter seemed to appeal more to my tastes.
The game starts off with our nameless protagonist accepting an overnight job at a pet and plant store. All she is told is to water the plants, feed the (invisible) animals, and never turn off the lights. As it were, it is literally impossible to interact with the lights in the game itself so the loop continues of you performing these two tasks until you realize this is the kind of game where you have to mess with the files.
A lot of people seem to be over these types of games, but I find the unorthodox way of creating puzzles and scenarios to be pretty interesting and fun. Though this game also has the 4th wall breaking trope of characters talking directly to you, I never found it to be grating or immersion breaking. The game really plays to its strengths with presenting itself simply and having (most) of its puzzles follow up in a similar fashion. Each puzzle has an interesting answer, and it (mostly) never drags its feet too long to get stale.
My issue with talking about Pet Shop is this: I, obviously, dont own a computer. I played this on the steamdeck. And as anyone who owns a steamdeck knows: desktop mode is a fucking affront to this world. Basic actions like pulling up a keyboard are notioursly obnoxious and time consuming. And as most of this game's puzzles take place in the files of the game, it was obviously absurdly difficult and frustrating for me to play it. So, between the later puzzles becoming pretty tedious and the already annoying task of navigating the deck's horrible pc controls: I had a pretty bad time.
In general, I think this game is quite solid. If you like these types of games, I would recommend checking it out. Though... I said this before in my Unreal Life review, but when your gameplay is something of a one trick pony, it is good to never linger on it for too long. Amaze with your clever, but short, solution to a problem and move on. If something like this takes me more than 8 minutes to figure out, I'm pissed. Like I said, the later puzzles tend to do this and become too convoluted/repetitive to be fun. I know that personally, I hate puzzles with all my heart and I want to never look at another puzzle again, but despite that I can recognize that this is a cool, small game and others may not struggle as much as me.
-1 point for being on itchio
But why does it feel like I'm being watched?"
A Pet Shop After Dark is a cute and short meta horror game made by the same people who produced A Year of Springs, a game some might be more familiar with. I'd heard good things about Springs before so I thought I'd pick up this game on a whim, as the latter seemed to appeal more to my tastes.
The game starts off with our nameless protagonist accepting an overnight job at a pet and plant store. All she is told is to water the plants, feed the (invisible) animals, and never turn off the lights. As it were, it is literally impossible to interact with the lights in the game itself so the loop continues of you performing these two tasks until you realize this is the kind of game where you have to mess with the files.
A lot of people seem to be over these types of games, but I find the unorthodox way of creating puzzles and scenarios to be pretty interesting and fun. Though this game also has the 4th wall breaking trope of characters talking directly to you, I never found it to be grating or immersion breaking. The game really plays to its strengths with presenting itself simply and having (most) of its puzzles follow up in a similar fashion. Each puzzle has an interesting answer, and it (mostly) never drags its feet too long to get stale.
My issue with talking about Pet Shop is this: I, obviously, dont own a computer. I played this on the steamdeck. And as anyone who owns a steamdeck knows: desktop mode is a fucking affront to this world. Basic actions like pulling up a keyboard are notioursly obnoxious and time consuming. And as most of this game's puzzles take place in the files of the game, it was obviously absurdly difficult and frustrating for me to play it. So, between the later puzzles becoming pretty tedious and the already annoying task of navigating the deck's horrible pc controls: I had a pretty bad time.
In general, I think this game is quite solid. If you like these types of games, I would recommend checking it out. Though... I said this before in my Unreal Life review, but when your gameplay is something of a one trick pony, it is good to never linger on it for too long. Amaze with your clever, but short, solution to a problem and move on. If something like this takes me more than 8 minutes to figure out, I'm pissed. Like I said, the later puzzles tend to do this and become too convoluted/repetitive to be fun. I know that personally, I hate puzzles with all my heart and I want to never look at another puzzle again, but despite that I can recognize that this is a cool, small game and others may not struggle as much as me.
-1 point for being on itchio
To my own internal sadness and despair, I cannot get into this one.
Riding high off of Teal Mask's success, I began the dlc with a lot of curiosity and expectations for how the year long story-in-the-making would conclude. Teal Mask took the emotional highs and perfect character arcs of the base game and carried it on perfectly; the map was lovely, the environments looked far prettier than they originally did in Scarlet, the small improvements to the camera and clothing options were wonderful. It concluded with a cliffhanger that left me very intrigued as to where it would lead. The opening to Indigo Disk was not so bad, but slowly I began to feel very overwhelmed by the amount of things being thrown at me. I could really tell that they put the most effort into making sure players had enough to keep them occupied and spent little time on anything else. New gameplay introduced like the BBQs are not a bad idea in theory, but they end up becoming grindy through lack of options for obtaining them. Defeat 10 pokemon through auto battle is not something I'd ever do, ever. Doing it 30 times in a row for what feels like a measly 10 points feels harsh.
The terrarium was very impressive at first glance, but over time I started to feel claustrophobic and very weary of the glass ceilings and blocky architecture. On paper I very much appreciate the love Unova gets here but walking through a savanna and having it suddenly cut off by these weird copy and paste mega exposure producing cubes makes the area feel enclosed and artificial. It is, of course, a terrarium but it gives off such an oppressive feeling... the map design itself is good I feel, but theres something empty about it and it doesnt help that the only thing to break the mold are the same old boring cube structures youll run into anywhere else on the map. Kitikami had a varied selection of different environments and things to see while still withholding its theme, but Blueberry Academy doesnt feel aesthetically strong or interesting enough.
The new characters you meet feel rushed and pointless. I want to appreciate them and like them, but you only get to spend a negligible amout of time getting to know them and then its off to Area Zero for more rushed development. And its so dissapointing how they drop Kieran on his head, especially after how he shined in the Teal Mask. Everything he goes through is absolutely streamlined and he comes out the other side not feeling changed at all. The story beats are so quick and its disheartening that this is what they were building up to since base Scarlet. What is Terapagos? Whys it important? Whys it there, how does it generate the terrestrial power? Dont know! They did not eleborate. I know they put more effort into things like the battles and the club, but the way the story is organized is such a let down for the finale of my favorite pokemon game. I was really hoping for more.
In terms of what I am enjoying, I think all the clubhouse stuff is my favorite part of the expansion. I never got a proper sendoff to all my Paldean buddies so its very nice that I can invite them over and see how theyre doing, refight them and whatnot. Im impressed that they have situational dialouge for if two characters are in the clubroom together, that is a lot of writing and a great deal of effort so im glad they spared some on this behalf. I also like the old pokemon added back in, its been fun seeing them again
Overall im pretty bummed with this final dlc. The terrarium area overall feels overbearing and I dislike being in it, on top of the Blueberry Academy stuff being notably grindy for a pokemon game. Its a sad way to send Paldea off, but hopefully the next game builds on the progress SV has made and is just as great, if not better.
Riding high off of Teal Mask's success, I began the dlc with a lot of curiosity and expectations for how the year long story-in-the-making would conclude. Teal Mask took the emotional highs and perfect character arcs of the base game and carried it on perfectly; the map was lovely, the environments looked far prettier than they originally did in Scarlet, the small improvements to the camera and clothing options were wonderful. It concluded with a cliffhanger that left me very intrigued as to where it would lead. The opening to Indigo Disk was not so bad, but slowly I began to feel very overwhelmed by the amount of things being thrown at me. I could really tell that they put the most effort into making sure players had enough to keep them occupied and spent little time on anything else. New gameplay introduced like the BBQs are not a bad idea in theory, but they end up becoming grindy through lack of options for obtaining them. Defeat 10 pokemon through auto battle is not something I'd ever do, ever. Doing it 30 times in a row for what feels like a measly 10 points feels harsh.
The terrarium was very impressive at first glance, but over time I started to feel claustrophobic and very weary of the glass ceilings and blocky architecture. On paper I very much appreciate the love Unova gets here but walking through a savanna and having it suddenly cut off by these weird copy and paste mega exposure producing cubes makes the area feel enclosed and artificial. It is, of course, a terrarium but it gives off such an oppressive feeling... the map design itself is good I feel, but theres something empty about it and it doesnt help that the only thing to break the mold are the same old boring cube structures youll run into anywhere else on the map. Kitikami had a varied selection of different environments and things to see while still withholding its theme, but Blueberry Academy doesnt feel aesthetically strong or interesting enough.
The new characters you meet feel rushed and pointless. I want to appreciate them and like them, but you only get to spend a negligible amout of time getting to know them and then its off to Area Zero for more rushed development. And its so dissapointing how they drop Kieran on his head, especially after how he shined in the Teal Mask. Everything he goes through is absolutely streamlined and he comes out the other side not feeling changed at all. The story beats are so quick and its disheartening that this is what they were building up to since base Scarlet. What is Terapagos? Whys it important? Whys it there, how does it generate the terrestrial power? Dont know! They did not eleborate. I know they put more effort into things like the battles and the club, but the way the story is organized is such a let down for the finale of my favorite pokemon game. I was really hoping for more.
