List items
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Played the first five missions on January 1st
Homeworld has been on my Steam wishlist since in was remastered forever ago. I remember reading about how good this game was at the time of its original release. I was not a PC gamer at the time so playing it wasn't possible at the time.
I tried the game today and after playing it for about three hours, I can say that it's not for me. Between the super slow pace of the combat and the constant struggle with the camera, I wasn't having much fun at all.
It's too bad because the music was very engaging and the story seemed very promising right from the start. Maybe back in 1999 I could have been more patient with the game.
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Completed on January 23rd
I finally did it! I've had my PS1 copy of the game since the early 2000s. I had started the game a few times, but never got very far because of the difficulty of the combat and the puzzles.
This time, I gave it a good effort and I wasn't that bad at all! The game was still challenging, but I was almost always making progress and the combat was never a problem. Every boss can be easily beat by learning its attack and movement patterns.
The puzzle were a blast to solve. I thought I was going to hate the strange isometric perspective that the game adopts, but the game designers really use it well. It rarely felt frustrating or awkward to jump from platform to platform and it allowed for some really creative puzzles for a 2D game.
The overall plot was very standard JRPG stuff, but the game still touched on a few serious subjects with the events unfolding during the story.
It took me a lot more time than I thought to play and beat this game, but it was very much worth it in the end.
9/10
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Completed on January 29th
What an amazing experience to play a Kojima game for the first time in 2022. Like many, I had never played Snatcher before and had even almost never heard specifics about the game, so I went in the game almost blind.
This game must have been incredible for its time. The world building is rich and intricate, even if even unfolds in just a few lines of text. The synth-heaver soundtrack makes the game feel like an 80s movie thriller.
The gameplay is where the game fell a little flat. I was often confused between the "LOOK" and "INVESTIGATE" actions and the shooting sections felt a little unresponsive.
That being said, the puzzles were fun to uncover and never felt too cryptic or out of place (like they often do in point and click adventure games).
8/10
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Completed on February 8th
I really enjoyed piecing together the crime puzzles in the game. The solutions felt organic and even the plot twists never felt out of left field.
Some of the more literary qualities of the game really went over my head though. I feel like I wasn't smart enough or didn't pay enough attention to understand the game universe's history, geography, geopolitical order or even metaphysical anomalies.
The gameplay was mostly solid and it was a lot of fun tweaking your character's clothing style to try a specific action or line of dialog.
The art style was truly unique, like playing in a painting. It fit the tone of the game perfectly and greatly enhanced the experience.
8/10
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Completed on February 12th
Unpacking was a very enjoyable meditative experience. The different objects that you take out of the boxes all have a great amount of interactivity and it was fun to explore all of the possibilities.
The games does a perfect job telling a story without any words. I felt excitement, sadness, anger and joy through the implied life of the moving person through the years.
8/10
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Completed Final Fantasy X on March 12th
I had wanted to replay this game for a long long time. When it came out for PS2, I devoured it in a couple of weeks and then never played it again. My memories of the game were very positive, but also pretty vague.
Playing it again today, I understand why I loved it so much at the time. The story feels more personal than previous entries in the franchise and the combat system if very satisfying to use. I love having all of my characters available to use whenever I need. It means that no bosses are cheap because you always have tools to use against any situation.
The scope of the game and the size of the adventure felt way larger in my head than what it ended up being. I knew that the game was linear, but I didn't expect it to be THIS linear. Most "dungeons" are actually just a big line that you have to go through.
I enjoyed my second playthrough of FFX and I am looking forward to finally playing FFX-2 for the first time soon.
9/10
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Completed on April 3rd
I've been reading a lot of 90s game magazines lately and I was surprised to see the overwhelmingly positive reception that the original Tomb Raider received in 1996. I had played the game through demo disks during the PS1 era but I never understood the appeal. The levels seemed confusing to navigate and Lara controlled like a tank.
So, for historical curiosity, I needed to know why this game was almost named GOTY 1996 instead of Mario 64 by Ultra Game Players.
Again, to my surprise, the game was very good and a lot of fun to play. The elements that were the most annoying to me at the time (the level design and the controls) were the aspects of the game that I appreciated the most.
