rizfr
12 reviews liked by rizfr
A Short Hike
2019
This review contains spoilers
Charms you immediately with a simple, yet beautiful artstyle that fits the style and atmosphere A Short Hike is going for perfectly. Through very charming dialogue, we get to know the protagonist, Claire. She's waiting for a phone call, bothered that she doesn't have any cell phone reception, because this apparent thing is very important to her. Her aunt tells her that she should take a hike, literally, and that she might even get reception on top of the mountain, setting a clear goal and believable motivation for Claire.
As you begin your trek through the island, upwards to the mountain, you meet a bunch of cute, charming and funny characters that give you mundane tasks to do to help them out. A lot of the time, you will get something out of it, but it's not always a guarantee, yet it simply feels good to help out these folks that need your help. If you don't end up with a reward, you will at least get to feel their gratitude in most cases, giving a lot of life to these little characters that you sometimes don't even know the names of.
Through the tools and help that you gather around the island, you are able to start the real hike to the top. These mundane tasks done prior have a real weight to them when you consider that a lot of these characters indirectly help you in your hike as much as you helped them. Getting running shoes, golden feathers, a bucket, a compass, etc. will all help you get towards your eventual goal. But in the end, you have to make it yourself.
Reaching the top, you're able to enjoy the view and even witness an aurora borealis. You feel at peace, having made it this far. But then you get a call, like your aunt told you, there is reception up this peak. Through the phone call, you learn that Claire was stressed about the surgery of her mom. Her mom, in all familiarity, tells her not to worry and that she's proud of Claire for making it to the top. In an emotional climax, the two exchange loved words before a rare updraft bursts out of the lake at the peak. Claire's mom encourages her to ride the updraft while she still can and Claire, albeit nervously, takes the plunge. Soaring through the sky, going down all the way whence you came is an emotional and uplifting experience. You're able to pick up some tasks that you have yet to complete, but in the end, you go back to your aunt and tell her about your experience. Before taking a nap, Claire tells her aunt she's glad she came here, and so am I.
As you begin your trek through the island, upwards to the mountain, you meet a bunch of cute, charming and funny characters that give you mundane tasks to do to help them out. A lot of the time, you will get something out of it, but it's not always a guarantee, yet it simply feels good to help out these folks that need your help. If you don't end up with a reward, you will at least get to feel their gratitude in most cases, giving a lot of life to these little characters that you sometimes don't even know the names of.
Through the tools and help that you gather around the island, you are able to start the real hike to the top. These mundane tasks done prior have a real weight to them when you consider that a lot of these characters indirectly help you in your hike as much as you helped them. Getting running shoes, golden feathers, a bucket, a compass, etc. will all help you get towards your eventual goal. But in the end, you have to make it yourself.
Reaching the top, you're able to enjoy the view and even witness an aurora borealis. You feel at peace, having made it this far. But then you get a call, like your aunt told you, there is reception up this peak. Through the phone call, you learn that Claire was stressed about the surgery of her mom. Her mom, in all familiarity, tells her not to worry and that she's proud of Claire for making it to the top. In an emotional climax, the two exchange loved words before a rare updraft bursts out of the lake at the peak. Claire's mom encourages her to ride the updraft while she still can and Claire, albeit nervously, takes the plunge. Soaring through the sky, going down all the way whence you came is an emotional and uplifting experience. You're able to pick up some tasks that you have yet to complete, but in the end, you go back to your aunt and tell her about your experience. Before taking a nap, Claire tells her aunt she's glad she came here, and so am I.
A Short Hike
2019
melted me its so cute and fun and perfect.. also the artist guy hit my soul
Persona 3 Reload
2024
Story so meaningful it changed my life - twice.
The writers and voice acting team completely understood the assignment in how to honor the message of the original game and elevate it.
As a Tartarus enjoyer, the gameplay was a blast. The bosses you run into throughout the game are highly varied in mechanical design, forcing you to try out all the strategies in your repertoire at some point in your grueling journey through this massive dungeon.
The writers and voice acting team completely understood the assignment in how to honor the message of the original game and elevate it.
As a Tartarus enjoyer, the gameplay was a blast. The bosses you run into throughout the game are highly varied in mechanical design, forcing you to try out all the strategies in your repertoire at some point in your grueling journey through this massive dungeon.
A Short Hike
2019
I am a beachstickball enthusiast.