In terms of what I am enjoying, I think all the clubhouse stuff is my favorite part of the expansion. I never got a proper sendoff to all my Paldean buddies so its very nice that I can invite them over and see how theyre doing, refight them and whatnot. Im impressed that they have situational dialouge for if two characters are in the clubroom together, that is a lot of writing and a great deal of effort so im glad they spared some on this behalf. I also like the old pokemon added back in, its been fun seeing them again
Overall im pretty bummed with this final dlc. The terrarium area overall feels overbearing and I dislike being in it, on top of the Blueberry Academy stuff being notably grindy for a pokemon game. Its a sad way to send Paldea off, but hopefully the next game builds on the progress SV has made and is just as great, if not better.
2020
Unreal Life, a game about a girl named Hal who has lost her memories. She finds she can read an object's past by touch, through the help of a kind AI traffic light. She will then be sent to suffer through a gauntlet of the most obtuse, senseless, and slow RPGmaker style puzzles imaginable. All for a chance to meet her teacher, Miss Sakura, who is the singular link she has to her past.
Was it worth it? All those hours of slowly walking around aimlessly, trying to figure out what the game could possibly want from me? I suppose it was. The game has a very solidified style that it presents and it does it well. Visually, its perfectly crafted and beautiful to look at. The story it tells and the mystery that comes along with it was very interesting to me, and I appreciate how it tries to break the mold in several ways. For example, I really enjoyed how it presented Hal's memory flashbacks. They were confusing and violent and often unexpected, and I liked how they kept some vaugeness as to what exactly is happening until the very end. Stories like these where reality is clealry warped arent always best completely explained, as attempting to do so might just completely deflate any sense of electricty the plot has generated. I was worried this game was going to go down a stereotypical path (youre a serial killer!!! this whole world is fake and in your head!! Youre craAazy!!!!) but I'm more than pleased on the emphasis Unreal Life puts on the power of imagination and of yourself. The message the ending portrays and its resolution are a good one, and I'm glad to have read it.
However, this game is held back a lot by its gameplay. If you have a game that is mostly story oriented, any gameplay that occurs should work along with that and never obstruct the player too much. It would be a good thing, for example, to not add the most horseshit, time consuming puzzle you can think of and instead maybe just leave that out all together. I hate puzzles to begin with but I hate them even more now as they seem to love popping up in otherwise good games just to make them worse. The speed at which the character moves, the lack of direction or hints, and the general clunkiness of some of the puzzle mechanics introduced are all parts of the reason that these puzzles simply suck. The ones in the beginning half of the game arent so bad, but they always teetered on frustrating. While the later half of the game had me in tears trying to figure out just what I was doing wrong. Unreal Life would of benefitted greatly from some kind of hint system... considering you have a hyperintelligent AI with you, I dont think it'd be too unreasonable.
Overall, the story is very sweet and well thought out, except for the whole car crash thing which resolves in the same manner as a whoopie cushion deflates. Im pretty bummed this didnt have as big an impact as it could due to how frustrating it was to play, but I dont regret my time spent with it at all.
shoutout to the moss ball with the same name as me. Shes great. And round.
Was it worth it? All those hours of slowly walking around aimlessly, trying to figure out what the game could possibly want from me? I suppose it was. The game has a very solidified style that it presents and it does it well. Visually, its perfectly crafted and beautiful to look at. The story it tells and the mystery that comes along with it was very interesting to me, and I appreciate how it tries to break the mold in several ways. For example, I really enjoyed how it presented Hal's memory flashbacks. They were confusing and violent and often unexpected, and I liked how they kept some vaugeness as to what exactly is happening until the very end. Stories like these where reality is clealry warped arent always best completely explained, as attempting to do so might just completely deflate any sense of electricty the plot has generated. I was worried this game was going to go down a stereotypical path (youre a serial killer!!! this whole world is fake and in your head!! Youre craAazy!!!!) but I'm more than pleased on the emphasis Unreal Life puts on the power of imagination and of yourself. The message the ending portrays and its resolution are a good one, and I'm glad to have read it.
However, this game is held back a lot by its gameplay. If you have a game that is mostly story oriented, any gameplay that occurs should work along with that and never obstruct the player too much. It would be a good thing, for example, to not add the most horseshit, time consuming puzzle you can think of and instead maybe just leave that out all together. I hate puzzles to begin with but I hate them even more now as they seem to love popping up in otherwise good games just to make them worse. The speed at which the character moves, the lack of direction or hints, and the general clunkiness of some of the puzzle mechanics introduced are all parts of the reason that these puzzles simply suck. The ones in the beginning half of the game arent so bad, but they always teetered on frustrating. While the later half of the game had me in tears trying to figure out just what I was doing wrong. Unreal Life would of benefitted greatly from some kind of hint system... considering you have a hyperintelligent AI with you, I dont think it'd be too unreasonable.
Overall, the story is very sweet and well thought out, except for the whole car crash thing which resolves in the same manner as a whoopie cushion deflates. Im pretty bummed this didnt have as big an impact as it could due to how frustrating it was to play, but I dont regret my time spent with it at all.
shoutout to the moss ball with the same name as me. Shes great. And round.
2023
• But the moon is as full as it'll ever be, and theres even a soda fountain
Indescribable game. I cant really figure out what to write about it as the whole thing felt like it washed over me, I was so entranced. Enjoy the Diner is very bittersweet and calming. I very much like its approach to things, the way everyone speaks, reacts. How things are resolved. There is a place for anger and despair in the world but there is a distinct lack of judgement or punishment where I realize there could be. Its more focused itself on a hopeful acceptance, no one intended to be stuck in a diner set in infinite space just as no one intends to have regrets or grief, I think. But everything is taken in a quiet stride, and they manage to do as the title says...it isnt that bad of a place to be, after all, at the very least there's a soda fountain. I'm really struck by this games atmosphere and simplicity. I love its creativity and capacity for the alien and weird. Its so soothing and melancholic, a hint of silly. One of my favorites of all time, I love and cherish it very much.
Indescribable game. I cant really figure out what to write about it as the whole thing felt like it washed over me, I was so entranced. Enjoy the Diner is very bittersweet and calming. I very much like its approach to things, the way everyone speaks, reacts. How things are resolved. There is a place for anger and despair in the world but there is a distinct lack of judgement or punishment where I realize there could be. Its more focused itself on a hopeful acceptance, no one intended to be stuck in a diner set in infinite space just as no one intends to have regrets or grief, I think. But everything is taken in a quiet stride, and they manage to do as the title says...it isnt that bad of a place to be, after all, at the very least there's a soda fountain. I'm really struck by this games atmosphere and simplicity. I love its creativity and capacity for the alien and weird. Its so soothing and melancholic, a hint of silly. One of my favorites of all time, I love and cherish it very much.
2022
There is something at work in my soul, which I do not understand.
Thy Creature is a Mary Shelley's Frankenstein inspired video game, in which you play as the infamous nameless monster on a journey to discover the truth of his origin. Unexpectedly coming into contact with others- meeting them and delving into their memories, slowly unraveling the burden and joys of a human nature he is not quite sure he has. Instead of a direct translation of story to game like MAZM's other title, Thy Creature seems divorced from the source; curating its own world with its own charm. A space that focuses more on the emotional history of every living thing in the game rather than looking up at violence for a climax- which is unexpected considering this is a bullet hell. I was not expecting for it to be so melancholic or as touching as it was, somewhat choppy translation aside. There is so much unfiltered creativity here, the mind you have to have to even think to turn Frankenstein's monster into a sexy man with long white anime hair is a great one indeed. I cant really speak its praises enough, every character in the game was visually unique and easily differentiated; unafraid to interact with things like body weight and age. MAZM's visual presentation is always very strong, and it shined here in every way. Playing it I really did feel like I stepped into someones fantasy- it's kind of hard to explain but I cant help but to be very fond of it. I loved everything it did and tried to do in every aspect of the game. A very heartfelt and loving outlook on this world and everything in it.
If I had two critiques...I wish it would of said more with its memory flashbacks, as at a certain point sometimes it becomes a bit repetitive (Chris likes drinking, Leon loves the sea) and I wish I could of seen more of their world building in any way I can. And secondly, though this is probably a budget related issue, the stages in which you have to use the scissors are very tedious and teetered on feeling unbeatable. Cutting things really should be snappier and involve less A button spam. Other than that, this puzzle/bullet hell hybrid is something I've never seen before and should be, if anything else, praised for its originality in every way. Its fun and rewarding, not too short and not too long. Nearly perfect, so I really do hope MAZM goes on to get more funding and work on a bigger scale. I have my fingers crossed for Dracula next.
