It's that time of the year when everyone with any bit of a following gives out their year end awards in their favorite topics. I have no followers, and I think I hate heavy metal, but here I am.
10: The Warning; Keep Me Fed
The third album from these sisters is kinda pop rock, but catchy music that you want in your head is always welcome.
9: Tyr; Battle Ballads
It's Tuesday, my dudes, and I love me songs about blacksmiths and dragons.
8: Dead South; Chans and Snakes
Banjo music that sounds deep and sometimes is.
7: Unleash the Archers: Phantomas
It's rare power metal doesn't suck, and it's always phenomenal when it doesn't.
6: Zeal & Arder; Greif
An avant guard band does a slightly repetitive but catchy album. Rad!
5: Brother Dege; Aurora
The final album by delta blues rocker Dege Legg is leaving a stinging feel in long time listeners. An album full of somber tracks, soulful ballads, and meaningful yet confusing messages. Every time I come back to Aurora, I hear something new and feel something my dad doesn't want me to be comfortable with.
4: Sebastian Bach; Child Within the Man
I have no clue why I decided to spend time on this album, and I'm even more confused as to why it's so good. It's got plenty of 80's vibes with power ballads, arena rock anthems, and amazing musicianship. Does Skidrow suck?
3: Mick Mars; Otherside of Mars
What happens when you take ninety percent of Motley Crue's talent and distill it into something without ego driven nonsense? You get another old dude writing songs that put Gen X, Millennials, and Z to shame.
2: Judas Priest: Invincible Shield.
Apparently, good music was only made by old dudes this year. Judas Priest found their sound in 1980 and hasn't found the need to change. And they haven't needed to change because everything they make is pure metal in perfect form!
1: Amigo the Devil; Yours Until the War is Over
It's Lucy's least favorite musician! The way Friend twists and contorts the English language into something poetically gruesome fascinates me. Hombre makes dying from drug abuse, depression, and a broken heart seem almost exciting and tickles something in me. And yet, it's Buddy's songs of forlorn hope that I keep coming back to.
Overall, last year's work was a lot better than 2024. I struggled to fill out a top ten last year, but everything fell into place this year. I'm not saying it's proof music is getting worse, though. I think we're in a loom period because early 2025 is looking fantastic! That being said, I think I hate modern metal music. It all sounds like noise and temper tantrums to me. But that's for another day. The top albums of 2024 could have an epic battle with the top of 3023, but the fall off was pretty dramatic afterward. I may be the only person to say this, but I'm looking forward to the soundtrack of 2025.
Song of the Year: Going to Heaven by Amigo the Devil.
Sunday, December 29, 2024
Friday, December 27, 2024
The definitive Star Ocean 1
I'm still recovering from illness...
I played the SNES version of Star Ocean 1 during my dark ages. I then played the PSP port during my penultimate year of college. Both are the same story with the same characters, but they play very differently. They also, obviously, look quite dissimilar. And thus, as I slightly pondered during my review of Star Ocean 2, what version's best.
Let's start with a quick overview.
Star Ocean Fantastic Space Odyssey and First Departure share the same basic blocks. The story revolves around an underdeveloped planet named Roak. A strange illness is turning the citizens of Roak into stone, including the father of the white mage, Milly. Her friends Doan and Ratix, the main character, investigate. This ends up with Doan becoming infected as well. Chasing after a cure has them running into two earthlings, Ilia and Ronyx. These aliens teach our MC that he's involved in an intergalactic war, with them in the middle. To bring about galactic peace, the four must go back in time, as these things often do.
While there, they uncover the mystery of the stone sickness, beat up Satan, and form bonds with four of eight possible locals! And then they save the galaxy, but whatever.
It is the hows that differ between the two games.
First Departure plays exactly as the PSP port of Second Story, Second Evolution. There's a traditional world map, a questionable combo system, modern QoL adjustments, and an expansion of skills. The character artwork during conversation is also there, and the images are less than ideal.
Fantasy Space Odyssey's combat plays like a Tales of game if the map had a few more dimensions. The overworld is more akin to the Mana games, and the skills and specialties are more bare bones. It was made in the mid 90's, so that's to be expected.
These three create some vital gameplay differences. For starters, there is significant backtracking in SO1, regardless of version. There is no Synard, so you'll have to walk between towns. And each has different item shops for item creation, side quests, and PAs. On a world map, it's a lot faster and easier. FSO is a winding path, and you can't effectively fast forward through them. It can really slog the game down. On the flip side, these paths are pretty and add to the atmosphere.
The combat is much faster in FD for the sole reason of you can freely move. For some reason, walking around the battlefield is a point-and-click adventure in FSO. You don't usually need to aimlessly wander around, but the option to do so is nice. It's easier to change targets, at least.
The skills are different because we're on vastly different consoles, so I won't spend much time here. The PSP version is ripped from its sequel.
As an extra bonus, FD has a secret character that veterans night like, a secret character I hate, new PAs, and it's not crash prone because the DeJap patch team kinda sucks.
It should be clear that the PSP version, First Departure, is the better experience. All the new stuff and functionality of it make it vastly superior. But there's a sort of charm that it loses. The pathways between cities and dungeons are an interesting concept. Seeing the wind blow the grass, the birds fly through the sky, and ducks traverse just clicks with me. While the PSP port is better, the SNES original is more interesting. It stands out on its own and doesn't rely on another game to prop up its experience. If you want a polished game, get your PSP out. But if you're interested in a game with its own identity, learn how to patch a SNES rom.