Each level feel different and the game finds a way to provide a lot of variety from very few game mechanics. The combat is simple but satisfying and never gets in the way of the exploration.
The controls take some getting used to, but it exists in service of the game design and works in tandem with the way the levels are constructed. Even the water sections were fun to control, which is something I don't think I've ever said about another game.
The story was barebones and wasn't very interesting, but there also wasn't a whole lot of it.
I know understand what was so special about this game at the time. Tomb Raider asks a lot of commitment from the player, but it also rewards it handsomely with secrets and progress.
I'm looking forward to see where the developers took the concept with the rest of the PS1 games.
8/10
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Completed March 21st
Overcooked! 2 feels more like an expansion to the first game than a real sequel. The mechanics are all there and it's still great fun to play in multiplayer, but I couldn't tell you what was added and wasn't there in the first game.
The story and overall campaign structure was disappointing and felt even more disjointed than the original.
It was an okay sequel.
7/10
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Completed on April 7th
I never owned a Sega console when I was a kid. Not only did I only play Nintendo games, but I didn't even think that there were any good games on Genesis or Saturn. I was obviously wrong and missed on a ton of awesome games. These last few years I've been trying to go back and play the Sega classics that I missed on.
So it's with that mindset that I embarked on Mickey's journey in Castle of Illusion. For an early release in the Genesis library, it was a pretty good game. The levels were varied and the challenge was just right.
The controls didn't feel great however. With the way Mickey jumps, it seems like this game takes place on the moon. Thankfully, the game design accounts for this and nothing moves too fast.
The graphics were okay, but some of the animation were somewhat choppy.
I can't help but compare this game to Capcom's Magical Quest Starring Mickey on the SNES, which hold a very nostalgic place in my heart. It's just not as good, not even close.
6/10
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Completed on April 14th
I remember playing and loving Baldur's Gate Dark Alliance back when it came out. The gameplay was fluid and fun and the RPG mechanics were just deep enough for this kind of game.
Playing Champions of Norrath in 2022, the game felt paper thin in terms of depth, storytelling and even gameplay opportunities.
The quests are all super linear and you never really have a choice in terms of what objectives you want to tackle. It seemed like all quests were mandatory, so no side quests either.
The core gameplay was still great, and it is really the only redeeming quality of this game. It felt fun to play in minute-by-minute but the overall experience wasn't very fulfilling.
6/10
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Completed on April 20th
Like many people, I went into Tunic expecting something I knew, a cute-looking Legend of Zelda clone. What the game delivered was something far greater and that will have a lasting impact on me.
I was addicted to discovering the manual pages to figure out not only the story and my objectives, but whole game mechanics that I was oblivious to!
The souls mechanics were well implemented and most environments felt dangerous the first time you went through. But, through the excellent combat system and building your own knowledge of the area, you eventually are able to conquer all of the game's world.
I played Tunic with my girlfriend at my side and I absolutely loved the shared experience of uncovering the game's secrets, trying out hypotheses and solving the riddles together.
Tunic was one of the most incredible gaming experiences I've ever had.
[+] Some of the best designed puzzles I have ever seen
[+] The game really commits to the "no tutorial" bit
[+] It's amazing how everything is interconnected in the game
[+] Charming characters, settings and story
[+] Difficulty and length felt just right
11/10
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Completed on April 27th
Resident Evil VII was a big surprise for me when I played it a couple of years ago. I didn't think it would work for me and ended up being one of my favorite games that year. I loved how the shift to first person increased the stakes and made the horror and tension all the more real.
Going into Resident Evil Village, I expected mostly more of the same, and that's pretty much what the game ended up being. It was a very solid game, but didn't have the same impact on me that its predecessor did.
The premise is intriguing and the Village setting is a good fit for the story and the series. I didn't like how often the game would take control away from me in the first few hours to scare me on purpose.
The first real area, the castle, really scared me. It felt like a coherent environment, oppressive and full of suffering, juste like a real (!) vampire castle would feel. Lady Dimistescu was a very good Nemesis and felt appropriately menacing.