Thy Creature is a Mary Shelley's Frankenstein inspired video game, in which you play as the infamous nameless monster on a journey to discover the truth of his origin. Unexpectedly coming into contact with others- meeting them and delving into their memories, slowly unraveling the burden and joys of a human nature he is not quite sure he has. Instead of a direct translation of story to game like MAZM's other title, Thy Creature seems divorced from the source; curating its own world with its own charm. A space that focuses more on the emotional history of every living thing in the game rather than looking up at violence for a climax- which is unexpected considering this is a bullet hell. I was not expecting for it to be so melancholic or as touching as it was, somewhat choppy translation aside. There is so much unfiltered creativity here, the mind you have to have to even think to turn Frankenstein's monster into a sexy man with long white anime hair is a great one indeed. I cant really speak its praises enough, every character in the game was visually unique and easily differentiated; unafraid to interact with things like body weight and age. MAZM's visual presentation is always very strong, and it shined here in every way. Playing it I really did feel like I stepped into someones fantasy- it's kind of hard to explain but I cant help but to be very fond of it. I loved everything it did and tried to do in every aspect of the game. A very heartfelt and loving outlook on this world and everything in it.
If I had two critiques...I wish it would of said more with its memory flashbacks, as at a certain point sometimes it becomes a bit repetitive (Chris likes drinking, Leon loves the sea) and I wish I could of seen more of their world building in any way I can. And secondly, though this is probably a budget related issue, the stages in which you have to use the scissors are very tedious and teetered on feeling unbeatable. Cutting things really should be snappier and involve less A button spam. Other than that, this puzzle/bullet hell hybrid is something I've never seen before and should be, if anything else, praised for its originality in every way. Its fun and rewarding, not too short and not too long. Nearly perfect, so I really do hope MAZM goes on to get more funding and work on a bigger scale. I have my fingers crossed for Dracula next.
2020
Baldur's Gate Baldur's Gate Baldur's Gate. What is there to say about Baldur's Gate? Quite a lot considering everyones playthroughs seem to wildly differ. Mine in particular must of been comparably disorganized, considering not only have I never played a crpg before but I have also never interacted with D&D in the slightest. I was drawn to the game first and foremost by its roleplaying and strong sense of character it develops for each of its cast members. I still say this is the shining part of the game for me, the amount of written and voice acted dialogue is insane and it definitely helps that both these things are pulled off incredibly. I cant remember an rpg I've played where I didnt dislike at least one party member, but they're all so diverse and painstakingly crafted that its hard to not have fun with them.
I enjoy the roleplaying so much that I really just wish i could explore that aspect of the game without the combat. This is tied to one of two distinctive flaws I think Baldurs Gate 3 has. Not the actual combat itself, the actual gameplay is very very fun and well thought out. There are so many strategies you can work out and the game does a good job of making most encounters unique; both in map design and the enemy's skillset. But its so slow. Its so slow. I akin it to waiting in line for a rollercoaster, it takes that long for it to be my turn. The turns themselves are slow but it doesnt help that Larian cant help themselves and, after Act 1, seem to become obsessed with spawning in 40 trash mobs to combat your 4 playable units. Some enemy turns felt like they took a better part of 20 minutes to get through. Thats where the well crafted combat starts falling apart in my eyes, those fights where its you vs 30 things are just too long and too tedious not to be annoying. The span of status effects in this game can be quite fun but if you wait 10 minutes for it to actually be your turn and some dickhead casts flee on you- forget it. It becomes way too annoying and it burns me out. Easy mode is not easy enough, I just want to look at the dialogue options....
On the topic of roleplaying is where my second criticism lies. This game is very sexual. Thats fine, I love breasts and ass and cunt ect ect. But for a game that is so determined to have every character come up and request to sleep with you, I find it weird that theres no option to set your sexual orientation. I could take it a step forward and say I wish every party unit had a set sexuality- but for now I really wish my obviously lesbian charcter would stop getting forced into romance cutscenes with men. It is confusing too, because it must be annoying for the majority of straight men who play this to have guys like Halsin abruptly declare his love for their character, so I'm not sure why this isnt a feature. It would be a pretty easy box to check off for certain events not to trigger. I doubt this will be added but it would make the game much less uncomfortable to play.
Those are my complaints but I feel like I'm really downplaying how magical and fun this game was to go through. It is a rare game that is worth 60 dollars, I dont think anyone can undermine the sheer amount of effort and passion this must of taken to put together. For my first crpg I feel like the tutorial was kind of bad- but if you can work past it it's definitely a very solid place to start. It was very addicting and I feel gratified to have played it.
Now, some notes that didnt really fit in with the other subjects.... Act 1 and most of Act 3 are so much fun to explore and play around in but Act 2 is awful. I hate Act 2 with all my heart. There are about 3 interesting encounters in that area and thats it. Fuck the Shar temple I HATE it. No more puzzles.
I wish owlbear and Scratch had more points of interaction! Theyre so cute and sweet, I wish they had their own stories like everyone else. I stopped getting cutscenes for them after the underdark very early on, so I wish there was more I could play around with there.
Also on that note: I feel like the companions quests have either very weird pacing or (more likely) i missed a lot of flavor dialogue. Specifically, I feel like I missed out on a lot of romance specific things with Shadowheart and im not really sure why. I am the most interested in this so it really confuses me why there seemed to be so little altered when you're in a relationship. I know the dialogue exists so Im confused why I never came across it in my playthrough... a bit disappointing.
On the note of disappointment: why the hell can I pick what type of vulva I have if I never get to SEE it in use? I had sand sex with Shadowheart and I only did get to see boobs. I didnt expect a full on animated sex fuck sequence, but a little touching? A bit of body? During Shadowheart's scene my character just kind of sat on her and they started kissing and fade to black. Everyone in this god damn game wants to fuck everything and everyone and the sex scenes come across as vapid. And, while I had the option to hire a prostitute, I only got to have it once... that also ties in with my complaint that I wish there was more extra scenes and choices added in to the romance options, but all that to say it was kind of underwhelming.
The end in general was also kind of underwhelming and depressing. Only Lae'rel got to have a fleshed out goodbye, everyone else was just nothing. Astarion's (for his good route) was just incredibly sad. I was hoping for a cutscene showing us all celebrating together and a special epilogue with Shadowheart but it was, again, very abrupt and empty. To have such a dramatic buildup and then a let down of an ending is a bit crushing. Not to mind that that's the reward I get for beating that awful awful final boss.
That was a lot of complaining but I do actually love this game, dont get me wrong. In the wide span of things I FORGOT ABOUT KARLACH- what the fuck why is obtaining her directly connected to whether or not a single tiefling dies in the grove regardless of who you sided with. I didnt even know how to play the game at this point, nonetheless how to properly gauge how to make an optimal decision. I was trying to help the tieflings to the best of my knowledge by taking out the druid leader... the tieflings themselves had no issue with this seeing as how they threw a huge party in my name. Karlach's dialogue seemed to be set up negating siding with the tieflings and almost just assuming you went with the druids, seeing as how she called me a murderer of her people for no reason and how I couldnt properly respond. I never got to meet her character all for the actions of someone else, its definitely stupid and I hate her now.
I will try again: I do love this game a lot. In the wide span of things it definitely feels like a genuine feat of human accomplishment. This is what it looks like for a game to have a loving dev team and all the time and resources in the world?...needless to say it will be hard to top this in the future. I love Scratch and owlbear and Shadowheart and all my friends, even Astarion who hated me for most of my run. I will play again when a mod comes out that lets me skip the combat. And also, always remember to never stab your vampire companions even if they steal blood from you. That is a blatantly bad decision (uri...). Shoutout to Hilda for helping me find a clown's body parts for 3 days straight. That's all, goodbye.
2023
Fashion Dreamer is not really a video game. I dont really know what it is. Its not a 50 dollar game, and it is apparently not Style Savvy. That being said I do continue to play it every day and thoroughly enjoy my time with it. Do I like it? I suppose I do. The price tag is baffling because there is only one thing and one thing only to do in this game; obtain clothes, dress other people and yourself up. Without the online function this game is very empty. Youre talking a 3-4 hour game if you pirate it or only want to play offline. For 50 whole dollars that is insane. What little writing that is in the game is good, so it is strange that theres no dedicated story mode for something like this.
Another problem: a majority of the clothes are gender-locked. Which is also strange because 99.9% of people who play this appear to be girls. And the .1 percent of men who play a fashion dress up game most likely are not of a straight orientation. So youre just denying clothes to pretty much everyone who would like to have them, which again is pretty odd considering they let men wear makeup and have pretty pink heart earrings that you can only match with khakis.
