simmias
2020
A short, relaxing, beautiful game with easy (yet somehow still enjoyable) puzzles and fantastic traversal and exploration. This is the kind of game where I just had to sit back every once in a while and appreciate what the developers were doing.
My only real gripes are the length (I wanted more!) and the lack of fast travel. After I finished the final boss, I thought about going back to the first area to explore some more with my new skills, but the thought of going all the way back there made me decide it wasn't worth it.
I'd definitely recommend this game, but probably at $20 or lower. I felt like I explored most every nook and cranny and still only got about 10 hours out of it.
My only real gripes are the length (I wanted more!) and the lack of fast travel. After I finished the final boss, I thought about going back to the first area to explore some more with my new skills, but the thought of going all the way back there made me decide it wasn't worth it.
I'd definitely recommend this game, but probably at $20 or lower. I felt like I explored most every nook and cranny and still only got about 10 hours out of it.
An absolutely gorgeous game with great art direction and fun, rewarding combat.
One thing anyone should know going into this game is that there is a heavy emphasis on boss battles. I believe there are 15 different boss battles in this game, and depending on the difficulty you're playing, it's possible to hit a roadblock pretty early on as the game forces you to learn the combat system before you have a lot of your more powerful moves.
The combat isn't particularly difficult, though, and if you can handle the Kingdom Hearts games on Proud or Critical, you can handle Kena on its hardest difficulty. Most bosses only have 2-4 moves you need to watch for, and once you figure them out the combat becomes really rewarding.
This is also one of the few games in recent memory where I enjoyed my second playthrough (on the hardest difficulty level) more than my first playthrough (which was on normal).
I'd definitely recommend this game, and I can't wait to see what this developer comes up with for their second game!
One thing anyone should know going into this game is that there is a heavy emphasis on boss battles. I believe there are 15 different boss battles in this game, and depending on the difficulty you're playing, it's possible to hit a roadblock pretty early on as the game forces you to learn the combat system before you have a lot of your more powerful moves.
The combat isn't particularly difficult, though, and if you can handle the Kingdom Hearts games on Proud or Critical, you can handle Kena on its hardest difficulty. Most bosses only have 2-4 moves you need to watch for, and once you figure them out the combat becomes really rewarding.
This is also one of the few games in recent memory where I enjoyed my second playthrough (on the hardest difficulty level) more than my first playthrough (which was on normal).
I'd definitely recommend this game, and I can't wait to see what this developer comes up with for their second game!
A pretty fun classic beat-em-up from the PS3/360 generation that somehow has worse online matchmaking than those versions, which already had awful online.
If the online were working, this is a solid 4-star game just for the music alone.
If the online were working, this is a solid 4-star game just for the music alone.
2019
Great game, but I didn't enjoy it as much as P4G. This one had some really great characters, but a few duds as well (Fox and Noir especially, ugh).
I was also ready to be done about 30 hours before I was, but I also wanted to stick it out to see the end. Still, definitely a game I enjoyed, and I liked the cast enough that I can't wait to play P5S after this!
I was also ready to be done about 30 hours before I was, but I also wanted to stick it out to see the end. Still, definitely a game I enjoyed, and I liked the cast enough that I can't wait to play P5S after this!
A pretty fun take on the classic Ubisoft formula. Would have been four stars from me if it weren't for the first DLC, ugh.
This game is awesome and I wish it had gotten a port to modern systems.
2018
This game is a surprisingly good AA RPG and had me hooked all the way to the end.
After hearing that Vampyr got a next-gen patch that solved many of the technical issues that people had complained about in the past, I gave it a try on my PS5. Movement felt great with the 60fps patch, and combat was smooth, if a little generic. The game isn't much of a looker, but it's to be expected with a game like this from a smaller studio. Load times were pretty good overall, even though there would be occasions where you'd get a long one.
As for the game itself, I really enjoyed the story, the voice acting, the NPCs (each one felt really fleshed out), and the music. The way the music changed depending on how you were deciding to play your character was a really great touch.
Now, as a completionist, this game is a bit of a nightmare. There is no manual saving, and the game autosaves immediately after any big decision - usually the kind that make you question whether you really just did what you wanted. I understand why the developers went with that design - they want every action to count, and they want you to really role play here - but I have to admit I found myself backing up my save file nonetheless every few hours just in case I wanted to change my mind about anything.
It was also difficult coming to terms with the fact that it was impossible to get everything in this game - you can't get all the hints for everyone and get all the collectibles in the same playthrough, and you can't get all the weapons without playing completely evil. It's actually a really great game design choice, but it was killing me as a completionist.
The only thing that really didn't work for me was the romantic relationship - it felt out of place and never felt earned. It seemed like much more of a plot device, and the characters didn't seem to have much chemistry. I was actually shocked when the relationship started and wondered if I'd missed something.
All in all, though, this is a really underrated gem that's definitely worth playing on next-gen systems. I think a lot of the lower ratings were based on technical issues from last gen hardware.
After hearing that Vampyr got a next-gen patch that solved many of the technical issues that people had complained about in the past, I gave it a try on my PS5. Movement felt great with the 60fps patch, and combat was smooth, if a little generic. The game isn't much of a looker, but it's to be expected with a game like this from a smaller studio. Load times were pretty good overall, even though there would be occasions where you'd get a long one.
As for the game itself, I really enjoyed the story, the voice acting, the NPCs (each one felt really fleshed out), and the music. The way the music changed depending on how you were deciding to play your character was a really great touch.