The rest of the game was known territory and didn't do anything especially new. It was cool to get a change in perspective at the end of the game, but even that was in the previous game.
I'll still be there for Resident Evil 9, but I really hope the series gets closer to the RE2 remake than to RE-4-5 like this game did.
[+] The castle is a series highlight in terms of horror atmosphere
[+] Good balance of exploration and combat
[-] The story wasn't connected enough to the original games for me
[-] A lot of jump scares where the game takes control of the character
8/10
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Completed on April 30th
Valis was a fun game to complete rather quickly. There wasn't a whole lot of memorization, but the few bosses that had pattern that you had to learn were satisfying to beat.
I had fun trying the different sword powers and collecting the upgrades. The level layouts were a little simple but on the flipside never felt frustrating.
The story (which seems to tie-in with an anime) didn't make any sense but the soundtrack gave an awesome vibe to the game.
[+] Great soundtrack
[+] Sword upgrades are all fun and varied
[+] Well balanced challenge, a little on the easy side
[-] Story made no sense and dialog scrolled way too slowly
[-] Controls are a little unresponsive
6/10
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Completed on May 5th
I've bought the original version of Devil May Cry 3 in 2005 and was never able to get very far with its punishing difficulty (even on "normal"). Over the years I've tried at least three times to start over and I could never get past the first couple of levels.
Recently I finally decided to bite the bullet and buy the special edition to get the rebalanced difficulty (and extras). This time I was able to blast through the game and the experience was far more enjoyable.
It was fun to experiment with different weapons, styles and guns. The bosses all had patterns to learn and never felt overwhelming.
The story was okay, but at least now I can finally play Devil May Cry 4 and 5!
[+] Lots of weapons, guns and styles
[+] Well balanced enemies and bosses
[-] Dodging is a bit awkward, could have used a dedicated button
[-] Story is pretty thin, characters are not very deep
8/10
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Completed on May 24th
I was a little bit apprehensive playing Horizon Forbidden West because even though I wanted to know where the story would go in this sequel, I was afraid that I would be overwhelmed by the sheer volume of content in the game.
After finishing the game, the story was well worth the effort, but I didn't go for the platinum trophy as I did for the first game. All of the side quests and activities were varied, but it was just too much at one time to see on the map. I did a bit of everything and enjoyed my time a lot.
I'm obviously very curious to see where the series go from here ... let's wait another five years to know!
[+] Superb writing, every dialogue line is meaningful
[+] Story succeeds in keeping the stakes high through the whole game
[+] Jaw dropping graphics and environments
[-] There is almost too much to do, the map feels overwhelming
[-] Scanning machines for weaknesses in annoying since game doesn't pause
9/10
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Completed on June 9th with all characters
I know next to nothing about the Ys series. I thought that the prequel would be an okay place to get in and I wasn't wrong. YS Origin is a simple game, but I really enjoyed my time playing it, even if I had to basically play the same game three times.
The combat was satisfyingly responsive and the enemies were varied and fun to fight. Even though the game requires some amount of grinding, it was painless to do and the leveling up bump in strength always felt meaningful.
The story was very interesting, but not all three scenarios were as good. The third character has the best story, and I'm guessing the game does a good job of referencing the other games.
I'm very much looking forward to starting the series "for real" by playing Ys 1 & 2.
8/10
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Completed Ys I on June 15th
After finishing Ys Origin, I needed to see how the story of the prequel tied in with the rest of the series. So, I decided to go back to the beginning and play the original games (in their most modern form).
It took me a while to appreciate or even have fun with the bump system of combat, but I ended up appreciating it more as my character grew stronger. The gameplay (combat and exploration) is very basic, but what is there is very well done.
The character progression was busted. I was able to max my level by the game's halfway point and then the XP given by beaten enemies didn't mean a thing for the rest of the game.
The story was intriguing but I never really understood why the main protagonist was especially important. In Ys Origin, every main character is tightly connected to the overall plot, but Adol felt like an outsider that was "the chosen one" just because the story needed one. Maybe that's better explained in Ys II?