The audio. in this game. Is insane. Its so loud. Its so loud. Cocoon HOPE, the menus. They have the worst music ive ever heard in a game. The rest of the game is exempt from this, but every time one goes to create clothes they also have to live with the pressure of having this loop in their ear indefinitely. Its so loud. Its so loud everyone I call can hear it perfectly as if they were right there fashion dreaming themselves. My friend Uri described the sound design as casino adjacent. There is inexplicably a gacha machine in this game so he is therefore correct. Blinking lights and shining sparkling explosion sounds every time i want to simply play shitty bingo. Sensory overload when i want to make a hat. Its insane.
The social element for this game is really lovely and it is the sole reason I keep playing. Its nice seeing other peoples muses and getting to dress them up, see how they react to what you made for them. Receiving an outfit made by someone you dont know also makes me feel giddy, i like watching people enjoy what ive created and wanting to wear the clothes i made. The showrooms are also fun to mess around in but it feels particularly mobile gamey (reach brand level 150 to unlock THIS yellow wall!) But its literally the only other thing to do in the game that isnt dress up so its fine. Fashion Dreamer is also visually very pretty, so theres no complaints about boring areas or bad textures. Just wish there was more of it. It needs more of all of it.
Should I buy Fashion Dreamer, you ask yourself. No... probably. This game has one upside, which is that its a perfect tool to do nothing with while you zone out on the couch. Something to play while youre talking to your friends or watching a movie you dont really like. It serves one purpose: dress up characters and look at clothes. I was going to say it does that pretty well but then i remembered that they gender-locked half the outfits so nevermind. Its not 50 dollars- unless youre very well off then I suppose go for it. I dont regret buying it because i know im going to be playing it on and off forever, but just dont expect a substantial gaming experience.
Appreciate all the boys who play this, I get to live my fashion dream through you. How I yearn to wear a suit vest....
Another problem: a majority of the clothes are gender-locked. Which is also strange because 99.9% of people who play this appear to be girls. And the .1 percent of men who play a fashion dress up game most likely are not of a straight orientation. So youre just denying clothes to pretty much everyone who would like to have them, which again is pretty odd considering they let men wear makeup and have pretty pink heart earrings that you can only match with khakis.
The audio. in this game. Is insane. Its so loud. Its so loud. Cocoon HOPE, the menus. They have the worst music ive ever heard in a game. The rest of the game is exempt from this, but every time one goes to create clothes they also have to live with the pressure of having this loop in their ear indefinitely. Its so loud. Its so loud everyone I call can hear it perfectly as if they were right there fashion dreaming themselves. My friend Uri described the sound design as casino adjacent. There is inexplicably a gacha machine in this game so he is therefore correct. Blinking lights and shining sparkling explosion sounds every time i want to simply play shitty bingo. Sensory overload when i want to make a hat. Its insane.
The social element for this game is really lovely and it is the sole reason I keep playing. Its nice seeing other peoples muses and getting to dress them up, see how they react to what you made for them. Receiving an outfit made by someone you dont know also makes me feel giddy, i like watching people enjoy what ive created and wanting to wear the clothes i made. The showrooms are also fun to mess around in but it feels particularly mobile gamey (reach brand level 150 to unlock THIS yellow wall!) But its literally the only other thing to do in the game that isnt dress up so its fine. Fashion Dreamer is also visually very pretty, so theres no complaints about boring areas or bad textures. Just wish there was more of it. It needs more of all of it.
Should I buy Fashion Dreamer, you ask yourself. No... probably. This game has one upside, which is that its a perfect tool to do nothing with while you zone out on the couch. Something to play while youre talking to your friends or watching a movie you dont really like. It serves one purpose: dress up characters and look at clothes. I was going to say it does that pretty well but then i remembered that they gender-locked half the outfits so nevermind. Its not 50 dollars- unless youre very well off then I suppose go for it. I dont regret buying it because i know im going to be playing it on and off forever, but just dont expect a substantial gaming experience.
Appreciate all the boys who play this, I get to live my fashion dream through you. How I yearn to wear a suit vest....
(Reuploaded)
The heavens aligned and miraculously I was blessed with a switch eshop refund. I honestly can not believe how dissapointed i am in this game. I absolutely adore the visuals, the music is grand, the combat is nostalgic and engaging. All that absolutely wasted on the most sterotypical below-grade jrpg writing i could ever even imagine. Literally every single boring shitty trope i can think of was introduced in the beginning hours of the game. It even goes down to the lines the npcs will give you, i feel like ive read the story of this game before a thousand times. If youve played a fantasy rpg before, youve played this game. There is no charisma or quality. I could waste words explaining why but if youve played a japanese video game before you already know what i mean.
I talk a lot with my friend uri about how video games in particular have a lot of qualities that separate themselves from other art forms, but none of them seem to want to utilize it. Thats what this game reminds me of. Jrpgs in particular will have 100,000 words dedicated to the most disingenuous, boring (and sexist) shit you can possibly think of. Highlight on the misogyny because dear god star ocean sure didnt want to break the mold when it comes to those tropes.
Called nintendo support the second i got to a line of dialogue which implied the aunt innkeeper character was gonna give Rena a room for free so she (17 years old) could go have sex in it with a guy she met like 2 seconds ago. Real fascinating stuff. Jrpgs gotta be stopped, smells like octopath 2 in here.
The heavens aligned and miraculously I was blessed with a switch eshop refund. I honestly can not believe how dissapointed i am in this game. I absolutely adore the visuals, the music is grand, the combat is nostalgic and engaging. All that absolutely wasted on the most sterotypical below-grade jrpg writing i could ever even imagine. Literally every single boring shitty trope i can think of was introduced in the beginning hours of the game. It even goes down to the lines the npcs will give you, i feel like ive read the story of this game before a thousand times. If youve played a fantasy rpg before, youve played this game. There is no charisma or quality. I could waste words explaining why but if youve played a japanese video game before you already know what i mean.
I talk a lot with my friend uri about how video games in particular have a lot of qualities that separate themselves from other art forms, but none of them seem to want to utilize it. Thats what this game reminds me of. Jrpgs in particular will have 100,000 words dedicated to the most disingenuous, boring (and sexist) shit you can possibly think of. Highlight on the misogyny because dear god star ocean sure didnt want to break the mold when it comes to those tropes.
Called nintendo support the second i got to a line of dialogue which implied the aunt innkeeper character was gonna give Rena a room for free so she (17 years old) could go have sex in it with a guy she met like 2 seconds ago. Real fascinating stuff. Jrpgs gotta be stopped, smells like octopath 2 in here.
What if....
What if you had one chance to use the secret art of resurrecting the dead?
Yes, if you had the power to bring someone back to life, one time and one time only...!
What would you do?
Paranormasight, while not entirely grasping the reigns on its horror theming, has still grown to be one of my favorite mystery virtual novels behind Ace Attorney. I would like to thank fellow backloggd user Cadensia for encouraging me to play this game, her incredible review is worth the read regardless if youre interested in playing. Paranormasight is most definitley the most ambitious and fresh feeling game I have played in a while, taking several new concepts i have never encountered before and turning them into a distinct style of VN that leaves me desperate to see more of. While i generally feel like some of these concepts had more potential, each and every aspect of this game is thoroughly utilized near constantly. It is a game that never became boring, predictable. Every little thing from the flavor text to the menus was purposeful and smart. It is a thinking game, a very intelligent game that had me on a hook until the very end. The 360° Google Earth-like camera in particular fascinated me, it is an absolutely ingenious idea for both a horror and mystery VN alike. Though, with the horror aspect, i feel my biggest disappointment lies.
I will be honest, this games biggest strength is its intelligent character writing, artwork, and unconventional puzzle solutions. More on the topic of the characters in the next paragraph, but i feel like the scary aspects of this game are left woefully untouched from how tense the opening route was. The 360 camera control was anxiety inducing, having to manually swing your head around to investigate left me feeling incredibly open and vulnerable. Your character has a back, a place they cannot see, and the game takes full advantage of that fact both in terms of puzzle solving and well earned jumpscares. A core part of the game revolves around an object called a curse stone. Each carries its own unique curse with its own requirements to set off, kill enough people with it and you can access the Rite of Resurrection. The first part of this game had such a unique idea, trying to figure out other curse bearer's abilities while also attempting to discard them with your own. Its ingenious, and not to mention that Paranormasight is one of the few games that does 4th wall breaking well, with many of the puzzle solutions being something only the player can access. As the game goes on and new protagonists are introduced with their own curse abilities, i thought the entire game would be centered around the smart use of these stones to aid in storytelling. Deciding if one should or should not use their stone to take someones life seems like a given when it comes to a game with a story chart, though unfortunately once day breaks this entire mechanic is dropped mostly all together along with the outright horror atmosphere (though the game remains very tense). The rest of Paranormasight is not bad by any means, but i do really wish there were more scares set up with the paranormal element.
