Back in 2017, around when the game first came out, I was a Junior in High School. I remember watching YouTube videos on all the bosses in the game while I was in my computer class and thinking it looked awesome. Only problem is, I didn't own an Xbox (and still don't). Fast forward to 2019, the game comes out on the Switch and I buy it. Now I rarely buy digital games but I figured it was a big game I've always wanted to play and that it might not get a physical for a while, so I purchased it. Me and my girlfriend at the time played it for a bit and I myself got up to Grimm Matchstick but eventually dropped it. Fast forward again to 2022, on a whim I decide I want to play it again. I restarted the game and went and beat it for the first time finally. I thought it was really awesome! Once I heard they were coming out with a physical copy, and with the DLC included..I knew I had to buy it again. And that's what I did, so I decided to replay it once again. Not only did I beat it again, I beat every boss with an A- or higher and not only that, I beat every boss on expert difficulty and got the platinum trophy!

I'm just gonna start with the absolute best aspect of the game. You all know what it is, the presentation and art style. It's the main reason this game is loved, it's immaculate. The attention to detail in replicating old rubber hose cartoons is just amazing. The game is just pure eye candy and it's wonderful. This game will always hold the test of time because of this one aspect alone...but luckily there are other great aspects about the game as well.

Accompanying the amazing artstyle is the soundtrack. Now, it may not be an OST I'd listen to a ton outside of the game but wow it's a treat. It's upbeat, it's jazzy, and it's all orchestrated. It just makes the game feel more grand and way more authentic in it's homage to the time period these cartoons came from. My personal favorite songs would have to be the the Isle Three theme, Murine Corps and Floral Fury. The Isle three theme especially is my standout favorite. Idk man it's sooo jazzy I love it.

Now were onto the real meat and potatoes, the gameplay. It's a run and gun shooter and it's pretty simple. You have your normal attacks, your special move, your maxed out special, a dodge and a parry. Pretty simple move set but it works well with how chaotic the game can be. You can choose from several different normal attacks, special moves and charms. Charms just give you an extra ability. For most of the game I just had the charge shot and crackshot, the 1st special and the smoke bomb charm. I feel like a ton of people love the charge shot and smoke bomb especially since I've seen a ton of people have those in their arsenal.

What levels do you use these moves on? Let's start with the run and gun stages. They're alright! They are not the main focus of the game, and apparently were only added because of fan outcry but they're decent overall. If the game was just composed of these, it probably wouldn't be nearly as well liked as it is cuz people seem to not really dig these stages. Which I can see, they are definitely the weakest part of the game I think. However, they aren't the main focus of the game. Those would be the bosses.

The bosses on the other hand are awesome. These were gonna be the main and only focus of the game and it makes sense. They're pretty much all well done and a lot of fun to go against. Here's where the visuals are at their peak too because one of the most fun things is to just see all the different boss animations. This is why I wanted to play this game so bad back in 2017, the bosses are a sight the behold. This is also why I'm so excited for the DLC because I've barely seen any of it as of now so I'm ecstatic to see all the new animations contained in it. Anyways back to the bosses, like I said they're awesome. Some of my favorites were Captain Brineybeard, Werner Werman and Sally Stageplay. I guess I just really like Isle three lol. There were also some very brutal bosses. Back in 2019, Bippi the Clown gave me the hardest time and he was still tough nowadays. Dr. Kahl's robot can be brutal for newcomers and he gave me a hard time. However, the hardest for me still was the devil. I dont think I died quite as many times as I did back in 2022, but it wasn't far off. However in expert mode, he was absolutely ridiculous. Expert mode in general could be really crazy, mostly the plane bosses, but the devil was on another level at least for me. Either way, I beat em all and got the platinum in the end which I still can't believe. Never doing expert mode again lol. Also never ever doing the one pacifist trophy again fuck that one.

Glad I replayed this again cuz it was still an amazing time, even if going for the platinum made me lose my sanity at points lol. Definitely one of my favorite indie games now. Can't wait to dive into The Delicious Last Course!

This game is currently in the Humble Choice for January 2024, and this is part of my coverage of the bundle. If you are interested in the game and it's before February 6th, 2024, consider picking up the game as part of the current monthly bundle.

What did they do to you Aragami?

Aragami 2 took the original stealth game, and added in Multiplayer, as well as redesigned combat that is similar to a souls-like or Batman: Arkham Knight with a focus on parries and dodges. The levels are much more open and there are even new guards. The story revolves around you being killed off and then being inducted into a secret shadowy society on the way to get your revenge.

The problem is none of this works. The move to multiplayer in a stealth game is dangerous, but I believe it’s the change to multiplayer that forced the change in combat. But instead of a dangerous and interesting stealth game, Aragami 2 just feels bland. The open-world area takes away a big part of what made the original title stand out.

And that’s what I thought at launch, but the good news is there’s a classic mode, and it does feel better, with a heavy focus on stealth. Though it doesn’t fully fix the problems, and ultimately it still feels like this a game that was forced to change for the worse due to the multiplayer, but at least the studio heard the feedback and made improvements.

Pick this up if you think the original Aragami needed multiplayer so you can play with someone else, but in all honesty, I think I would just go back and play the original game, or play almost any other stealth game than this, as it doesn’t feel as good as that original title.


If you enjoyed this review or want to know what I think of other games in the bundle, check out the full review on or subscribe to my Youtube channel: https://youtu.be/6IY4Gl2JdaQ

#1 of 2023

Brutal, vivid and explosive, but also nuanced, precise and meticulous. A pipe bomb made of razorblades. The core loop suited me perfectly: raise my heartrate to unprecedented levels, then let me peruse beautiful menus until it falls again.

Confession time: I didn't finished AC6. I didn't even complete my first playthrough. But I will, when I have the same time I was able to dedicate to Bloodborne. Even without completing it, I know for a fact that this game, even more than my trip through Yarnham, was built for me. I loved everything about the time I spent playing AC6. I loved the melodrama, the mech designs, the music, the setpieces. The enormity of it all. It delivered on a gilded platter what I love about all of my favourite space operas, and then some.

I couldn't help myself - I spoiled some things about what's to come in future playthroughs. Not so much that it's not worth seeing it myself, mind you. I will devour everything in this game, the moment that I'm ready. That might be next week, it might be in 3, 5, 10 years time.

I didn't need to play more than a few hours of it to know that it was going to be my favourite game of the year. And once I knew, that feeling never went away.