Chrono Trigger's portrayal of fundamental human values, growth, bonds, and heroism in the journey through time contrasts with the unsettling concept of time travel, revealing how minimal changes can profoundly impact events. It puts you in a place where you understand all the faults of the past and how they accumulate to serve a result, whether good or not, offering a cheerful and inoffensive experience that combats pessimism with hope and will.

As it may seem Chrono Trigger stood the test of time as it’s still being hailed as one of the best JRPGs to ever release. Definitely a profound unforgettable journey filled with moments that will stick with me for a good period of time.

However, I still have my issues with it, both in terms of gameplay and narrative. I wasn’t a huge fan of the combat, despite its visual appeal with clean animations and enjoyable combo mechanics; it suffers from a shortage of abilities. Additionally, the interruption of the timer during enemy attacks can lead to frustrating moments of inactivity that made me lose my mind. While you can fast-forward, it might cost you your turn if you're not careful with it, and since this game heavily focuses on team combos, you might lose the entire battle if you skip a turn by mistake.

Regarding characters, I wasn’t fully attached to them. They never seem to have those moments between them. I’m not saying those moments do not exist, but they were definitely lacking. Compared to FF6 where it really felt like you are journeying with a party. The limitation of only three characters per time period hinders opportunities for meaningful party interactions. It's a good thing that they are viable via side quests, which I recommend doing because it adds a lot to their characterization and the story.

As for the story, it didn’t grab me at all at the start of the game, but it became more interesting as we moved forward. However, at some point, near the end, I got bored again. The pacing was amazing, considering it’s a 20-hour JRPG after all.

Rating is between 3 – 3.5. Will see if it grows on me or not.

"Yes. Sometimes it's better to let people come to these conclusions themselves."

The best way to describe Disco Elysium is greatness. I'm not talking about certain aspects about it. Not the main parts or just the climax. Everything about it is carefully constructed and well-written. From the moment you get introduced to the main character, conflict, subplots and from the very last minute after you finish the game. There's a minute precision and care on every detail of the game, it's truly amazing. The mystery's well-thought out, the process is methodical and every angle is considered. Locations are memorable. B-b-but what if it sacrificed enjoyment for writing? Overdone joke but you just have to see it. The prose and dialogue are witty, humorous, wild, and organic. Every character have distinct personalities, motivations, and beliefs and contribute to the overall picture the narrative is going for. It's incredibly refreshing seeing how the characters interact and there are consequences with every choice you make even if you attempt to avoid them. What's at stake is believable. "Okay but you're just talking as if the game is objectively great and not coming from your own opinion." You know me, I prefer reading books, and visual novels now so this type of game works for me. There are 3 things I want from creators. First, I want them to be ambitious, I meant that I don't want to see them holding back. Go ahead make me uncomfortable and I'd prefer that instead of thinking what-ifs, and buts. I want them to commit in their vision in the way that they can only do. With countless other things out there and ideas recycled, there's still room for originality. Secondly, I want the story to be thought-provoking. It could be any topic but I want it to tackle grand ideas and down-to-earth ones. It wouldn't matter if you couldn't learn or reflect about anything from it that's relevant in your life. Lastly, it must make me emotional not that it's necessary. It'd be pointless if it's forced out of me but I want just a bit of everything. Joy, sadness, anger, catharsis, frustration, empathy, regret, etc. Such is life and how art is best experienced.

Well no surprise, they succeeded in every single category with ease. I already love stories these kinds of stories and glad that it still surpassed my expectations even with minor inconveniences and shortcomings. So go ahead and let yourself soaked with it's rich world and characters. Disco Elysium is a self-discovery journey awaiting you.

“The untested truths spun by different interests continue to churn and accumulate.

in the sandbox of political correctness and value systems. Everyone withdraws into their own small, gated community, afraid of a larger forum.

They stay inside their little ponds,

leaking whatever "truth" suits them into the growing cesspool of society at large. The different cardinal truths neither clash nor mesh.

No one is invalidated, but nobody is right. Not even natural selection can take place here. The world is being engulfed in "truth."

And this is the way the world ends. Not with a bang, but a whimper.”
- GW

MGS2 is as meta as it gets. From the opening moments of the game, players are put in a world where multiple characters find themselves manipulated as mere "pawns" by a long stretch of puppeteers. Until the very last line post-credits, where the revelation strikes that there exists no definitive master orchestrating the movements of these puppet-like characters. Instead, the higher order is engulfed in a realm of metaphysical complexity. The ending message of MGS2 heavily resonates with today’s societal structure and norms where our attachments are kept in a non-physical form controlled by a selection of the elite filtering the passed content while striving to establish certain moralities on the masses in what they consider universal objectivity.
Those elites are also victims of their own-made algorithms which asks a question, where does this never-ending cycle ultimately find its conclusion?