Are the numbers different?
---
Plot: no. The main cast and secondaries bring something worth discussing to the table, but the villains are seen twice and don't really do anything proactive. This makes the plot feel like the least gratifying story in the genre. 4/10
Gameplay: no. Free movement aside, both games are just mashing X unless you want to do a killer move. But they're both fun! 10/10
Sound: no. The remake remastered the songs. Some are better; some are worse. It's all subjective, regardless. Nothing jumped out at me anyway. 8/10
Art: yes. Star Ocean has issues with palate swaps throughout the franchise. This is true even in the remaster. There's still a lot to see, but the PSP version lets your character sprites jump out more. The SNES sprites blended in too much when seeking private actions for my crummy eyes. SNES: 8/10 PSP: 9/10
Charm: yes. There are a handful of interesting NPCs, but none are around long. Both games have plenty of cute things, and it's worth exploring. If for no other reason than because the eight optional characters are all over the place, with an assortment of recruitment options. Fear/Phia alone makes the game feel nonlinear and helps the replayability. Game length is what you make of it, but it's the world that separates the two games. Those paths I kinda hate add life to the world. There are chests on them you miss on the listless PSP port. SNES: 9/10 PSP: 8/10
In total, both games are great 38/50 experiences. Welch is available only in the PSP one, so maybe knock off a few points for her.
Ultimately, Star Ocean 1 has a bad case of first in franchise syndrome. It's a lot of fun at the time, but going back reveals that it's kinda devoid of stuff. If you're a historian or love early action RPGs, there's still a lot here. Even now, I'm kinda itching to play another go around. I really should see if T'nique is any good one day...
There's also an even more modern port for the Switch that is probably the best version. The character portraits are a big step above the awful PSP ones, but I don't know if there are any further differences. I'd suggest it, though.
I played the SNES version of Star Ocean 1 during my dark ages. I then played the PSP port during my penultimate year of college. Both are the same story with the same characters, but they play very differently. They also, obviously, look quite dissimilar. And thus, as I slightly pondered during my review of Star Ocean 2, what version's best.
Let's start with a quick overview.
Star Ocean Fantastic Space Odyssey and First Departure share the same basic blocks. The story revolves around an underdeveloped planet named Roak. A strange illness is turning the citizens of Roak into stone, including the father of the white mage, Milly. Her friends Doan and Ratix, the main character, investigate. This ends up with Doan becoming infected as well. Chasing after a cure has them running into two earthlings, Ilia and Ronyx. These aliens teach our MC that he's involved in an intergalactic war, with them in the middle. To bring about galactic peace, the four must go back in time, as these things often do.
While there, they uncover the mystery of the stone sickness, beat up Satan, and form bonds with four of eight possible locals! And then they save the galaxy, but whatever.
It is the hows that differ between the two games.
First Departure plays exactly as the PSP port of Second Story, Second Evolution. There's a traditional world map, a questionable combo system, modern QoL adjustments, and an expansion of skills. The character artwork during conversation is also there, and the images are less than ideal.
Fantasy Space Odyssey's combat plays like a Tales of game if the map had a few more dimensions. The overworld is more akin to the Mana games, and the skills and specialties are more bare bones. It was made in the mid 90's, so that's to be expected.
These three create some vital gameplay differences. For starters, there is significant backtracking in SO1, regardless of version. There is no Synard, so you'll have to walk between towns. And each has different item shops for item creation, side quests, and PAs. On a world map, it's a lot faster and easier. FSO is a winding path, and you can't effectively fast forward through them. It can really slog the game down. On the flip side, these paths are pretty and add to the atmosphere.
The combat is much faster in FD for the sole reason of you can freely move. For some reason, walking around the battlefield is a point-and-click adventure in FSO. You don't usually need to aimlessly wander around, but the option to do so is nice. It's easier to change targets, at least.
The skills are different because we're on vastly different consoles, so I won't spend much time here. The PSP version is ripped from its sequel.
As an extra bonus, FD has a secret character that veterans night like, a secret character I hate, new PAs, and it's not crash prone because the DeJap patch team kinda sucks.
It should be clear that the PSP version, First Departure, is the better experience. All the new stuff and functionality of it make it vastly superior. But there's a sort of charm that it loses. The pathways between cities and dungeons are an interesting concept. Seeing the wind blow the grass, the birds fly through the sky, and ducks traverse just clicks with me. While the PSP port is better, the SNES original is more interesting. It stands out on its own and doesn't rely on another game to prop up its experience. If you want a polished game, get your PSP out. But if you're interested in a game with its own identity, learn how to patch a SNES rom.
Are the numbers different?