Yes, if you are interested in this game please know that it shouldnt be solely for a scary time. Paranormasight's largest strength by far is its stellar wriitng and excellent visual direcrion. This is absolutely the most important paragraph in my review, because i just cant underestimate how wonderful this game's writing is. So many games- even ones centered around reading- fail to break the mold in any capacity; not as well written as a book, not interesting as a game. So many character stereotypes rehashed again and again, both in writing and design. Paranormasight's writing takes on a completely new charisma of its own... character dynamics I have never seen depicted before, realized in such a grounded way that feels real and tangible. I was constantly endeared and amazed by it. Its hard to describe, but its almost like a person you might meet in your actual life: there is no defining them or their actions by only a few descriptive traits. Gone are the days where we have such thrilling VN characters such as Girl (crazy mean though attractive) or Girl (shy) or High School Boy Jersey Jacket (jock) and his friend High School Boy Glasses (he is smart).
Paranormasight is where it's at, from a gay private detective to a man who is struggling very much trying to explain his babied wife, it does not leave one wanting for diversity. The premise of the mystery is also consistently present, always leaving you thinking and hanging on each and every word. But more than anything i am deeply thankful and touched by the delivery of the female cast. Its something i dont expect from any video game whatsoever, nonetheless a Square Enix title. Half the characters in this game are women, and theyre all so wonderful. Visually distinct... they all have different features and styles, down to the way their bodies are shaped. They're all nuanced and contained in a way that is exactly equal to writing and positions male charactes recieve. They are interesting, cunning, thinking and endearing. They are shown to me as human people, and this is an incredibly rare thing to behold in any artistic medium. I am very very happy i played this game to see such a thing, once more i can not understate just how thoughtful and interactive the writing is.
Paranormasight a very precious game in the world of virtual novels (my new term) and a very exciting one. I hope this team gets to make more of whatever genre they feel like venturing into with a proper budget, but in my opinion even with limited resources they already shot 99% of horror/mystery VNs out of the water. This game will leave a very large impression on me for a long time. I already miss my gay detective and rugged school girl friends.
What if you had one chance to use the secret art of resurrecting the dead?
Yes, if you had the power to bring someone back to life, one time and one time only...!
What would you do?
Paranormasight, while not entirely grasping the reigns on its horror theming, has still grown to be one of my favorite mystery virtual novels behind Ace Attorney. I would like to thank fellow backloggd user Cadensia for encouraging me to play this game, her incredible review is worth the read regardless if youre interested in playing. Paranormasight is most definitley the most ambitious and fresh feeling game I have played in a while, taking several new concepts i have never encountered before and turning them into a distinct style of VN that leaves me desperate to see more of. While i generally feel like some of these concepts had more potential, each and every aspect of this game is thoroughly utilized near constantly. It is a game that never became boring, predictable. Every little thing from the flavor text to the menus was purposeful and smart. It is a thinking game, a very intelligent game that had me on a hook until the very end. The 360° Google Earth-like camera in particular fascinated me, it is an absolutely ingenious idea for both a horror and mystery VN alike. Though, with the horror aspect, i feel my biggest disappointment lies.
I will be honest, this games biggest strength is its intelligent character writing, artwork, and unconventional puzzle solutions. More on the topic of the characters in the next paragraph, but i feel like the scary aspects of this game are left woefully untouched from how tense the opening route was. The 360 camera control was anxiety inducing, having to manually swing your head around to investigate left me feeling incredibly open and vulnerable. Your character has a back, a place they cannot see, and the game takes full advantage of that fact both in terms of puzzle solving and well earned jumpscares. A core part of the game revolves around an object called a curse stone. Each carries its own unique curse with its own requirements to set off, kill enough people with it and you can access the Rite of Resurrection. The first part of this game had such a unique idea, trying to figure out other curse bearer's abilities while also attempting to discard them with your own. Its ingenious, and not to mention that Paranormasight is one of the few games that does 4th wall breaking well, with many of the puzzle solutions being something only the player can access. As the game goes on and new protagonists are introduced with their own curse abilities, i thought the entire game would be centered around the smart use of these stones to aid in storytelling. Deciding if one should or should not use their stone to take someones life seems like a given when it comes to a game with a story chart, though unfortunately once day breaks this entire mechanic is dropped mostly all together along with the outright horror atmosphere (though the game remains very tense). The rest of Paranormasight is not bad by any means, but i do really wish there were more scares set up with the paranormal element.
Yes, if you are interested in this game please know that it shouldnt be solely for a scary time. Paranormasight's largest strength by far is its stellar wriitng and excellent visual direcrion. This is absolutely the most important paragraph in my review, because i just cant underestimate how wonderful this game's writing is. So many games- even ones centered around reading- fail to break the mold in any capacity; not as well written as a book, not interesting as a game. So many character stereotypes rehashed again and again, both in writing and design. Paranormasight's writing takes on a completely new charisma of its own... character dynamics I have never seen depicted before, realized in such a grounded way that feels real and tangible. I was constantly endeared and amazed by it. Its hard to describe, but its almost like a person you might meet in your actual life: there is no defining them or their actions by only a few descriptive traits. Gone are the days where we have such thrilling VN characters such as Girl (crazy mean though attractive) or Girl (shy) or High School Boy Jersey Jacket (jock) and his friend High School Boy Glasses (he is smart).
Paranormasight is where it's at, from a gay private detective to a man who is struggling very much trying to explain his babied wife, it does not leave one wanting for diversity. The premise of the mystery is also consistently present, always leaving you thinking and hanging on each and every word. But more than anything i am deeply thankful and touched by the delivery of the female cast. Its something i dont expect from any video game whatsoever, nonetheless a Square Enix title. Half the characters in this game are women, and theyre all so wonderful. Visually distinct... they all have different features and styles, down to the way their bodies are shaped. They're all nuanced and contained in a way that is exactly equal to writing and positions male charactes recieve. They are interesting, cunning, thinking and endearing. They are shown to me as human people, and this is an incredibly rare thing to behold in any artistic medium. I am very very happy i played this game to see such a thing, once more i can not understate just how thoughtful and interactive the writing is.
Paranormasight a very precious game in the world of virtual novels (my new term) and a very exciting one. I hope this team gets to make more of whatever genre they feel like venturing into with a proper budget, but in my opinion even with limited resources they already shot 99% of horror/mystery VNs out of the water. This game will leave a very large impression on me for a long time. I already miss my gay detective and rugged school girl friends.
Ogrepon Ogrepon Ogrepon, the worlds beloved Ogrepon. Put a hat on that thing and watch it go. Drop kick your foes and deliver them unto justice, all with that golden smile.
This dlc is very, very good. Any chance to play more Scarlet is something I would leap at regardless, but I am very glad it seems to be going in a great direction despite my hesitations. I was very worried watching the Directs that The Teal Mask would lose the fantastic character direction that made Scarlet so remarkable, but Im very happy to say I was completely wrong (except you, Briar. What are you wearing.)
I absolutely love the new additions to the cast. Carmine and Kieran are so charismatic and I just could not get enough of their development and interactions. I was particularly impressed with their aim depicting the older sister, younger brother relationship the two have. It was done very, very well in a way that I dont think Ive seen in a video game before. Yet again I found myself taken aback by just how good the character writing was, even though the Pokemon team never have enough time on their hands I was still impressed with the absolute care they put into every little detail depicting their cast and the Pokemon surrounding them. Little things, like Kieran's very accurate nervous swaying and the reactions you would get fighting alongside Carmine all made the world feel so real. There is so much life in the game despite its limitations, especially when it comes to the Pokemon who are endlessly charming and alive. Even for only the first half of the dlc, I was very satisfied just being there.
The Kitakami region, visually, is very pretty to me and looks a bit above the base game. It probably helped that it was smaller, but it does look noticably improved from the looping rock wall textures of Paldea. I had a good time exploring, but I wish it was a bit easier to get around on foot... and I wish there werent so many items everywhere. Why are there so many items everywhere? But, more importantly, I really enjoyed the new outfits and quality of life improvements. The selfie stick is real useful and I love the new customization options that are avaliable to you. I had a good time traversing the world with my Meowscarada and desperately trying to get her to take a look at me for a photo.
All in all i think the next dlc will probably be just as good, if not better, and even if 35 dollars is very very steep I would still recommend it to anyone who really adores SV like I do. It does not disappoint.
This is NOT good-bye, OK? We're definitley gonna see each other again!
This dlc is very, very good. Any chance to play more Scarlet is something I would leap at regardless, but I am very glad it seems to be going in a great direction despite my hesitations. I was very worried watching the Directs that The Teal Mask would lose the fantastic character direction that made Scarlet so remarkable, but Im very happy to say I was completely wrong (except you, Briar. What are you wearing.)
