pokerap
2018
Nexus is the natural evolution of the EO series and a wonderful conclusion to it. It's a love letter to all the previous games, with returning monsters and classes and even some characters, as well as a story that fits alongside the others. It never really stands out compared to them, but I personally don't think that's a flaw at all. The gameplay improvements are much better in my opinion, and with 19 classes (and one pseudo class) there are a ton of different combinations to try out and interesting builds to mess around with.
Returning labyrinths were such a joy to go through again, even though I really could have lived without mapping out Sandy Barrens again. I greatly enjoyed seeing the new models for older enemies as well, and overall the game was a blast to play! I'm very pleased that you can essentially use any portrait for any class as well as the customization options on older portraits (but only those with the corresponding classes in Nexus), but having to purchase the older games' portraits if you want to use them is rather disappointing.
Whenever I want to return to Etrian Odyssey, this is the game I'm going to pick up. It was a great time returning to a game series I really enjoy!
Returning labyrinths were such a joy to go through again, even though I really could have lived without mapping out Sandy Barrens again. I greatly enjoyed seeing the new models for older enemies as well, and overall the game was a blast to play! I'm very pleased that you can essentially use any portrait for any class as well as the customization options on older portraits (but only those with the corresponding classes in Nexus), but having to purchase the older games' portraits if you want to use them is rather disappointing.
Whenever I want to return to Etrian Odyssey, this is the game I'm going to pick up. It was a great time returning to a game series I really enjoy!
2021
Ultimately, Bravely Default 2 is a very by-the-books jrpg. If you've played one, you've basically experienced what BD2 brings to the table in terms of story. If you're looking for something deep and game-changing, you won't find it here.
With that said, the gameplay is tight and very fun and more than makes up for some of the lackluster parts in the story. With three difficulties you can swap between at basically any point with no downsides or penalties, you can play the game at your own pace. It's as challenging as you want it to be. While you can't mow through the whole game super easily on the easiest difficulty and you will have to strategize and plan, it's very satisfying and an excellent experience all around. I completed the game 100% just because I wanted to spend more time with it.
The biggest downside BD2 has is that the story is sort of a letdown, especially as you get further in. The standalone chapters hold up well with the overarching narrative between them falling short. There are multiple endings, and they do little to explain things or even tie up the experience in a satisfying way. The postgame challenges are very difficult, but rewarding to play. (Grinding for items, not so much.)
I thoroughly enjoyed Bravely Default 2 and now that I've finished my 100% file, I'm going to go back in with a ng+ and carry some things over to try out different job combinations and experience it again. I highly recommend this game - but only if you're already a big jrpg fan, and one who enjoys the gameplay more than the story.
With that said, the gameplay is tight and very fun and more than makes up for some of the lackluster parts in the story. With three difficulties you can swap between at basically any point with no downsides or penalties, you can play the game at your own pace. It's as challenging as you want it to be. While you can't mow through the whole game super easily on the easiest difficulty and you will have to strategize and plan, it's very satisfying and an excellent experience all around. I completed the game 100% just because I wanted to spend more time with it.
The biggest downside BD2 has is that the story is sort of a letdown, especially as you get further in. The standalone chapters hold up well with the overarching narrative between them falling short. There are multiple endings, and they do little to explain things or even tie up the experience in a satisfying way. The postgame challenges are very difficult, but rewarding to play. (Grinding for items, not so much.)
I thoroughly enjoyed Bravely Default 2 and now that I've finished my 100% file, I'm going to go back in with a ng+ and carry some things over to try out different job combinations and experience it again. I highly recommend this game - but only if you're already a big jrpg fan, and one who enjoys the gameplay more than the story.
The Isle of Armor had a great start to improving Sword and Shield, and Crown Tundra took that further. The wild area is much more expansive, with more interesting weather patterns and Pokemon roaming around, and the quests to find legendary Pokemon were cute! Calyrex's story was a lot more fun than I thought it would be (even though I wish Peony would have gotten more involvement) and overall it was a solid addition.