---
Plot: no. The main cast and secondaries bring something worth discussing to the table, but the villains are seen twice and don't really do anything proactive. This makes the plot feel like the least gratifying story in the genre. 4/10
Gameplay: no. Free movement aside, both games are just mashing X unless you want to do a killer move. But they're both fun! 10/10
Sound: no. The remake remastered the songs. Some are better; some are worse. It's all subjective, regardless. Nothing jumped out at me anyway. 8/10
Art: yes. Star Ocean has issues with palate swaps throughout the franchise. This is true even in the remaster. There's still a lot to see, but the PSP version lets your character sprites jump out more. The SNES sprites blended in too much when seeking private actions for my crummy eyes. SNES: 8/10 PSP: 9/10
Charm: yes. There are a handful of interesting NPCs, but none are around long. Both games have plenty of cute things, and it's worth exploring. If for no other reason than because the eight optional characters are all over the place, with an assortment of recruitment options. Fear/Phia alone makes the game feel nonlinear and helps the replayability. Game length is what you make of it, but it's the world that separates the two games. Those paths I kinda hate add life to the world. There are chests on them you miss on the listless PSP port. SNES: 9/10 PSP: 8/10
In total, both games are great 38/50 experiences. Welch is available only in the PSP one, so maybe knock off a few points for her.
Ultimately, Star Ocean 1 has a bad case of first in franchise syndrome. It's a lot of fun at the time, but going back reveals that it's kinda devoid of stuff. If you're a historian or love early action RPGs, there's still a lot here. Even now, I'm kinda itching to play another go around. I really should see if T'nique is any good one day...
There's also an even more modern port for the Switch that is probably the best version. The character portraits are a big step above the awful PSP ones, but I don't know if there are any further differences. I'd suggest it, though.
Wednesday, December 11, 2024
LOv3
"Mike Vallely told me that a lot of pro skaters wanted in on a new style of business. I didn't fully understand what Stacy Peralta was telling us, but I vibed with it, as did many others. I contacted a few of the pros I've interacted with during my time with Element, as well as a few others I thought would work well.
Obviously, Mike V was on the team. Chad Muska gave me my first real board, so I wanted him in. Arto Sarrti was the perfect archetype of what we wanted: flash style skating. You see something cool, so you do it. Paul Rodriguez was an up and coming star, and I wanted to see what he could do under Peralta. Finally, one of the modern day GOATs, Bob Burnquist, contacted me. Getting him legitimized everything we working for.
And, with a team together, Team LOv3 was born!
We wanted to showcase our first work in ways no one else ever has. Or could. Stacy and I (mostly Stacy) knew of some crazy spots around the world. We went from Jersey to Manhattan and Hawaii to Vancouver. We lit Moscow and Tampa up in ways they've never seen with challenges we wanted to beat. We hopped buildings, destroyed pools, and even showed off our gaming know how. Man, it was sooooooooo killler! Stacy struggled to keep up with orders, so the video was a huge success!
Anyway... I punched Eric in the face and got MY helicopter footage back, but whatever.
Skating isn't about the money for LOv3. It's the thrill of the air, the grinds, the crazy spots, and just vibing. I love it so much, and I look forward to what we're gonna be doing next..."
---
Tony Hawk's Underground holds up. I'll skip the 1000 word essay, rizzing it up, and just get it out now. THUG a perfect game, and consider this the review. My controller kinda sucked, so it wasn't as fun as I remember it, but I won't hold software back for faulty hardware. It's a little rough around the edges, story wise especially, so perfect may be the wrong adjective, but who cares. Live a little!
Obviously, Mike V was on the team. Chad Muska gave me my first real board, so I wanted him in. Arto Sarrti was the perfect archetype of what we wanted: flash style skating. You see something cool, so you do it. Paul Rodriguez was an up and coming star, and I wanted to see what he could do under Peralta. Finally, one of the modern day GOATs, Bob Burnquist, contacted me. Getting him legitimized everything we working for.
And, with a team together, Team LOv3 was born!
We wanted to showcase our first work in ways no one else ever has. Or could. Stacy and I (mostly Stacy) knew of some crazy spots around the world. We went from Jersey to Manhattan and Hawaii to Vancouver. We lit Moscow and Tampa up in ways they've never seen with challenges we wanted to beat. We hopped buildings, destroyed pools, and even showed off our gaming know how. Man, it was sooooooooo killler! Stacy struggled to keep up with orders, so the video was a huge success!
Anyway... I punched Eric in the face and got MY helicopter footage back, but whatever.
Skating isn't about the money for LOv3. It's the thrill of the air, the grinds, the crazy spots, and just vibing. I love it so much, and I look forward to what we're gonna be doing next..."
---
Tony Hawk's Underground holds up. I'll skip the 1000 word essay, rizzing it up, and just get it out now. THUG a perfect game, and consider this the review. My controller kinda sucked, so it wasn't as fun as I remember it, but I won't hold software back for faulty hardware. It's a little rough around the edges, story wise especially, so perfect may be the wrong adjective, but who cares. Live a little!
Tuesday, December 10, 2024
The Fall
"Before doing anything official, we had to do some street club advertising for the demo. Manuals, lip tricks, and the destruction of cameras were all on the docket. The cameras were for the event, so I think I bungled it. Whatever... Tony Hawk is such a powerful person that he got Eric and I to reconcile. Eric said he went a little overboard, and I forgave him. Jersey roots run deep! Little did I know...
And then Bam Margera got way too into the tanks. Like, calm down, Bam! But Todd wanted us to sneak into the demo area to get some practice in. So I had to launch myself fifty feet into the air, and you better believe I did! We did more pre gaming and shadow adverts before Eric and I showed off our skills. He'd hold a lip trick while I jumped over him. It felt so amazing to perform with Sparrow again that I forgot him screaming me over. Speaking of which...