The music was incredible. This version of the game lets you choose between the Original, Complete or Chronicles version and they all sound great (but I preferred the Complete soundtrack).
Some of the last few bosses were borderline unfair BS, especially the last boss with its almost unavoidable instant deaths.
Overall a good experience, but I'm looking forward to seeing improvements in the next titles.
6/10
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Completed Ys II on June 21st
I think I liked the sequel more than the original, but I'm still not completely sold on Ys as a franchise.
There a lot of parts that I like. I love how magical items are part of the puzzle solving or combat and often get reused later in the game. The bump system is fun and different from every other RPG. The scripted events in dungeons and town are entertaining and move the story along nicely.
However, I didn't care for the labyrinthine level design and some of the most obscure puzzles (to be fair, most were fine). I spent most of my time in the game wondering were I was in a dungeon and where I should go next.
I really wonder where the series goes from here, but I'm good on Ys for a little while.
7/10
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Completed on July 23rd
Even though I just finished Elden Ring, I feel like I didn't even scratch the surface of this massive game. It achieves scope in both size and density. Exploring the different parts of the land, it seemed like there was always something new around every corner.
The combat and progression systems stay very close to the Souls formula, but perfected. Not only do you feel freedom in the traversal of the open world, you also feel like you can tailor your character to fit any type of preferred play style.
Even though the game gave you hints and reminders about where to go next, you almost never get an objective marker on your map. I had a lot of fun taking notes on the side and building my own quest log and crossing off tasks as I accomplished them.
Like with every From Software game, I didn't understand much of the plot. Still, the atmosphere and the characters where still interesting enough to keep me engaged.
I'm really looking forward to seeing where the series goes from here. Elden Ring seems like the ultimate Souls game ... is there anything left to explore?
10/10
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Completed on August 2nd
I had Inside on my Steam wishlist for the longest time. I had heard a lot about the game since its release but I couldn't justify 20$ for a 2-3 hours game. Having just come to Game Pass, it was the perfect excuse to finally experience it.
Maybe I had built the game in my mind into something more than what it could be, but I was a little disappointed with Inside. The gameplay was fine and the puzzle were fun to solve, but the game a layer of depth for me.
The atmosphere is undeniably oppressive: the dark tones, the absence of sound/music and the huge environments where your character is tiny like an ant.
I didn't care much for the final twist and the ending left me on my appetite. A fun experience for sure, but it wasn't as memorable as I thought it would be.
7/10
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Completed on August 17th
Dragon Warrior III is a natural evolution of the second game. It is a lot more fleshed out but keeps the same simple plot and straightforward combat mechanics. Like the two previous games, it asks the player to solve riddles and play detective to recover lost items and locations.
I had to use a guide near the end of the game because the instructions became a little too obtuse for me. I'm glad that I did, because there are items that I don't know how I would have found otherwise.
The story was very enjoyable and felt appropriately epic for an origin story. The world map being shaped like earth was a strange twist, but I liked it.
Overall, I enjoyed the game a lot and I'm happy to be moving on to the DS remakes for the rest of the series.
8/10
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Completed on August 20th
I have always been aware of Myst, from the height of the "interactive" era up to now. I even had Riven on PS1 for a time but at the time never understood how play.
My girlfriend had fond memories of Myst so she wanted to try the remake before it left Game Pass. We went through the game together and it was a very enjoyable experience.
The puzzles were all fairly simple to solve and the environments were small enough that you always had only a few clues to manage at a time. The game is clearly made for VR and playing with a controller was a nightmare.
The story was surprisingly interesting and made me want to go back to play Riven. I hear this game is super hard (or obtuse?) ... I'm not sure if I have the courage to go down that route!
8/10
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Completed on August 23rd
I remember renting T.R.A.G. when it came out in 1999. I really wanted to like the game from the cover, but I think I didn't have much fun with it at the time. Still, all those years ago I was still curious about the game and bought it a couple of years ago.
Finally playing the game through completion, I can see why I didn't fall in love with it at the time. It's pretty much a Resident Evil clone with worst controls and some interesting ideas.
In particular, the multiple characters mechanic fits very nicely with the genre and it was enjoyable to switch play styles every so often.