Saw some reviews where “Raiden” is mentioned negatively and labeled as a bad/wimpy protagonist. Couldn’t disagree more. Raiden by the end becomes a symbol of the people influenced by the internet. Consumers whose energy is drained day by day by being present in this convoluted disgusting mess. To a point where the distinction between reality and fake is blurred as it stresses you out mentally. Raiden’s journey is nothing but twisted and fake, set-up by the “Patriots” to create “S3” which initially was “Solid Snake Simulation” but then revealed to be “Selection for Societal Sanity”. Forcing Raiden into a context that’s manipulated by the “Patriot”. The game's final cutscene portrays Raiden awakening to this constructed reality as he resembles the identity of the "Sons of Liberty". Released in 2001, Kojima's message resonates with future generations that share abstract parallels with Raiden.


Some shots at the final cutscene reminded me of Chantal Ackerman’s “News from Home”.

Subahibi is definitely a wild ride and I can't say I was disappointed with what I got from it. The first half of this visual novel easily fulfilled my expectations of this story.

However this story is undeniably broken. Not so much that it ruins my enjoyment of the VN, but I feel what holds Subahibi back the most is the fact that it ultimately tries to tell two different stories that aren't as connected as the narrative thinks they are.

I haven't played Tsui no Sora yet but it was very easy to tell what was apart of the original narrative and what wasn't. By the time I was reaching the end of IMOI I felt like the story was already reaching its conclusion despite having plenty of chapters left to go.

While I can't say that the writing within the second half is astoundingly terrible, it just feels like a completely different Visual Novel. The writing is decent but it just wasn't the kind of story I expected or was really interested in.

I feel if you're a fan of Denpa and psychological horror, you'll enjoy the first half very much as I did. If you're more into straightforward drama visual novels with slight psychological elements, you'll probably enjoy the second half more

In the development of Demon's Souls, FromSoftware initially deemed it as a failed project without a cohesive direction. This led to a significant shift, handing the project to Hidetaka Miyazaki, who was just a coder at the time. giving him full control, they essentially entrusted it to him, the outcome wasn't gonna matter anyways since it was labelled as a "Failure".

Miyazaki took a deep dive into experimental territory, aiming to create a new sub-genre that would revolutionize the gaming discourse. Demon's Souls isn't as bad or underwhelming as everyone says. It stands as a solid title with unique elements throughout the experience.

Though its gameplay & general pacing is slower than its successors, what it achieved was undeniable. Its level design is compelling and memorable (minus world 5). The game has a captivating eerie atmosphere amplified by its beautiful raw art style. Has the best hub, the 2nd best OSTs, and bosses that are distinctive, with many being gimmicky rather than just the usual R1 and roll. Execution might have failed at times, but they were clearly still finding their footings. Miyazaki's Demon Soul's set the foundation & gave birth to the famous & wildly loved "Souls-like" sub-genre in the gaming industry.

The game is decent and genuinely enjoyable to play. My expectation weren't that high but was really surprised with some of the stuff here. In some aspects, it outshines AoS, such as the merchant's accessibility in various castle locations and Juste's ability to dash both forward and backward.
However, I wasn't a fan of the two-castle mechanic. When I first learned about it, it slightly threw me off and felt like a chore. Yet, exploring the castle was somewhat ok-ish, especially when compared to CotM. I felt like the game had way too many mechanics that were just there and not fully utilized? The hearts weren't that useful at all, the books were just fine and finding furniture was extremely insignificant. The bosses, while consistent, were unfortunately too easy. They often depended on just 2 or 3 mechanics that were sequential. Dracula was definitely a disappointment. (and as many who have wrote here, the OSTs were really bizarre)

Now that I've completed the Castlevania collection, I recommend it, especially to experience IGA's entries.

Instead of offering a unique and memorable gaming experience, sadly it seems to have proudly chosen to embrace the label of being called a 'Bloodborne' clone.

In essence, Lies of P shamelessly borrows heavily from the 'Soulsbornekiro' series, blending their core elements into an undercooked and ultimately frustrating gameplay. While the game does have a stellar art direction, it struggles to stand out in any other aspect.

The level design disappoints, with most areas feeling overly simplistic and generic. Only a rare exception or two manages to capture any real creativity. Bosses, unfortunately, suffer from a series of issues: they are often overly spongy, their animations lack fluidity, they rely excessively on delayed attacks that, as previously mentioned, suffer from animation stiffness and most of the bosses had a sense of similarity to them? The stolen Sekiro parry mechanic is implemented poorly and made the overall gameplay experience inconsistent. As for the normal enemies you face, there is a good variety of them, but like the bosses, they also tend to be unnecessarily spongy.

The game literally copies areas, quests, enemy placements, and even cutscenes from Bloodborne. For example, one character is introduced in a similar way to Father Gascoigne, only to turn out to be a Gehrman clone?? As for the story, I didn’t care that much it was as you’d expect but really want to acknowledge the voice acting which was surprisingly good.

I hate how current game devs heavily rely on orchestras to make everything so epic & divine. The music was mostly forgettable. It also became repetitive and annoying. I often found myself removing my headphones during boss fights, as the music did not enhance the gameplay experience, but rather irritated me. I wish the game had invested more in creating an original soundtrack that would suit its world.

I can't believe that I saw people who think that this game is as good as Bloodborne or that Neowiz Games should handle Bloodborne 2. One thing I’m sure of is that Neowiz must hire a creative team before spewing out another product.