That night, Eric got drunk with one of the Russian security guards. The guard passed out, and Eric stole the keys and hijacked a tank. I joined him with the hopes of ending his joyride. He ended up treating it like a limo, but I tried to stop the tank. I'm not a soldier, so I failed. The tank collided with a communications building, but Eric bailed before then. One of the bricks landed on the tank, trapping me in it until the KGB "freed" me. Freed me right into jail...
I overheard Eric blaming me for the $700000 bill. Todd booted me off the team, and the American Embassy got me out of jail. I don't think I was allowed to leave the country, but I had to get home.
I made some connections with a few dudes and helped them again with a hangover cure and bringing girls to a party. I also think I helped some rebels, so I should never return to Russia. But, after sneaking past the guards, I got a plane ticket back home.
And the first piece of garbage I saw was Eric Sparrow. He was yelling about money with his manager when he saw me. He bragged about winning the Best New Pro award. I would have beaten his ass, but his bodyguard was there.
I went back to my old haunts and hung out with Stacy Peralta. On the plane ride home, I thought about some of the things he said. It really hit me. What was I skating for? I wanted to redefine what a pro skater was, and I knew the hippie Peralta could help me. All I needed was a name..."
And then Bam Margera got way too into the tanks. Like, calm down, Bam! But Todd wanted us to sneak into the demo area to get some practice in. So I had to launch myself fifty feet into the air, and you better believe I did! We did more pre gaming and shadow adverts before Eric and I showed off our skills. He'd hold a lip trick while I jumped over him. It felt so amazing to perform with Sparrow again that I forgot him screaming me over. Speaking of which...
That night, Eric got drunk with one of the Russian security guards. The guard passed out, and Eric stole the keys and hijacked a tank. I joined him with the hopes of ending his joyride. He ended up treating it like a limo, but I tried to stop the tank. I'm not a soldier, so I failed. The tank collided with a communications building, but Eric bailed before then. One of the bricks landed on the tank, trapping me in it until the KGB "freed" me. Freed me right into jail...
I overheard Eric blaming me for the $700000 bill. Todd booted me off the team, and the American Embassy got me out of jail. I don't think I was allowed to leave the country, but I had to get home.
I made some connections with a few dudes and helped them again with a hangover cure and bringing girls to a party. I also think I helped some rebels, so I should never return to Russia. But, after sneaking past the guards, I got a plane ticket back home.
And the first piece of garbage I saw was Eric Sparrow. He was yelling about money with his manager when he saw me. He bragged about winning the Best New Pro award. I would have beaten his ass, but his bodyguard was there.
I went back to my old haunts and hung out with Stacy Peralta. On the plane ride home, I thought about some of the things he said. It really hit me. What was I skating for? I wanted to redefine what a pro skater was, and I knew the hippie Peralta could help me. All I needed was a name..."
Saturday, December 7, 2024
Board Quest 2003
"So, there I was, chilling in Hawaii, soaking up the sun, complaining it was too hot, seeking out sick spots for the shoot. And also a couple of pranks...
After getting a lay of the land by photobombing wedding photos, mastering manuals through drainage ditches, and ripping up the skate parks, a fellow team member got me to acid drop into a filled pool. He "convinced" a guard to drop his candy bar, causing the hotel to drain the pool. I'm not sure how he got it to work either, but the pool made for a rad place to skate!
Anyway, I found myself on top of the hotel building, and I knew I had to tell Eric about it. Maybe he really did mess up with my paperwork, and I should forgive him? I called him up and told him to bring his camera. Even he knew how sick of a spot this was. Sadly, he seemed like a wuss and didn't do anything, but I fear nothing! I took some lines and even hopped over a road. And then magic happened! Someone called the cops on us, and they brought a helicopter! I knew what I must do!
The mctwist is one of the most iconic flips in skateboarding. I've been trying to land it for so long, and I knew hitting it here would cement me as a god! I got some speed and hit a ramp perfectly. I aired over the copter and hit a perfect mctwist, landing on that famous pink hotel. It was the coolest thing I had ever done. Even Eric was blown away and corrected me. "It was the coolest thing anyone's ever done." For once, he was right. We hid in the hotel until the cops left...
We returned to the mainland with the greatest skateboard trick ever filed. Vancouver was home to a professional tournament and showcase to anyone on a team. Word has gotten around about my trick, but the roadies were still setting up while we had too great of a pre party. I helped the rest of the team with filming their lines and hung around in the background. I also helped clean the leaves... Flying too high, maybe. When we were ready, we all made our way to the arena. Eric went ahead and turned in the footage and had me drive the limo with the rest of the team. I didn't think anything of it at first...
He swindled me. Eric stole my spot and claimed it as his own. The damn coward said he was the one who mctwisted over the copter. He got what I earned! And it got him a pro contract and invite to the competition! That was mine!!!
But since when am I one to sit back and mope? Rules be damned, I entered myself into the pro tournament. The attendant was confused but didn't argue. And Todd didn't argue when I won the damn thing. I, an amateur, won a pro tournament. I even shoved it in Eric's face by beating his best line. Todd wasn't too thrilled but recognized what I did and gave me what Eric stole. I got my board deal and kept on with my shoe deal. I signed up for Adio!