I absolutely love the new additions to the cast. Carmine and Kieran are so charismatic and I just could not get enough of their development and interactions. I was particularly impressed with their aim depicting the older sister, younger brother relationship the two have. It was done very, very well in a way that I dont think Ive seen in a video game before. Yet again I found myself taken aback by just how good the character writing was, even though the Pokemon team never have enough time on their hands I was still impressed with the absolute care they put into every little detail depicting their cast and the Pokemon surrounding them. Little things, like Kieran's very accurate nervous swaying and the reactions you would get fighting alongside Carmine all made the world feel so real. There is so much life in the game despite its limitations, especially when it comes to the Pokemon who are endlessly charming and alive. Even for only the first half of the dlc, I was very satisfied just being there.
The Kitakami region, visually, is very pretty to me and looks a bit above the base game. It probably helped that it was smaller, but it does look noticably improved from the looping rock wall textures of Paldea. I had a good time exploring, but I wish it was a bit easier to get around on foot... and I wish there werent so many items everywhere. Why are there so many items everywhere? But, more importantly, I really enjoyed the new outfits and quality of life improvements. The selfie stick is real useful and I love the new customization options that are avaliable to you. I had a good time traversing the world with my Meowscarada and desperately trying to get her to take a look at me for a photo.
All in all i think the next dlc will probably be just as good, if not better, and even if 35 dollars is very very steep I would still recommend it to anyone who really adores SV like I do. It does not disappoint.
This is NOT good-bye, OK? We're definitley gonna see each other again!
"Even if all the trees return, it won't be his forest anymore. The Great Forest Spirit is dead now"
"Never. He's life itself. He's not dead, San. He's here right now, trying to tell us something, that it's time for us both to live."
- Zelda, apparently.
If I were to describe Tears of the Kingdom with one word, it would probably be... incongruent. Multitudes of new concepts that are more or less at odds with one another, a new experience in some ways and a modded version of botw in others. Borrowing the same story and gameplay structure from its predecessor, I intially assumed they would have the space to create something that functioned very differently from botw, such as how Majora's Mask was not only a wholly unique experience to the series but also had a very strange philosophical edge to it. Tears of the Kingdom does not achieve this...while being fun, it almost shirks off its own originality in favor of adding more unnecessary content. I am someone who appreciates Zelda mostly for its overworld and world building, and throughout my playthrough I would always get the impression that this did not feel like a Zelda game at all. The core presentation wasnt there, even if they slapped some dungeons and sages on top of it. The feeling is off, because the feeling is not organic.
(Spoilers in the image links below)
My biggest issue with totk is just how much it takes from other creations. Nintendo has intelligent people working for them, and all the money in the world. There really is not a reason for such blatant copying of other... certain... franchises. I knew going in that they were absolutely going all in on the Mononoke plagiarism, I mean, one glance at Link's fucked up arm should relay that message to you. But even the gloom itself looks a little familar. Even the music hit certain stings that I could have sworn were one for one with tracks from Mononoke. But then other things started to just look a little bit too familiar to me. And if they can do that whats stopping them from just doing whatever they want? Even the cutscenes feel like theyre trying to act upon that Miyazaki style of directing, but while Ghibli's favorite director actually has meaning behind his words, totk feels like it merely wants to look like its saying something important without saying anything at all. The emotional moments in this game feel plastic. And just when i thought it could not get any worse, they hit me with the double whammy of these scenes. Two setpieces heavily resembling some of the most memorable moments from Spirited Away and Laputa... I really do not see it as a coincidence. And it makes the game feel lesser, because it is not itself. It is not organically creating something through the usual means, it is ripping a thing from its contexts and presenting the empty shell. Its strange, because Zelda doesnt need that. Zelda is a very lush world with a lot to work with... and they already had good original ideas, which they didnt feel like using to its full potential at all.
The Zonai people were something i was every excited about when I first started the game. I absolutely love ancient things and anthropology, their intricate style was very appealing. After beating the game I still believe they are the most interesting aspects added to the botw world, but the sky and the Zonai are not used at all whatsoever. This new, creative race, and there are only 2 of them in the game. Not to mention that the sky is woefully underused, almost exempt from the game excluding the wonderful opening island. They are functioned to be miniature puzzle islands, there is nothing to do with the Zonai besides the devices you can find there and dear god let me complain about the devices.
If it was not bad enough that the thing they advertised the game with was not the focus of the experience, but Zonai materials you all were so excited to build with were actually just one use puzzle-solving contraptions with a fun exterior. Sure, you can spend 3 or 6 or 10 mintes desperately trying to attach a fan to a birdplane and get it to fly, but the game will only let you use things for a certain amount of time. It breaks apart after 30 seconds or so, sometimes shorter. So long to your dreams of flying around Hyrule, have fun trying to get to those niche sky islands when Nintendo decides you have had enough of a good time and breaks it apart 30,000 feet in the air. I have heard complaints about the horses in this game not being useful because of the superiority of the machines, but at least my horse wont explode after an arbitrary amount of time.
I believe they did a fine job of making the game feel different. I did not recognize most of Hyrule, mind for a few specific landmarks. I had a fun time hunting for treasure and scenic spots. The combat was still the best it has been in the series, and unlike others i appreciate the durability on the weapons for allowing me to experience types of gameplay i normally wouldnt gravitate to. The fuse mechanic is very useful and very silly; a fantastic motivator to continually engage in combat to make your armory stronger. The loop in this game of being rewarded for exploring in the form of monster parts and food, then using that to take on a dungeon is generally well thought out but definitely became unbalanced at times as i was stuck consistently without food just trying to get through the story.
I do believe i prefer this game over botw though, contrary to my complaints. Its still a good game for someone who despises Zelda puzzles (though the Mineru dungeon pushed that a lot). The Zonai style is much more preferred to me compared to the Shekiah devices. I love the way the game looks; the world is breathtaking for the switch. The view of the sky is glorious, the world feels open and new. I did have fun exploring what i explored, Link's new outfits were a particularly good motivator for poking around. I generally hate botw's character design and i feel like it alienates itself from the strong art style of the previous games, especially when it comes to its female characters.The new bunch introduced in this game were the best of the best in terms of design for botw, though they are all woefully underused like much of the good things in this game.
But despite how fun the actual game was, this still feels safe. It feels plastic, and afraid to be ugly or weird. It is not Zelda and it isnt whatever its trying to emulate. There is no jumps to administer a completely different experience and it comes off as dissonant. Like im playing an elaborate mod. The bloated content in places it shouldnt have it definitely weighs it down, especially when there was a great potential for a niche of its own that the game goes out of its way to ignore. It was a fun experience as a game but everything outside of my horse and Link in his gay dragon outfit forces itself to be something that isnt wholly theirs and doesnt fit. A fun game, but not a smart one.
"Never. He's life itself. He's not dead, San. He's here right now, trying to tell us something, that it's time for us both to live."
- Zelda, apparently.
If I were to describe Tears of the Kingdom with one word, it would probably be... incongruent. Multitudes of new concepts that are more or less at odds with one another, a new experience in some ways and a modded version of botw in others. Borrowing the same story and gameplay structure from its predecessor, I intially assumed they would have the space to create something that functioned very differently from botw, such as how Majora's Mask was not only a wholly unique experience to the series but also had a very strange philosophical edge to it. Tears of the Kingdom does not achieve this...while being fun, it almost shirks off its own originality in favor of adding more unnecessary content. I am someone who appreciates Zelda mostly for its overworld and world building, and throughout my playthrough I would always get the impression that this did not feel like a Zelda game at all. The core presentation wasnt there, even if they slapped some dungeons and sages on top of it. The feeling is off, because the feeling is not organic.
(Spoilers in the image links below)
My biggest issue with totk is just how much it takes from other creations. Nintendo has intelligent people working for them, and all the money in the world. There really is not a reason for such blatant copying of other... certain... franchises. I knew going in that they were absolutely going all in on the Mononoke plagiarism, I mean, one glance at Link's fucked up arm should relay that message to you. But even the gloom itself looks a little familar. Even the music hit certain stings that I could have sworn were one for one with tracks from Mononoke. But then other things started to just look a little bit too familiar to me. And if they can do that whats stopping them from just doing whatever they want? Even the cutscenes feel like theyre trying to act upon that Miyazaki style of directing, but while Ghibli's favorite director actually has meaning behind his words, totk feels like it merely wants to look like its saying something important without saying anything at all. The emotional moments in this game feel plastic. And just when i thought it could not get any worse, they hit me with the double whammy of these scenes. Two setpieces heavily resembling some of the most memorable moments from Spirited Away and Laputa... I really do not see it as a coincidence. And it makes the game feel lesser, because it is not itself. It is not organically creating something through the usual means, it is ripping a thing from its contexts and presenting the empty shell. Its strange, because Zelda doesnt need that. Zelda is a very lush world with a lot to work with... and they already had good original ideas, which they didnt feel like using to its full potential at all.