The story was serviceable but the voice acting was just awful. There isn't a ton of it, but what's there is pretty bad.
The gameplay was brought down by laggy controls and too much emphasis on melee combat for a tank control game.
I'm glad I finally experienced the game, but I don't think I'll be coming back to it, even if it's only five hours long.
6/10
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Completed Main Campaign on August 28th
Even if Quake is the follow-up to Doom, it somehow feels like a step back. The arsenal was smaller and only a few weapons were actually useful (others being less powerful version of the same weapons). The levels seemed less dense, less varied and generally less exciting than those found in Doom.
However, the game was still great fun to play. The enemy encounters are well designed and killing tons of demons with a power-up is always satisfying. The remaster is perfect and the fast gameplay is very well suited to a giant 4K 120FPS TV.
8/10
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Completed on September 25th
Wild Arms is amazing.
For some reason, I always remembered it as a charming "above average" game. I vaguely recall finishing the game more than 20 years ago, but replaying it now it might as well has been a completely new experience.
I was blown away by the quality of the game. The 2D sprites were very well detailed and characters had a ton of different animations. Even the 3D graphics that people call "basic" were impressive to me. The way your spells cast shadows and how every boss has a different death animation made the game feel very polished.
The music, the story and the environments worked hand in hand to bring together the simple but compelling adventure.
Wild Arms might have the best feeling UI I've ever seen in a JRPG. There is zero loading, everything is super snappy and you can always display a hint to get more info.
The dungeons were probably my favourites of any JRPG. They had the right mix of puzzle and action with clever design, a well balance encounter rate and just the right length.
Wild Arms is one of the best JRPG ever made. I look forward to replaying Wild Arms 2 (which I've played a bunch when it came out but never completed).
10/10
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Completed on October 5th with Secret Ending
Returnal was intimidating to put into my PS5. I had read so much about how difficult and unforgiving the game was that a part of me didn't want to play it.
I decided to try it anyway after Wild Arms because I wanted something mechanically satisfying to play. It was everything I needed. I became hooked to the game only after a few hours. I played long 4-5 hours sessions without barely moving my body, being completely absorbed by the action on the television.
The game sure was challenging at first, but only because you are learning the game. Once you know what's going on and how you can outmanoeuvre the enemies, the challenges drops a lot.
Returnal had a very unsettling setting that fit perfectly with the gameplay mechanics and the general tone of the game.
I have to shout out the haptics on the Dual Sense controller which enhanced the game a whole lot.
9/10
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Completed on October 9th
When Syphon Filter and its sequel came out they were some of my favorite games on the PS1. I remember renting Syphon Filter 2 and getting through it in a weekend (and then never playing it again).
When I replayed SF1 in 2020 I didn't like much about the game anymore. I wondered if the sequel had aged better ... turns out it did! To my own surprise, I had a good time replaying through Syphon Filter 2!
I think the game is better adapted to its own mechanics for the sequel. The levels are more linear, the checkpoints are more frequent and the story moves along faster. Some of the stealth sequences are still frustrating, but at least they were never too long.
Now I am looking forward a lot to playing the final game in the trilogy, which I have never touched.
7/10
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Completed on October 12th
Syphon Filter 3 is a weird game. It feels like it used a lot of tricks to speed up development and allow multiples levels to be worked on in parallel.
The whole story takes place in the capitol building and the levels are flashbacks told through different characters' perspective. It's a strange setup that makes the whole game feel disjointed. The levels don't connect to each other and the stakes never feel appropriately high for this kind of game.
The gameplay is exactly the same as the two other games, but the mission structure isn't as good as the second game. Most levels are tiny sandboxes with a couple of objectives that can be tackled very fast.
I have finally completed the original trilogy. I can safely say that the Syphon Filter 2 is the high point of the series. Having played the PSP games a long time ago also, I'm now just missing The Omega Strain to complete ...
6/10
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Completed on October 24th
I was worried that Live A Live was going to be shallow and disjointed. Turns out that the game was a little bit like that, but it was awesome anyway. This is a game that goes for breadth instead of depth, and it does so masterfully.