After Vancouver, it was on the largest skate demo on Earth! Off to snowy Moscow!"
After getting a lay of the land by photobombing wedding photos, mastering manuals through drainage ditches, and ripping up the skate parks, a fellow team member got me to acid drop into a filled pool. He "convinced" a guard to drop his candy bar, causing the hotel to drain the pool. I'm not sure how he got it to work either, but the pool made for a rad place to skate!
Anyway, I found myself on top of the hotel building, and I knew I had to tell Eric about it. Maybe he really did mess up with my paperwork, and I should forgive him? I called him up and told him to bring his camera. Even he knew how sick of a spot this was. Sadly, he seemed like a wuss and didn't do anything, but I fear nothing! I took some lines and even hopped over a road. And then magic happened! Someone called the cops on us, and they brought a helicopter! I knew what I must do!
The mctwist is one of the most iconic flips in skateboarding. I've been trying to land it for so long, and I knew hitting it here would cement me as a god! I got some speed and hit a ramp perfectly. I aired over the copter and hit a perfect mctwist, landing on that famous pink hotel. It was the coolest thing I had ever done. Even Eric was blown away and corrected me. "It was the coolest thing anyone's ever done." For once, he was right. We hid in the hotel until the cops left...
We returned to the mainland with the greatest skateboard trick ever filed. Vancouver was home to a professional tournament and showcase to anyone on a team. Word has gotten around about my trick, but the roadies were still setting up while we had too great of a pre party. I helped the rest of the team with filming their lines and hung around in the background. I also helped clean the leaves... Flying too high, maybe. When we were ready, we all made our way to the arena. Eric went ahead and turned in the footage and had me drive the limo with the rest of the team. I didn't think anything of it at first...
He swindled me. Eric stole my spot and claimed it as his own. The damn coward said he was the one who mctwisted over the copter. He got what I earned! And it got him a pro contract and invite to the competition! That was mine!!!
But since when am I one to sit back and mope? Rules be damned, I entered myself into the pro tournament. The attendant was confused but didn't argue. And Todd didn't argue when I won the damn thing. I, an amateur, won a pro tournament. I even shoved it in Eric's face by beating his best line. Todd wasn't too thrilled but recognized what I did and gave me what Eric stole. I got my board deal and kept on with my shoe deal. I signed up for Adio!
After Vancouver, it was on the largest skate demo on Earth! Off to snowy Moscow!"
Thursday, December 5, 2024
Lucy becomes a pro skater pt 1
From Jersey to San Diego...
Tony Hawk's Underground was a game I spent plenty of time and frustration with back in the day. But I freakin' loved it! But it's been nearly two decades since I last played it. I had it at 48 points on my giant sheet of game reviews, but it can't be THAT good? After the abomination of Vandal Hearts, I suddenly hate RPGs, so I need something different. So let's two birds this stuff and see if the GOAT skater game holds up.
"So, there I was, fixing my board. It's hella ghetto shredded, so it needs the work. Suddenly, my old pal, Eric Sparrow, showed up, knocking on my window. I've told him 1000 times not to do that. A girl needs her privacy, and he looks wicked creepy every time he does that crap. But I'll let it slide this time because Eric told me Chad Muska was in town for a shoot. Why Muska would come to this hole in Jersey to film is beyond me, but I HAD to be there. And maybe I could show him my own skills. So I finished up my board work and met him outside.
He lost his board already!? The tweakers jumped him and yanked his board, throwing it all over the street. They messed up his knee, so I HAD to get everything. It's not easy climbing over houses, but I did. After I got his stuff, we warmed up around town. We skated the old swimming pool outside the high school. It was set up for Muska's show, so why wouldn't we? The drainage ditch was also fancied up, but I spent plenty of time at our makeshift half pipe between the houses. Why did our tiny town feel so skateboard accessible? Is it because Mike Vallely is from here?
After getting stretched, Chad Muska's showcase started. He mostly just showed off his pimped out SUV's sound system, so I figured now's the time. I started showing off everything I could: street skills, vert tricks, manuals, and grinds. I can do them all! And Muska noticed! He said I showed promise and even replaced my gnarled board! AAAHHHHHH!!! Finally, he told me to talk to Stacy Peralta.
I headed over to the skate shop the next day and saw a dude meditating on the postbox. That was Stacy Peralta, and he told me that if I wanted to sign with him, I'd have to impress the skaters already with him. And I did just that! After reminding everyone who I was, I was in. I wasn't fully involved in the way of free swag, but I have my entry point into the biz!
Eric, myself, and a bunch of other locals had a good night planned, but the junkies across the street ruined it. They stole a bunch of our stuff, so I decided to get it back. It was my street, and I knew it the best, after all. I snuck my way over to their base by climbing over roofs, but Eric beat me there? And he's out in the open? This was the first time I thought how sketchy he was. Out of revenge, he torched the drug car...
We fled and found a place to crash, but our peace was short lived. They knew Eric destroyed their car and wanted revenge. I called in some favors for him to get across the bridge in town. The 5-0 had it blocked for no reason! He had to bully the train guard, but we needed to get some tickets out of town. We had to escape the tweakers, and Peralta would make us full members if we showed him something new. Something not from Jersey. And it was off to Manhattan!