Yakuza Kiwami
2016
someone just please give Nishiki a hug.
Yakuza Kiwami
2016
This review contains spoilers
Despite being very clearly flawed in certain parts which knock it some points, I absolutely loved this game.
So incredibly thematically rich and (mostly) amazing character work. Kiryu was handled extremely well except for one instance but the real star was Akira Nishikiyama.... what a character.
As for gameplay it's only slightly lesser than Y0 fundamentally but there's a few bosses that are unquestionably awfully designed and really unfun.
The Majima everywhere system is my favourite thing ever
So incredibly thematically rich and (mostly) amazing character work. Kiryu was handled extremely well except for one instance but the real star was Akira Nishikiyama.... what a character.
As for gameplay it's only slightly lesser than Y0 fundamentally but there's a few bosses that are unquestionably awfully designed and really unfun.
The Majima everywhere system is my favourite thing ever
Persona 3 Reload
2024
No exaggeration this is one of the most inspirational and motivating stories I've had the pleasure to experience in my life
Kiryu really brute forced his way into becoming one of the greatest characters of all time
Going from Artorias, Kalameet and Manus to Gwyn was hilarious
Hollow Knight
2017
i really wish i enjoyed this game as much as everyone else does (or people said i would).
for a game described to me as "metroidvania with precision platforming meets Dark Souls," it really comes out feeling like less than a sum of those parts. in terms of the world design and exploration, the game is great at matching the joy of breaking into every tiny crevasse to find secrets and lore that Dark Souls does. the characters and lightly revealed lore that's steeped in mystery is great. the platforming is serviceable, but whenever the game decides to flip the switch to try and turn into Super Meat Boy (sometimes quite literally with buzzsaws) it feels very disjointed and out of place.
the combat (mainly by way of the bosses) by comparison feels like a chore. even by the end of the game when i had gotten a lot better at maneuvering in fights, most of the boss fights were not engaging or challenging beyond "hope you get the good pattern that allows you to heal". in addition to this, why not be more generous with benches in regards to boss placements?
it's small decisions like this that continued to baffle me as time went on. you get more movement options as the game unfolds, but trekking between areas connected by stags still feels arduous enough to dissuade me from wanting to explore more. i enjoy the lore of the stags, but would fast travelling between benches break the game so much to prevent it from being included?
it's things like this that makes me feel like the game is bloated. this may be a problem of playing the game now that there's 4 extra content patches (give players a way to play the launch version pleaseeeee), but there's just so much in the game that feels like Content For Content's Sake. the game like a love letter to the old metroidvanias the developers loved that has been weighed down by AAA games' addiction to More. i can see the mechanics (literally) taken 1-to-1 from Super Metroid, but i don't see the tightly crafted world, simplicity, or elegance of it. i see a checklist of things to waste time doing rather than a curated experience.
for a game described to me as "metroidvania with precision platforming meets Dark Souls," it really comes out feeling like less than a sum of those parts. in terms of the world design and exploration, the game is great at matching the joy of breaking into every tiny crevasse to find secrets and lore that Dark Souls does. the characters and lightly revealed lore that's steeped in mystery is great. the platforming is serviceable, but whenever the game decides to flip the switch to try and turn into Super Meat Boy (sometimes quite literally with buzzsaws) it feels very disjointed and out of place.
the combat (mainly by way of the bosses) by comparison feels like a chore. even by the end of the game when i had gotten a lot better at maneuvering in fights, most of the boss fights were not engaging or challenging beyond "hope you get the good pattern that allows you to heal". in addition to this, why not be more generous with benches in regards to boss placements?
it's small decisions like this that continued to baffle me as time went on. you get more movement options as the game unfolds, but trekking between areas connected by stags still feels arduous enough to dissuade me from wanting to explore more. i enjoy the lore of the stags, but would fast travelling between benches break the game so much to prevent it from being included?
it's things like this that makes me feel like the game is bloated. this may be a problem of playing the game now that there's 4 extra content patches (give players a way to play the launch version pleaseeeee), but there's just so much in the game that feels like Content For Content's Sake. the game like a love letter to the old metroidvanias the developers loved that has been weighed down by AAA games' addiction to More. i can see the mechanics (literally) taken 1-to-1 from Super Metroid, but i don't see the tightly crafted world, simplicity, or elegance of it. i see a checklist of things to waste time doing rather than a curated experience.