The real joy of this mode are the Dynamax Adventures. I wasn't expecting to find them all that fun given that you're forced to use rental Pokemon, but working together as a team to take down difficult legendary Pokemon is very fun! Coordinating with people would be much easier with some method of communication, and there are definitely issues with this mode (players idling and not being kicked out, for example) but overall it's a fantastic addition and a step in the right direction.
I'm sincerely hoping they take what they've learned from this expansion pass to make the next Pokemon game even better. Please give us a base game better than Sword and Shield...
The real joy of this mode are the Dynamax Adventures. I wasn't expecting to find them all that fun given that you're forced to use rental Pokemon, but working together as a team to take down difficult legendary Pokemon is very fun! Coordinating with people would be much easier with some method of communication, and there are definitely issues with this mode (players idling and not being kicked out, for example) but overall it's a fantastic addition and a step in the right direction.
I'm sincerely hoping they take what they've learned from this expansion pass to make the next Pokemon game even better. Please give us a base game better than Sword and Shield...
2006
Magical Starsign is not exactly the most mechanically solid game out there, and the art style is a little odd for the character portraits. The sprites are adorable and the world is colorful and fun... and then you reach the halfway point of the game. I have never had a game's mood whiplash hit me so hard. This game absolutely shaped my sense of humor and love of puns, and I will never forget it. I can still hear the battle theme in my head. I wouldn't call it a must play or anything, but Magical Starsign was a very fun time and I can never recommend it highly enough.
2008
While the gameplay seemed to be more or less exactly the same as the previous game in the series, I cannot say the same for the sound. I usually don't have much to say about sound design, but this game's sound was legitimately so terrible and grating that I had to turn it off entirely. I lost interest very quickly after that.
2007
This is a charming game with a wild cast of characters and serviceable enough gameplay. Honestly, the story and characters are the main draw here, and I imagine the gameplay wouldn't hold up very well anymore.
I've enjoyed the mystery dungeon style games I've played, but this one is probably one of my least favorites. Unfortunately, I don't think the Etrian style really meshes up all that well with the mystery dungeon style, and I constantly felt like I didn't have enough units or I didn't have the skills and abilities I needed. I was stuck in an endless loop of grinding and bad luck, and eventually I put the game down because I grew frustrated with it.
I found the characters in this one less engaging than the ones in the first Untold game, but the gameplay improvements make this game easier to play.
The story and characters were enjoyable, but a lot of the improvements in the more recent games have made going back to this one a bit difficult.
I really enjoy the Etrian Odyssey games, and V felt like the natural continuation of IV's mechanics and gameplay. The new classes feel fresh and it doesn't simply feel like an extension of IV. I absolutely loved the new enemies and the different mechanics introduced in the final stratum, but the difficulty spike hit me a little too hard so I need to go rework my team before I can finish the game.
2020
I can't exactly rate this game any higher than this considering that it is still a buggy mess that often crashes on me, but when it manages to work, it plays just fine. The story has grabbed my attention and the characters are all fascinating, so I'm very curious to see where it goes from here! Hopefully they'll continue to fix the current issues in the game and it remains active for awhile.
While there are definitely some things about this game that could have been improved and the lack of local multiplayer is definitely disappointing, overall I've had an absolute blast revisiting this game. The new hard mode dungeons are simple but aesthetically pleasing, and seeing this game remastered has made me tremendously happy. I'm glad I finally had the chance to finish the game after all these years!
2012
This was a very fun game, and someday I hope I can buy it again on the Switch.
2003
I had a ton of fun with this game, I spent a long time being absolutely obsessed with it. It was a fantastic adventure.
2010
The thing I remember most about this game is the volleyball minigame where you have to hit the ball to the music beat. It's absolutely hilarious when you miss the ball. Anyway that minigame alone was fantastic and I remember having fun with the rest of this game as well.