As we did in Jersey, we dominated New York! We shredded the riverfront, manualed the office park, and did a little bit of vandalism to the monument... We also helped out a local nut vendor by giving him a monopoly on his nuts. And shout out to the dudes I filmed!
After Eric filmed me jumping over a burning taxi, we sent our tapes to Stacy, and he loved them. He told us we had to hit up the Tampa Pro-Am and even hooked us up with his vintage tour bus to get there. Eric and I walked into the park, but I wasn't allowed in! The snake never turned in my paperwork! Eric got into the competition, and I was locked out. But I'm a badass and knew I could figure something out.
And I did.
The man, the myth, the legend himself, Tony Hawk, was outside of the building in the practice park. He wanted to see if anyone could show him something cool, so I put on my best trick line ever!!! Hawkman got me into the competition, where I did what I always do! I won the street competition and got a perfect score in the vert. It was myself vs Sparrow in the finals. He got what was coming to him: embarrassment. I doubt he'll try to screw me again...
With my win, all the board companies wanted me. I joined up with Element because Muska giving me a board meant so much to me, and it was off to San Diego for us.
I met the team manager, Todd, who was having a snack before going to dinner. But he told me we were here to take sick footage for the magazines, so I was officially a part of a skate team. But I wasn't done yet..."
Tony Hawk's Underground was a game I spent plenty of time and frustration with back in the day. But I freakin' loved it! But it's been nearly two decades since I last played it. I had it at 48 points on my giant sheet of game reviews, but it can't be THAT good? After the abomination of Vandal Hearts, I suddenly hate RPGs, so I need something different. So let's two birds this stuff and see if the GOAT skater game holds up.
"So, there I was, fixing my board. It's hella ghetto shredded, so it needs the work. Suddenly, my old pal, Eric Sparrow, showed up, knocking on my window. I've told him 1000 times not to do that. A girl needs her privacy, and he looks wicked creepy every time he does that crap. But I'll let it slide this time because Eric told me Chad Muska was in town for a shoot. Why Muska would come to this hole in Jersey to film is beyond me, but I HAD to be there. And maybe I could show him my own skills. So I finished up my board work and met him outside.
He lost his board already!? The tweakers jumped him and yanked his board, throwing it all over the street. They messed up his knee, so I HAD to get everything. It's not easy climbing over houses, but I did. After I got his stuff, we warmed up around town. We skated the old swimming pool outside the high school. It was set up for Muska's show, so why wouldn't we? The drainage ditch was also fancied up, but I spent plenty of time at our makeshift half pipe between the houses. Why did our tiny town feel so skateboard accessible? Is it because Mike Vallely is from here?
After getting stretched, Chad Muska's showcase started. He mostly just showed off his pimped out SUV's sound system, so I figured now's the time. I started showing off everything I could: street skills, vert tricks, manuals, and grinds. I can do them all! And Muska noticed! He said I showed promise and even replaced my gnarled board! AAAHHHHHH!!! Finally, he told me to talk to Stacy Peralta.
I headed over to the skate shop the next day and saw a dude meditating on the postbox. That was Stacy Peralta, and he told me that if I wanted to sign with him, I'd have to impress the skaters already with him. And I did just that! After reminding everyone who I was, I was in. I wasn't fully involved in the way of free swag, but I have my entry point into the biz!
Eric, myself, and a bunch of other locals had a good night planned, but the junkies across the street ruined it. They stole a bunch of our stuff, so I decided to get it back. It was my street, and I knew it the best, after all. I snuck my way over to their base by climbing over roofs, but Eric beat me there? And he's out in the open? This was the first time I thought how sketchy he was. Out of revenge, he torched the drug car...
We fled and found a place to crash, but our peace was short lived. They knew Eric destroyed their car and wanted revenge. I called in some favors for him to get across the bridge in town. The 5-0 had it blocked for no reason! He had to bully the train guard, but we needed to get some tickets out of town. We had to escape the tweakers, and Peralta would make us full members if we showed him something new. Something not from Jersey. And it was off to Manhattan!
As we did in Jersey, we dominated New York! We shredded the riverfront, manualed the office park, and did a little bit of vandalism to the monument... We also helped out a local nut vendor by giving him a monopoly on his nuts. And shout out to the dudes I filmed!
After Eric filmed me jumping over a burning taxi, we sent our tapes to Stacy, and he loved them. He told us we had to hit up the Tampa Pro-Am and even hooked us up with his vintage tour bus to get there. Eric and I walked into the park, but I wasn't allowed in! The snake never turned in my paperwork! Eric got into the competition, and I was locked out. But I'm a badass and knew I could figure something out.
And I did.
The man, the myth, the legend himself, Tony Hawk, was outside of the building in the practice park. He wanted to see if anyone could show him something cool, so I put on my best trick line ever!!! Hawkman got me into the competition, where I did what I always do! I won the street competition and got a perfect score in the vert. It was myself vs Sparrow in the finals. He got what was coming to him: embarrassment. I doubt he'll try to screw me again...
With my win, all the board companies wanted me. I joined up with Element because Muska giving me a board meant so much to me, and it was off to San Diego for us.
I met the team manager, Todd, who was having a snack before going to dinner. But he told me we were here to take sick footage for the magazines, so I was officially a part of a skate team. But I wasn't done yet..."
Monday, December 2, 2024
I am the Master of Vandal Hearts
I'd like to relinquish my title, please.
