vernie
2018
The soundtrack is full of timeless bangers and the collectables are more of optional challenges than something to check off a list. Thoroughly enjoyable even for a platforming moron like myself.
I loved my first run of this game when I was on painkillers after getting my wisdom teeth out on release day, and after that it wasn't nearly as good
1998
Every now and then I give into the urge to replay this game and I'm rewarded instantly by the atmosphere alone. The drifting is incredibly satisfying, the soundtrack is an unparalleled collection of laid back drum and bass, and the racing team stories hit way too many emotional notes for what they're contained in. Give it an hour and it'll stay with you forever.
Much like the yakisoba pan, it might be surprising that a mecha RTS wrapped in a VN works this well. There's a lot of love for science fiction in the story and an impressive amount of thought in keeping it all together. Play this game and be cursed forever to tell everyone you know to play it too.
This review contains spoilers
Like Drakengard if the dragon got a business degree
The best art and music and some of the worst post-NES gameplay in the series. Bonus points for the classism angle that shoots itself in the foot by being tacked onto a plot from 1992
2003
like Frog Fractions if the dragon talked
jogged around the town for a month in order to come up with the recipe for gatorade
The main characters and town are much more fleshed out compared to Ryza and I thoroughly enjoyed interacting with them (with the notable exception of Oskar's dialogues where someone has to get a fat joke in every time). The alchemy system is fun to learn, especially with the recipe ideas that require getting unique traits onto certain other items. The English dub is also nice to have compared to other Atelier games, even if I hate that they pronounce "atelier" as "at-lee-err".
The main characters and town are much more fleshed out compared to Ryza and I thoroughly enjoyed interacting with them (with the notable exception of Oskar's dialogues where someone has to get a fat joke in every time). The alchemy system is fun to learn, especially with the recipe ideas that require getting unique traits onto certain other items. The English dub is also nice to have compared to other Atelier games, even if I hate that they pronounce "atelier" as "at-lee-err".
The game somehow recovered enough from Turnabout Big Top for me to like it overall: the "miracle" happen.
Peak fiction. GOAT. Raw. FIRE.
My complaints about the story and characterization were thankfully outweighed enough by the highs for me to keep enjoying it. The gameplay takes all the good aspects of CS3 and balances them a bit before you can go right back to breaking them again. Free days are a bit longer than I'd like while talking to every NPC, but that's on me for not keeping track of the interesting ones. Can't wait for Reverie.
My complaints about the story and characterization were thankfully outweighed enough by the highs for me to keep enjoying it. The gameplay takes all the good aspects of CS3 and balances them a bit before you can go right back to breaking them again. Free days are a bit longer than I'd like while talking to every NPC, but that's on me for not keeping track of the interesting ones. Can't wait for Reverie.
Beautiful, ephemeral, uplifting against all odds. "Unhinged cop tries to solve a murder mystery" doesn't begin to summarize it but it's the best I've got.
It's cute, it's relaxing, it'll make Mystia one of your favourite Touhou characters. The base game is such a steal that I'd feel bad if I didn't buy the DLC packs as soon as they were translated.
The gameplay difficulty ranges depending on your settings at the start of each night: later areas and larger restaurants will be more hectic, but you get more employees (and better at optimizing the game) to offset this. Harder still are the bosses you can challenge at certain points in the story, but you're also free to put them off as long as you like.
The dialogue is a treat even if the translation is still a little off, the soundtrack is as amazing as you'd expect from Touhou fans, and the variety of in-game food will have you craving Chinese and Japanese barbecue after each play session. I still don't even know what a lamprey is and I want one on a stick.
The gameplay difficulty ranges depending on your settings at the start of each night: later areas and larger restaurants will be more hectic, but you get more employees (and better at optimizing the game) to offset this. Harder still are the bosses you can challenge at certain points in the story, but you're also free to put them off as long as you like.
The dialogue is a treat even if the translation is still a little off, the soundtrack is as amazing as you'd expect from Touhou fans, and the variety of in-game food will have you craving Chinese and Japanese barbecue after each play session. I still don't even know what a lamprey is and I want one on a stick.
2000
that really was Square's strongest tech demo
It's a great casual JRPG with a lighthearted plot to take slow, which is to say I probably shouldn't have smoked it in less than a week. The crafting loop is incredibly satisfying and made me lose track of time more than once as I was figuring out how to exploit it. Excited to see Ryza make pipe bombs in her own apartment in the sequels
Much more engaging moment-to-moment story beats and side character studies than Cold Steel 1 or 2 and combat that's more satisfyingly broken than any other Trails game so far. I love Rean and his boyfriend more than ever.
On the flip side, it's the longest Trails game so far and that time is filled with more re-introductions, air duct sequences, and jokes at the expense of returning characters than you've ever seen. Major Michael is the only force keeping this game under 100 hours.
On the flip side, it's the longest Trails game so far and that time is filled with more re-introductions, air duct sequences, and jokes at the expense of returning characters than you've ever seen. Major Michael is the only force keeping this game under 100 hours.