thundafellow
2017
Tight combat and platforming, exhilerating boss battles, a sprawling, interconnected map and detailed, grimdark worldbuilding make Hollow Knight one of the most revolutionary modern metroidvania titles to grace the indie scene since Shovel Knight. And at its relatively low price point, you get a lot of bang for your buck. You can dump over 100 hours into this game and still find new challenges and interesting new bits of lore. Pulling inspiration from Dark Souls, however, makes it harder to get into for some people. Death is unforgiving and it happens frequently. Late game and extra challenges may feel near impossible. But it is nonetheless a masterpiece, also boasting an incredible soundtrack that I myself have listened to countless times. I would highly recommend at least giving this game a try. It's worth it!
Beautiful art, incredible soundtrack, a story that tugs on your heartstrings, and excellent acrobatic platforming! Combat could be a little better, but overall it was very enjoyable. A little on the short side, after beating the game there's not much else you can do with your end-game abilities. Decently challenging on hard, but it's no Hollow Knight. A nice little game, would recommend.
Absolutely stunning art and graphics, a downright gorgeous soundtrack, and platforming that feels even better than the first game! Not to mention the combat is been greatly improved as well. Being able to utilize several different forms of weaponry and combine them to face difficult and epic bosses made me feel badass. The story was incredible as well, and it pulled no punches emotionally. I also noticed there was a heavy Hollow Knight influence on this title, with the shards (charms) and the mapmaker Lupo (Cornifer in HK), which was cool! However, I have to take off half a star due to the disappointing amount of bugs that were present on launch. Audio lags, inexplicable crashes, and screens totally blacking out messed with the immersion at times. Once they get those patched, though, this game is near perfection in my opinion.
The combat mechanics are difficult and exhilerating, every battle feels epic. Sound, level, and enemy design are top notch! The soundtrack is immersive and beautiful, and the graphics are gorgeous. Not to mention the story is a very unique take on the post-apocalypse, and the ending is superb. The Frozen Wilds DLC is just as amazing as the main story, and gives you a fresh challenge. The dialogue sequences in the DLC are interestingly more detailed than the base game's, but it doesn't affect gameplay in any way, but it does affect the immersion. I would definitely play this again once it comes to PC.
2013
The father-daughter dynamic of Joel and Ellie is something that you will be hard pressed to find again in any other video game title. The writing is fantastic and the performances are Oscar-worthy. Not to mention the gameplay itself is well-designed and very engaging. And graphically, it still looks better than a lot of games coming out today. It truly was ahead of its time. Going to be playing again in preparation for part 2.
2014
As someone who has a fear of the deep, this game actually took longer for me to get into than any horror game in my Steam library. The immersion and scale of the world is real. Even as a survival game, it's got a really cool story. The worldbuilding is fantastic and the music is very suiting to the atmosphere. Base building and vehicle customization is a cool way to give players a way to personalize their playthrough. However, I will knock a star off because even though it is a finished game, it still has its fair share of bugs and wonky movement (specifically when the player walks on land). Another reason for a star knocked off is because there are a lot of aspects in the game that you will need to search things up for, and are nearly impossible to find out on your own. Very large emphasis on exploration, even after 100 hours I haven't explored the entire map (gotta say that's mostly because my unexplored areas are non-essential to the plot and are home to the scarier creatures of the game). If you want to conquer your fear of the ocean, this is the game to do it in.
2013
Looks great, plays great, and has a gritty and unique story. However, it's more of a walking simulator with chase scenes than a horror "game" compared with the likes of Amnesia: The Dark Descent. I'd still recommend it though, I had a great time.
Same game as the first basically, but from a different narrative perspective and with different primary enemies. More gruesome than the first, so I'd only recommend playing this if you are comfortable with what could be considered torture porn in some parts.
2017
I may be in the minority here, but I enjoyed Outlast 2 more than its predecessors. It looked better, played better, was longer, and had a more interesting plot. The atmosphere was amazing and the voice acting was great too. A little more challenging than the first two, even on normal difficulty. You can easily cheese certain enemies, though, if you play with them enough. I was throughly disgusted and disturbed. Had a great time!
2000
A childhood game of mine. It's long, the weapon system is a bit confusing, but the dungeon crawling is fun. Combat is good, but improved in the sequel. Story is pretty typical, but the music stands out for sure. Give it a try if you like dungeon crawlers and JRPGs.
2002
Another childhood game for me. Weapon system is really fun to work with, combat is engaging and fun. The graphics are a little dated but the cel-shading helps it. Story is unique, but the voice acting is...depressingly mediocre, despite the rather impressive voice talents that were hired to dub this game in English. This game was longer than the first, but felt shorter due to better pacing. Lots of extra stuff to do. Worldbuilding was fantastic and the literal world building, meaning the georama, was pretty great too! I'm proud of my reconstructed villages. However, all praise aside, this game is a pain in the ass to 100% in the PS4 trophy department. It will easily make you despise the game due to some missable achievements.
This is THE childhood game for me. It's got its flaws, but it won't lose any stars for them because nostalgia fuels my love for this game. For those who haven't played it: give it a try. It's a fun 3D platformer/collect-a-thon with a unique yet simple plot to drive the gameplay. The open world design is great for its time. It's a fun time, and if you have 4-5 spare hours you can beat it in one sitting.
2003
Childhood game. Action-packed, challenging, and definitely a product of its time, this weirdly edgy sequel to the whimsical, colorful first game seems like it grew with its audience. Gun-play is a little annoying but really fun once you get the hang of it. Running around the city and causing havoc GTA-style is a great time waster. The plot is pretty cool, but nothing crazy special. Lots of platforming in this game, and that's a lot of fun too. Still confused by the crazy shift in mood and style this franchise took after the first game, but it works in its own way.
2004
Staying with the edgy style adopted by the second game, this feels like more of a sequel to Jak II than Jak II felt to Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy. The plot starts off really mysterious and interesting and the ending is a mixed bag of unexpected twists, where some hit the mark and some just end up feeling a little forced and/or out of place. Plot aside, gunplay in this game gets a huge upgrade from the first. Instead of four weapons, you now get twelve, and some are a real blast to use! Platforming is still there, but feels like it takes a bit of a back seat. Vehicles are fun in the city, but in the desert, only one or two really shine. The physics are really slippery and honestly hard to control. Overall, it's a great game, but it definitely has its flaws.
2002
Childhood game. Love the dynamic between Ratchet and Clank, love the subtle dirty humour and cynicism that is sprinkled in. Level design is fantastic and gun play is incredible. Only gripe is that you can't strafe.