Vandal Hearts is a game my well known neighbor friend randomly introduced me to. I don't know why. I didn't play it much, as it didn't strike my fancy, but the fact I even remember it means I need to play it for this blog. If I remember playing it, I need to do it again after the end of the world! It's a tactical RPG, which is hella rad, with political intrigue as a plot. I went in expecting a knockoff of Final Fantasy Tactics, and guess what I got?
Garbage.
Plot: pointless. There are twelve playable characters in VH, and only three feel important. There are four worthwhile villains, and they're all boring. When it comes to the story, it's a mess. There are multiple Deus ex twists, including a vital mcguffin that just appears with no explanation and three secret character backstories with zero foreshadowing. I liked that all the antagonists had a separate view of being evil, but none were fully explored. 3/10
Gameplay: unfun. There are twelve characters, each with a class. The problem is most of those classes lack skills. So all any melee character gets to do is basic attacks. Mages get an array of extras, but there are only four magic users. And only two are offensive. It ends up being boring. At least each battle feels different, and they try to mix up the win conditions. 2/10
Sound: fine. My biggest issue with the game is how many tracks are militaristic. This is a war game, so that makes sense, and I can knock it too much. There are a good assortment of other options, so it's fine. My second issue is every song is played only once. It's kinda cool, but it doesn't let anything linger and stick. 7/10
Art: interesting. Every character's art is ugly. They look like they're out of King's Quest, the old Sierra point-and-click adventure franchise. I hate it. The sprite work makes up for it, and there's plenty of stuff to look at, but all those sharp heads are a turn off. 9/10
Charm: awful. I was nice and gave a point to the NPCs because the one we meet is actually important. 1/10
Negatives: the writing is terrible, and the secret auto win class is nonsense for several reasons. -4
Add everything together, and Vandal Hearts is an 18 out of 50.
I started cheating halfway through the game. I was curious about the plot, but that ended up being a letdown. The battles are borderline tedious, so it made me want to quit early. I think I should have. The game sums itself up well during the final cutscene with one quote:
"Ultimately, not much changed..."
The world is in the same place as before, and nothing we did helped. I guess we kept it from being destroyed, but I feel like we helped to get there in the first place. I did not have fun with Vandal Hearts.
Vandal Hearts is a game my well known neighbor friend randomly introduced me to. I don't know why. I didn't play it much, as it didn't strike my fancy, but the fact I even remember it means I need to play it for this blog. If I remember playing it, I need to do it again after the end of the world! It's a tactical RPG, which is hella rad, with political intrigue as a plot. I went in expecting a knockoff of Final Fantasy Tactics, and guess what I got?
Garbage.
Plot: pointless. There are twelve playable characters in VH, and only three feel important. There are four worthwhile villains, and they're all boring. When it comes to the story, it's a mess. There are multiple Deus ex twists, including a vital mcguffin that just appears with no explanation and three secret character backstories with zero foreshadowing. I liked that all the antagonists had a separate view of being evil, but none were fully explored. 3/10
Gameplay: unfun. There are twelve characters, each with a class. The problem is most of those classes lack skills. So all any melee character gets to do is basic attacks. Mages get an array of extras, but there are only four magic users. And only two are offensive. It ends up being boring. At least each battle feels different, and they try to mix up the win conditions. 2/10
Sound: fine. My biggest issue with the game is how many tracks are militaristic. This is a war game, so that makes sense, and I can knock it too much. There are a good assortment of other options, so it's fine. My second issue is every song is played only once. It's kinda cool, but it doesn't let anything linger and stick. 7/10
Art: interesting. Every character's art is ugly. They look like they're out of King's Quest, the old Sierra point-and-click adventure franchise. I hate it. The sprite work makes up for it, and there's plenty of stuff to look at, but all those sharp heads are a turn off. 9/10
Charm: awful. I was nice and gave a point to the NPCs because the one we meet is actually important. 1/10
Negatives: the writing is terrible, and the secret auto win class is nonsense for several reasons. -4
Add everything together, and Vandal Hearts is an 18 out of 50.
I started cheating halfway through the game. I was curious about the plot, but that ended up being a letdown. The battles are borderline tedious, so it made me want to quit early. I think I should have. The game sums itself up well during the final cutscene with one quote:
"Ultimately, not much changed..."
The world is in the same place as before, and nothing we did helped. I guess we kept it from being destroyed, but I feel like we helped to get there in the first place. I did not have fun with Vandal Hearts.
Thursday, November 21, 2024
Super Castlevania IV
Guess I lied, but it won't happen again.
Where do I begin with Super Castlevania IV? I don't really want to write this review for a few reasons. One, there's not much more to say. C4 is exactly the same as C1. But I genuinely didn't enjoy playing Super Castlevania IV. Let's get into the numbers to explain my thoughts
Plot:) There is no additional story from the NES game. It's almost like C4 is a remaster of the first game but with different bosses and an unimportant swinging mechanic. Simon is exactly the same, and Dracula is too. He might be worse, actually, since his second form is lamer. 3/10
Gameplay:) Simon can swing his whip in eight directions now, so that's a huge plus. He can also let it hang and fling it around to aid in killing the plentiful amount of bats. Those are welcome additions, but the swing mechanic is useless. There's no major reason to add it outside of one thing that showcases the power of the new SNES. It just felt like more of the same to me. 6/10
Sound:) Konami used to not miss. 10/10
Art:) See above. There are a few areas, though, that bothered me. One involved waterfalls that obstructed the walkable terrain, and several rooms started to mess with my failing eyesight. 9/10
Charm:) It's just like the first game. 2/10
Negatives:) The "remaster" also includes the difficulty.