Now, as a completionist, this game is a bit of a nightmare. There is no manual saving, and the game autosaves immediately after any big decision - usually the kind that make you question whether you really just did what you wanted. I understand why the developers went with that design - they want every action to count, and they want you to really role play here - but I have to admit I found myself backing up my save file nonetheless every few hours just in case I wanted to change my mind about anything.
It was also difficult coming to terms with the fact that it was impossible to get everything in this game - you can't get all the hints for everyone and get all the collectibles in the same playthrough, and you can't get all the weapons without playing completely evil. It's actually a really great game design choice, but it was killing me as a completionist.
The only thing that really didn't work for me was the romantic relationship - it felt out of place and never felt earned. It seemed like much more of a plot device, and the characters didn't seem to have much chemistry. I was actually shocked when the relationship started and wondered if I'd missed something.
All in all, though, this is a really underrated gem that's definitely worth playing on next-gen systems. I think a lot of the lower ratings were based on technical issues from last gen hardware.
Not as good as the first, but I still enjoyed it.
2017
I really enjoyed this. I had heard comparisons made to games like Limbo and Inside, and I would put this game up there with both of those.
The game has a really creepy atmosphere, great design work, simple but engaging puzzles, and a story that stuck with me after I was done.
The DLC is also some of the best around, and I'd almost say it's mandatory to play it to get a true appreciation of this twisted little game.
The game has a really creepy atmosphere, great design work, simple but engaging puzzles, and a story that stuck with me after I was done.
The DLC is also some of the best around, and I'd almost say it's mandatory to play it to get a true appreciation of this twisted little game.
Amazing, especially in 40hz/120fps mode. I don't think the smile ever left my face while I was playing.
I do wish the trophies had been harder, though, or at least one that would have encouraged me to run through challenge mode and upgrade all the weapons completely. Hopefully we'll get the standard Sony NG+ trophies in a few months!
I do wish the trophies had been harder, though, or at least one that would have encouraged me to run through challenge mode and upgrade all the weapons completely. Hopefully we'll get the standard Sony NG+ trophies in a few months!
2021
After the first 10 hours or so, I thought this game was amazing. Great battle system, likable characters, fun progression systems and crafting, good soundtrack, and an engaging story.
But man, this game just becomes a slog around the middle. I eventually lowered the difficulty to easy just to get through the fights and make it to the end faster. The story gets dumb, the character events become tedious, and the dungeon design is just bland with endless enemies that aren't all that different from one another.
I really wanted to like this game, and I did in the beginning, but I'd say overall it's just pretty average. The battle system is fun, though.
Oh, and this is the first PS5 game I've played where I really didn't like what they did with the Dualshock support. At times it felt like just random clicks, or just constant vibrating feedback during battles.
But man, this game just becomes a slog around the middle. I eventually lowered the difficulty to easy just to get through the fights and make it to the end faster. The story gets dumb, the character events become tedious, and the dungeon design is just bland with endless enemies that aren't all that different from one another.
I really wanted to like this game, and I did in the beginning, but I'd say overall it's just pretty average. The battle system is fun, though.
Oh, and this is the first PS5 game I've played where I really didn't like what they did with the Dualshock support. At times it felt like just random clicks, or just constant vibrating feedback during battles.
A pretty damn fun love letter to the platformers we grew up with.
As good as advertised. The writing had the same tone and cleverness of a lot of the old Infocom games, and it was just pure joy to play. I loved that sometimes the best results came from failed skill checks and that there were numerous ways to progress the story.
My only gripes are that the game was clearly made for KB/M, and it made some of the interactions more awkward than they could have been. Also, load times, even on PS5, feel longer than they should be, and you can only fast travel to three places, and two of them are pretty much right next to each other.
All in all, though, this is a game that I'd recommend to anyone I like.
My only gripes are that the game was clearly made for KB/M, and it made some of the interactions more awkward than they could have been. Also, load times, even on PS5, feel longer than they should be, and you can only fast travel to three places, and two of them are pretty much right next to each other.
All in all, though, this is a game that I'd recommend to anyone I like.
Just an amazing feat. I played through this at launch on the PS4, then again on PS5 for the Yuffie DLC (autopopping is stupid). It was still just as visually amazing the second time around, and this time with much shorter load screens!
The gameplay is still a blast, and while the game does drag a bit in the middle, the last few chapters are so amazing that I can't rate it anything less than a 5/5. The Yuffie DLC was great as well, even though it took me a bit to get used to her fighting style.
The gameplay is still a blast, and while the game does drag a bit in the middle, the last few chapters are so amazing that I can't rate it anything less than a 5/5. The Yuffie DLC was great as well, even though it took me a bit to get used to her fighting style.
It's a classic. If you liked the original game, you'll love playing through this version as well in its current state. I played on patch 1.04, and many of the things people complained about at release have been fixed.
As someone who played this game several times on PS2, then played the PS2->PS4 game years later, this version is easily the best way to play the game on a Sony console. It looks so much better than the PS2->PS4 version, and it runs much better as well. The gunplay is also much improved.
I do hope they keep patching and improving this game to get it in its best possible state, though. I played the PS4 version on my PS5 since it was free through PS Now, but I plan to play the PS5 version when the price comes down and when they (hopefully) iron out the framerate issues with that version. The PS4 version ran great on a PS5, though.
As someone who played this game several times on PS2, then played the PS2->PS4 game years later, this version is easily the best way to play the game on a Sony console. It looks so much better than the PS2->PS4 version, and it runs much better as well. The gunplay is also much improved.
I do hope they keep patching and improving this game to get it in its best possible state, though. I played the PS4 version on my PS5 since it was free through PS Now, but I plan to play the PS5 version when the price comes down and when they (hopefully) iron out the framerate issues with that version. The PS4 version ran great on a PS5, though.