The Zonai people were something i was every excited about when I first started the game. I absolutely love ancient things and anthropology, their intricate style was very appealing. After beating the game I still believe they are the most interesting aspects added to the botw world, but the sky and the Zonai are not used at all whatsoever. This new, creative race, and there are only 2 of them in the game. Not to mention that the sky is woefully underused, almost exempt from the game excluding the wonderful opening island. They are functioned to be miniature puzzle islands, there is nothing to do with the Zonai besides the devices you can find there and dear god let me complain about the devices.
If it was not bad enough that the thing they advertised the game with was not the focus of the experience, but Zonai materials you all were so excited to build with were actually just one use puzzle-solving contraptions with a fun exterior. Sure, you can spend 3 or 6 or 10 mintes desperately trying to attach a fan to a birdplane and get it to fly, but the game will only let you use things for a certain amount of time. It breaks apart after 30 seconds or so, sometimes shorter. So long to your dreams of flying around Hyrule, have fun trying to get to those niche sky islands when Nintendo decides you have had enough of a good time and breaks it apart 30,000 feet in the air. I have heard complaints about the horses in this game not being useful because of the superiority of the machines, but at least my horse wont explode after an arbitrary amount of time.
I believe they did a fine job of making the game feel different. I did not recognize most of Hyrule, mind for a few specific landmarks. I had a fun time hunting for treasure and scenic spots. The combat was still the best it has been in the series, and unlike others i appreciate the durability on the weapons for allowing me to experience types of gameplay i normally wouldnt gravitate to. The fuse mechanic is very useful and very silly; a fantastic motivator to continually engage in combat to make your armory stronger. The loop in this game of being rewarded for exploring in the form of monster parts and food, then using that to take on a dungeon is generally well thought out but definitely became unbalanced at times as i was stuck consistently without food just trying to get through the story.
I do believe i prefer this game over botw though, contrary to my complaints. Its still a good game for someone who despises Zelda puzzles (though the Mineru dungeon pushed that a lot). The Zonai style is much more preferred to me compared to the Shekiah devices. I love the way the game looks; the world is breathtaking for the switch. The view of the sky is glorious, the world feels open and new. I did have fun exploring what i explored, Link's new outfits were a particularly good motivator for poking around. I generally hate botw's character design and i feel like it alienates itself from the strong art style of the previous games, especially when it comes to its female characters.The new bunch introduced in this game were the best of the best in terms of design for botw, though they are all woefully underused like much of the good things in this game.
But despite how fun the actual game was, this still feels safe. It feels plastic, and afraid to be ugly or weird. It is not Zelda and it isnt whatever its trying to emulate. There is no jumps to administer a completely different experience and it comes off as dissonant. Like im playing an elaborate mod. The bloated content in places it shouldnt have it definitely weighs it down, especially when there was a great potential for a niche of its own that the game goes out of its way to ignore. It was a fun experience as a game but everything outside of my horse and Link in his gay dragon outfit forces itself to be something that isnt wholly theirs and doesnt fit. A fun game, but not a smart one.
1997
Jumper Shoot, Yuki, Blocky, and.... ?
Kirbys Dreamland 3 was one of the last games on the snes, and what a fantastic note to go out on, it was. Though i felt some frustration playing I still find myself thinking about this game more than most others in the series. Visually, mechanically, and emotionally, it is a very distinct game in the Kirby line that has a feeling to it i dont get from the other games. My favorite thing about Kirby in general is the sense of love despite little to no words being said. How Kirby loves his friends and his planet, the creatures around him, how a lack of that care is shown through the dark and alien-like Zero whose lonely influence corrupts things in its path. Watching the animal friends i have grown to care so much about surrounding Kirby and Gooey as they go to face off against Zero feels very powerful, and i really adore that through the underlying feeling of dread this game presents sometimes, there are also countless moments of bonding with a cast that left me feeling more attached with them than i do playing a game with dialogue.
On the subject of the animal friends, they are absolutely the life of the game. There is no greater drive to get through a level than knowing that at some point youre going to get to ride Rick around or have Nago smash your face into the ground as a rock 5000 times. Mechanically, it is a very smart idea to have these animals have their own versions of Kirby's copy abilities. Theres only around 6 or so in the game, but with your friends it feels like much more than that. Even though i have 100% completed this game twice, i know for sure that theres combinations with them i havent tried yet and things i havent seen. Everything about them is so charming, i love their spirte work and how alive they feel. I will never not feel bad for leaving Kine behind with the face he makes, really just adore these guys.
And visually, Dreamland 3 is one of the best looking games on the snes. All Kirby games have a strong sense of style, but the penciled look of this game is so unique and feels inseparable from its identity. Each area has its own theme that also functions as a gameplay mechanic, water levels and playing in the clouds and all that. What is very impressive is the side missions you have to set out on in order to beat the game proper, helping the inhabitants of planet Popstar by bringing them their friends or just simply having the courtesy to not crush them while progressing through the level. Most feel like a new way to experience the stage, and while some can be very difficult i feel like the concept in general is very sweet and fun.
For a game made in 1997 i feel as though it holds up relatively well, especially with its co-op which is very seamless for the time, but there are a few things i would change. If i could just instantly run without having to double tap the d pad, that would basically flatten out all the frustrations i had while playing. I also wish there was an easier way to gain back health than running through the first level again, but that can be managed. Difficulty wise, this is definitely the hardest game in the entire series and to be honest i probably struggled with it more than i did with most Fromsoft titles just due to the limited movement and the obscurity of the level missions. It is not a good Kirby game to start with for sure, but it is a highlight of the series that i care about a lot.
I love gooey, i love kirby, i love dedede even when hes possesed and has a weird hitbox. There is no greater joy than hopping around in Kine or bouncing on an umbrella with Nago. Even if the levels are tough i think everything else about the game makes up for that plenty, adds to its idenity even. Lots of poor opinions on this game so i thought i would show it the proper respect it deserves, a game with Rick in it cannot be bad. Have a nice day, and make sure not to step on any flowers...
Kirbys Dreamland 3 was one of the last games on the snes, and what a fantastic note to go out on, it was. Though i felt some frustration playing I still find myself thinking about this game more than most others in the series. Visually, mechanically, and emotionally, it is a very distinct game in the Kirby line that has a feeling to it i dont get from the other games. My favorite thing about Kirby in general is the sense of love despite little to no words being said. How Kirby loves his friends and his planet, the creatures around him, how a lack of that care is shown through the dark and alien-like Zero whose lonely influence corrupts things in its path. Watching the animal friends i have grown to care so much about surrounding Kirby and Gooey as they go to face off against Zero feels very powerful, and i really adore that through the underlying feeling of dread this game presents sometimes, there are also countless moments of bonding with a cast that left me feeling more attached with them than i do playing a game with dialogue.
On the subject of the animal friends, they are absolutely the life of the game. There is no greater drive to get through a level than knowing that at some point youre going to get to ride Rick around or have Nago smash your face into the ground as a rock 5000 times. Mechanically, it is a very smart idea to have these animals have their own versions of Kirby's copy abilities. Theres only around 6 or so in the game, but with your friends it feels like much more than that. Even though i have 100% completed this game twice, i know for sure that theres combinations with them i havent tried yet and things i havent seen. Everything about them is so charming, i love their spirte work and how alive they feel. I will never not feel bad for leaving Kine behind with the face he makes, really just adore these guys.
And visually, Dreamland 3 is one of the best looking games on the snes. All Kirby games have a strong sense of style, but the penciled look of this game is so unique and feels inseparable from its identity. Each area has its own theme that also functions as a gameplay mechanic, water levels and playing in the clouds and all that. What is very impressive is the side missions you have to set out on in order to beat the game proper, helping the inhabitants of planet Popstar by bringing them their friends or just simply having the courtesy to not crush them while progressing through the level. Most feel like a new way to experience the stage, and while some can be very difficult i feel like the concept in general is very sweet and fun.
For a game made in 1997 i feel as though it holds up relatively well, especially with its co-op which is very seamless for the time, but there are a few things i would change. If i could just instantly run without having to double tap the d pad, that would basically flatten out all the frustrations i had while playing. I also wish there was an easier way to gain back health than running through the first level again, but that can be managed. Difficulty wise, this is definitely the hardest game in the entire series and to be honest i probably struggled with it more than i did with most Fromsoft titles just due to the limited movement and the obscurity of the level missions. It is not a good Kirby game to start with for sure, but it is a highlight of the series that i care about a lot.
I love gooey, i love kirby, i love dedede even when hes possesed and has a weird hitbox. There is no greater joy than hopping around in Kine or bouncing on an umbrella with Nago. Even if the levels are tough i think everything else about the game makes up for that plenty, adds to its idenity even. Lots of poor opinions on this game so i thought i would show it the proper respect it deserves, a game with Rick in it cannot be bad. Have a nice day, and make sure not to step on any flowers...
2022
Splatoon is something ive been into since its debut on the Wii U, and as a series it has always been very innovative and stylish. The world and its single-player campaign are consistently good throughout each of the three titles, and i believe they're all worth playing just for that.