What amazed me the most wasn't even the eight different eras that you explore, it was the eight different JRPG sub-genres that it makes you experience. There's a fighting game, a sci-fi horror game, an anime story (with a theme song!), a Dragon Quest homage, a cowboy meets Home Alone mechanic, a Tenchu/Metal Gear infiltration game ...
The music and sound design were incredibly powerful to set the tone and mood of each chapter. Same goes for the graphics which were beautifully crafted and made the sprite characters shine with their very exhaustive animations.
The combat gameplay was mostly fine, there wasn't a lot of depth but what was there was satisfying to execute. The mechanics outside of combat (reading minds, sniffing prey, hiding from enemies, etc.) were fun to use for variety's sake.
9/10
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Completed on October 24th
The game is super shallow, but nevertheless somewhat fun to play. It's too bad that there are only three courses and that there are not any more to unlock.
There is only one button to do tricks and the grinding kind of doesn't matter. It's mindless fun to try to amass as much points as possible before reaching the end of the level without running out of time.
6/10
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Completed on October 25th on Hard
A lot like the first game, with somehow worse performance. The game adds all kind of tricks that give almost no points so you are forced to play the game exactly in the same way as the first.
5/10
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Completed on October 25th (finished 2nd)
Cool Boarders 2 was one of the first game I ever saw running on a PS1. My friend and I would try to get the highest score possible in big air by charging the jumps as much as possible.
Completing it now, I enjoyed the racing part of the game a lot more than the trick system. Pulling moves felt like luck since there is no reliable way to predict if you board will land straight or sideways.
The race courses were all long and move so fast. You really feel like you're going a million miles per hour, cutting in sharp turns to avoid getting smashing against the walls.
6/10
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Completed Klonoa: Door to Phantomile on October 26th
I decided to buy the Klonoa remake after seeing the DF Retro Episode about the Klonoa series. Knowing I would never own the original game physically, this was the next best thing.
The game was fun, but I don't think it's an all-time masterpiece like as I had heard. While the mechanics are fun to use, the levels are a little too linear and simple to really stand out as a platform game.
The narrative was surprisingly good for this type of game. I felt invested in the fate of the characters and it makes me want to play the sequel as soon as possible.
7/10
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Completed Klonoa 2: Lunatea's Veil on October 31st
I had more fun with Klonoa 2 than with the original. Everything felt more polished and well balanced. The gameplay had more variety with the different level objectives and the surf levels to occasionally mix it up.
The story had also more depth, in the way that a good child cartoon show can have. The cutscenes were sometimes a bit long, but the dialog was mostly well written and to the point.
Overall, I had fun playing the Klonoa games but I'm not sure I would put them on the same level as Nintendo's and Sony's best platform franchises.
8/10
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Completed with my son on November 6th
This is the first game that my son (who's three years old now) has completed. We loved playing the game together.
It feels like the game was built as a "my first video game" experience. There is only one action button, everything moves slowly and the narrator gives generous hints. However, the game doesn't always hold your hand and lets you explore the (small) world of Peppa's neighbourhood.
My son loved the little chicks song and the different vehicles that he was able to "drive". It thought him how to move a character in a 2D space and how to respond to contextual prompts. He even accomplished small side quests like feeding the parrot and he had the whole world mapped out in his head (he knew how to get from one point of interest to another).
This is a special game since it was our completed game together. Hopefully there will be many more to come in the following years. :-)
7/10
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Completed on November 10th
I understand why people hold Chrono Trigger in such high regard. It's the perfect JRPG.
The combat system is fast, simple and dynamic. The story is wonderfully rich with details, multidimensional characters and plot twists but still stays understandable the whole time. There are just enough side quests and they are all super meaningful. The music and graphics are at the pinnacle of what a 16-bit system could do.
This was my first time playing the game on Nintendo DS and I had a great time. The interface in intuitive and I loved having the map on the second screen. I didn't go for much of the extra content but still enjoyed the whole 26 hours that it took me to get the good ending.
It makes me want to replay Chrono Cross as well .... maybe soon!