I want to talk about the multiplayer modes however, because splatoon 3 feels so horribly designed that every time i play i cant help but notice.
First off, its a multiplayer game. So its very hard to prevent bad and uneven matches from happening completely, and one would expect them to happen occassionally. But with splatoon 3, i feel like either you crush someones ass or they crush yours, very rarely do i feel satisfied after losing because more likely than not i was getting camped at the spawn the either time, unable to do anything.
There are several reasons for this. First off, the maps are so boring and horrendously designed. Many are just straight lines with an interconnected point in the middle. Moray Towers and Camp Cuddlefish nowhere to be seen; most maps are nearly identical. Mahi Mahi resort even has the gall to barely have any ground in a game, where the goal is.... to ink the ground. I feel like theyve lost sight of what made splatoon special. Unlike most shooters, you dont have to be good at pvp to assist your team in a match, as long as youre putting ink on the ground or advancing the objective you are contributing to the game. However, because of the way the maps are laid out it makes it virtually impossible to not just focus on pvp. There are no open ends here, no routes to flank a team from behind. Its pretty much just keep running into the other team till you die, and if theyre better than you then you lose. As a sidenote on maps, shifty stations or another gimmick has failed to present itself so splatfests feel very repetitive and not as eventful
This in contribution with another issue makes playing these maps fucking horrible, and thats of course the dominance of long ranged weapons. Because everything is either a square or a straight line, there is absolutely no reason why you cant just stand very far away and shoot at people where the other person's weapons cant reach. If you try to go up to them to engage in a close ranged fight, which is supposed to be their weakness, 3 other players will materialize out of thin air and put you down immediately. It doesnt feel fair and its obviously not fun to lose when you feel like you could absolutely not help it.
Matchmaking is an issue too. I feel like this games way of making sure players with even skill levels get to play with each other is absolutely dated and doesnt work whatsoever. For example, during splatfests there is no option to play ranked and everyone is put together to play turf, so all those diehard weirdos come out of the cracks and make sure you have as little fun as possible. Turf in splatoon 2 used to be a safe zone where you could just zone out and focus on inking the floor, but in 3 everything is a live or die competition and its incredibly wearing. Again, thats not what makes splatoon splatoon
Salmon run is by far my favorite mode but its also hindered by completely dated ways of keeping track of how good you are at it. No matter how well you may do in a match, this is cast aside because if you have 1 bad teammate at higher levels it is pretty much over. If you die in round 1 you are heavily penalized, if this happens a few times at the start of a rotation youre docked back down to a lower rank. Then again, its also feasible to get carried to ranks you should not be in with a couple of lucky matches. its nearly impossible to get out the lower ranks because its filled with people who shouldn't be there, and dont know how to play the video game. It also resets your rank at the start of the rotation, so even if youre at maxVP the game sees fit to whack you back doen to 40 where youre at risk of losing capable teammates due to something you cant control.
Back to normal multiplayer, i stated before that long ranged weapons get away with a lot but i feel like theres also a clear hierarchy of weapons, unless youre an abnormally good player. I feel like ive elaborated on the superiority of long ranged weapons, but blasters also just let you shoot literally anywhere and still hit people. Specials are absolutely broken beyond all belief. I play tetra dualies, and it is so ridiculously unfair that theres a special that makes you invincible and huge and you can splat anyone who touches you, but my stupid little reef slider is vulnerable the whole time and theres a clear mark on where im going to land so everyone can shoot at me when its over. I feel like my tetras cant aim whatsoever but everyone else is absolutely locked onto me. I dont know what theyre doing and i dont care, i just want to have fun.
The game attempts to be friendly for children on one hand but then adds several elements that encourages highly competitive and aggressive playstyles. I definitely got very mad at the previous games but it was never as consistently as this. I feel as if this is reflective in the playerbase as well, as they seem definitively more meanspirited and stupid as compared to what i remember of 2 and 1. If the players just controlled themselves a little this game could be better, but from what i am seeing of the plaza posts that tend to grace my eyes, i dont think anyone is working with all that much up there.
Theres more issues, like how slow the updates come out and how you cant block certain plaza posts, but these are the ones that make the experince most miserable to me. Just normal dated nintendo garbage ruining what was otherwise a very fun, happy, and unique game.
Also, as an edit to my review: splatfests are the worst they have ever, ever been. Constant mirror matches, especially during tri color which is also a mess, and a seemingly jacked system where Shiver is going to win every time. The prompts are typically terrible as well. Just awful to experience in general.
I want to talk about the multiplayer modes however, because splatoon 3 feels so horribly designed that every time i play i cant help but notice.
First off, its a multiplayer game. So its very hard to prevent bad and uneven matches from happening completely, and one would expect them to happen occassionally. But with splatoon 3, i feel like either you crush someones ass or they crush yours, very rarely do i feel satisfied after losing because more likely than not i was getting camped at the spawn the either time, unable to do anything.
There are several reasons for this. First off, the maps are so boring and horrendously designed. Many are just straight lines with an interconnected point in the middle. Moray Towers and Camp Cuddlefish nowhere to be seen; most maps are nearly identical. Mahi Mahi resort even has the gall to barely have any ground in a game, where the goal is.... to ink the ground. I feel like theyve lost sight of what made splatoon special. Unlike most shooters, you dont have to be good at pvp to assist your team in a match, as long as youre putting ink on the ground or advancing the objective you are contributing to the game. However, because of the way the maps are laid out it makes it virtually impossible to not just focus on pvp. There are no open ends here, no routes to flank a team from behind. Its pretty much just keep running into the other team till you die, and if theyre better than you then you lose. As a sidenote on maps, shifty stations or another gimmick has failed to present itself so splatfests feel very repetitive and not as eventful
This in contribution with another issue makes playing these maps fucking horrible, and thats of course the dominance of long ranged weapons. Because everything is either a square or a straight line, there is absolutely no reason why you cant just stand very far away and shoot at people where the other person's weapons cant reach. If you try to go up to them to engage in a close ranged fight, which is supposed to be their weakness, 3 other players will materialize out of thin air and put you down immediately. It doesnt feel fair and its obviously not fun to lose when you feel like you could absolutely not help it.
Matchmaking is an issue too. I feel like this games way of making sure players with even skill levels get to play with each other is absolutely dated and doesnt work whatsoever. For example, during splatfests there is no option to play ranked and everyone is put together to play turf, so all those diehard weirdos come out of the cracks and make sure you have as little fun as possible. Turf in splatoon 2 used to be a safe zone where you could just zone out and focus on inking the floor, but in 3 everything is a live or die competition and its incredibly wearing. Again, thats not what makes splatoon splatoon
Salmon run is by far my favorite mode but its also hindered by completely dated ways of keeping track of how good you are at it. No matter how well you may do in a match, this is cast aside because if you have 1 bad teammate at higher levels it is pretty much over. If you die in round 1 you are heavily penalized, if this happens a few times at the start of a rotation youre docked back down to a lower rank. Then again, its also feasible to get carried to ranks you should not be in with a couple of lucky matches. its nearly impossible to get out the lower ranks because its filled with people who shouldn't be there, and dont know how to play the video game. It also resets your rank at the start of the rotation, so even if youre at maxVP the game sees fit to whack you back doen to 40 where youre at risk of losing capable teammates due to something you cant control.
Back to normal multiplayer, i stated before that long ranged weapons get away with a lot but i feel like theres also a clear hierarchy of weapons, unless youre an abnormally good player. I feel like ive elaborated on the superiority of long ranged weapons, but blasters also just let you shoot literally anywhere and still hit people. Specials are absolutely broken beyond all belief. I play tetra dualies, and it is so ridiculously unfair that theres a special that makes you invincible and huge and you can splat anyone who touches you, but my stupid little reef slider is vulnerable the whole time and theres a clear mark on where im going to land so everyone can shoot at me when its over. I feel like my tetras cant aim whatsoever but everyone else is absolutely locked onto me. I dont know what theyre doing and i dont care, i just want to have fun.
The game attempts to be friendly for children on one hand but then adds several elements that encourages highly competitive and aggressive playstyles. I definitely got very mad at the previous games but it was never as consistently as this. I feel as if this is reflective in the playerbase as well, as they seem definitively more meanspirited and stupid as compared to what i remember of 2 and 1. If the players just controlled themselves a little this game could be better, but from what i am seeing of the plaza posts that tend to grace my eyes, i dont think anyone is working with all that much up there.
Theres more issues, like how slow the updates come out and how you cant block certain plaza posts, but these are the ones that make the experince most miserable to me. Just normal dated nintendo garbage ruining what was otherwise a very fun, happy, and unique game.
Also, as an edit to my review: splatfests are the worst they have ever, ever been. Constant mirror matches, especially during tri color which is also a mess, and a seemingly jacked system where Shiver is going to win every time. The prompts are typically terrible as well. Just awful to experience in general.