[+] Perfect pacing, never a dull moment
[+] Every character (party, villains, npc) is memorable
[+] Combat system is simple to understand but has a lot of flexibility
[+] Mind bending story that never needs big exposition dumps
10/10
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Completed on hard difficulty on November 24th
Even though God of War Ragnarok is one of the biggest games ever made, I had very few expectations about it. I had liked the first game like everyone else, but nothing about Ragnarok had hooked me from the marketing material. It just looked like more of the first game (which, again, was very good).
In the end, that's pretty much what the game ended up being. A bigger, better version of the first game. It was a great ride through and through, but it didn't surprise me like its predecessor had.
I really loved the story. It seems like the writers made an effort to have characters have believable reactions to their situation and avoid stereotypical narrative arcs. As a father of a young child myself, the themes that the game touched about parenting resonated a lot.
I think the combat system maybe stayed a bit too close to what it was in the first game. There are almost no new mechanics, but the few additions are welcome. The bosses were all great and very well balanced and it was fun to learn their pattern and beat them almost untouched.
The ending was a little underwhelming but fit well with how the game itself was about subverting the expectation of what was supposed to happen.
[+] Engaging story
[+] Combat system offers a lot of variety and options
[+] Very impressive visually
[-] Plays it safe with the formula of the original game
9/10
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Completed on November 30th
I remember renting Grind Session at the height of the skating craze in 2000. The game made me discover the song "Blue Flowers" by Dr. Octagon and I always thought of the game as a more serious Tony Hawk.
Replaying it 22 years later, the game is way more barebones than I remember. The levels are sort of tiny, there are very few moves that you can do and the controls are like a stripped down version of Tony Hawk.
That being said, the levels are well designed, the objectives are mostly fun to accomplish and the game is just challenging enough. It is dragged down by an abysmal frame rate and unresponsive controls.
[+] Great soundtrack
[+] The tech lines are rewarding to complete
[-] Unresponsive controls
[-] Bad frame rate
5/10
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Completed on December 8th
Brave Fencer Musashi is a game that I always liked from a distance. I might have rented it once or twice but I never got very far in it. Square was my absolute favourite developer during those years and I was fascinated by the idea of an action RPG made by them.
I recently found an affordable physical copy and decided to pull the trigger on it. I had a pretty good time during the roughly 15 hours that it took me to complete the game.
For a first-gen 3D action game, Brave Fencer Musashi had a lot of ambition and delivered on most of it. I especially appreciated the boss fight variety and the different set-piece moments.
[+] Lots of variety in gameplay
[+] Charming humor and lighthearted story
[-] Controls are sometimes unresponsive
8/10
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Completed on December 12th
Vampire Survivors is very (very addicting). It's so satisfying to chop through thousands of enemies and see your weapons grow stronger and stronger.
The progression and unlock system is also very well tuned. I always had a couple of objectives to work on on each run.
[+] The huge amount of enemies you are fighting at once
[+] Lots of variety in the weapons and supporting items
[+] Fun to think of different builds and execute on them
[-] Menus are a bit clunky
8/10
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Completed on December 30th
I have been meaning to try an indie JRPG for a while, but I'm always worried that the game will feel amateurish and unpolished. Seeing the universal praise for Chained Echoes, I decided that his would be the one to try.
The game is simply amazing and was made with so much love for the genre. It both pays homage to the great classic JRPGs and tries to push the genre forward with its own ideas.
While the story unfolded at a pretty fast pace, it had the advantage of never wasting your time. Every event was meaningful and every character had something to contribute to the overall plot or character development.
The combat mechanics were amazingly well designed. The game was perfectly balanced around the fact that there were no levels to grind and that you entered every combat at full HP/TP.
The sky armor battles were a nice pallet cleanser once in a while and it was a nice wink to Xenogears to have them deal big numbers of damage.
Chained Echoes made me appreciate my favorite genre even more. I can't wait to see what its creator does next.
[+] Great story with rich lore
[+] Combat system has so many quality of life features
[+] The reward board makes you want to spend MORE time in dungeons
[+] Amazing music pieces that you don't get tired of
[+] Everything moves at a brisk pace (character, combat, story)
10/10
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