Total: 27/50
I was not too fond of Castlevania 1. I've heard many good reviews of Castlevania IV and wanted to see the hype. I regret it now! While it may get more points than its predecessor, I expected more from a game on the SNES. The presentation is all there, but it lacks any depth. I want more from my game experiences, and Castlevania, the older games at least, can't scratch the surface of what I like. I've seen people play the GBA ones, and they ticked more boxes. Somewhere down the line, I'll try to bolster my opinion of the franchise with them, but my attempt at a new addiction has been kicked. And to hell with those spike traps in 8-2!
On the plus side, I added more "IV" to my playlists.
Where do I begin with Super Castlevania IV? I don't really want to write this review for a few reasons. One, there's not much more to say. C4 is exactly the same as C1. But I genuinely didn't enjoy playing Super Castlevania IV. Let's get into the numbers to explain my thoughts
Plot:) There is no additional story from the NES game. It's almost like C4 is a remaster of the first game but with different bosses and an unimportant swinging mechanic. Simon is exactly the same, and Dracula is too. He might be worse, actually, since his second form is lamer. 3/10
Gameplay:) Simon can swing his whip in eight directions now, so that's a huge plus. He can also let it hang and fling it around to aid in killing the plentiful amount of bats. Those are welcome additions, but the swing mechanic is useless. There's no major reason to add it outside of one thing that showcases the power of the new SNES. It just felt like more of the same to me. 6/10
Sound:) Konami used to not miss. 10/10
Art:) See above. There are a few areas, though, that bothered me. One involved waterfalls that obstructed the walkable terrain, and several rooms started to mess with my failing eyesight. 9/10
Charm:) It's just like the first game. 2/10
Negatives:) The "remaster" also includes the difficulty.
Total: 27/50
I was not too fond of Castlevania 1. I've heard many good reviews of Castlevania IV and wanted to see the hype. I regret it now! While it may get more points than its predecessor, I expected more from a game on the SNES. The presentation is all there, but it lacks any depth. I want more from my game experiences, and Castlevania, the older games at least, can't scratch the surface of what I like. I've seen people play the GBA ones, and they ticked more boxes. Somewhere down the line, I'll try to bolster my opinion of the franchise with them, but my attempt at a new addiction has been kicked. And to hell with those spike traps in 8-2!
On the plus side, I added more "IV" to my playlists.
Tuesday, November 19, 2024
Castlevania...with a twist!
So, fun fact: my original goal at the start of the pandemic was to beat Castlevania 1 for the NES. I got to the fifth room and realized this game was hard. It's also not super fun. So I bought a PS2 controller and played Final Fantasy IX, which you can read elsewhere on this blog.
Recently, though, Epic gave away the Castlevania Anniversary Collection for free. It runs like booty on my computer! But I was looking forward to playing it and was undaunted in this premise. But I still suck at the NES game... But there's a fan made remake of Castlevania 1 called Castlevania ReVamped! It remade the game to keep the graphics and music but added in the Metroid part of the Metroidvania genre. It's no longer linear and adds in fun powers to move and fight with. It also runs like booty on my computer... But let's see how it works!
Both Castlevania and ReVamped start the same. Even the opening areas look alike. ReVamped starts with no powers, so all you can do is swing your whip side to side. Pretty quickly, though, ReVamped grants you the power to attack in eight directions. The down attacks are kinda tough to perform, but maybe that's just my terrible rig. You no longer get whip extensions, but a full attack radius is hella rad! And pretty soon, Simon can get a choice of whips. There are three in total, and they do something different. I won't spoil their differences, partially because my trash CPU didn't let me fully experience them.
But there's also an assortment of movement skills. Double jump is obviously here, but there's also a flame dash that can also be used in the air to fly. You also get cool stomp and kick, too! Using all those skills lets you reach all new areas of the map and even break the terrain to unlock character upgrades: increased health and hearts. It's all a lot of fun!
Secondary weapons are unchanged, but that's not to say they're vanilla. The devs added cards, which can be bought from two scarecrows. These add challenges (more cash at the risk of OHKOs), ability augments (crits and damage numbers), or secondary weaponry boosts. Three knives instead of one, slow boomerangs for more damage chances, or trailing holy waters can be bought for 1000 gold. You can only equip three cards at a time, so choose your loadout carefully.
As far as I can tell, rooms aren't drastically altered, but some appear slightly off to accommodate the hidden upgrades. And, yes, teleporters have been added, as have save points, so you don't die and have to restart all the time. Even with all the new stuff, I still suck at Castlevania 1. But all the monsters are still here and function the same, as do the bosses. I've read the bosses are a bit different, though... The story is also unchanged, so the spirit of the original remains.
Let's do some numbering comparisons! How does C1 add up compared to ReVamped?
Plot: Same. Simon doesn't speak, nor does Dracula. Why are we here? 3/10//3/10
Gameplay: ReVamped. ReVamped makes the game less difficult, helping it a lot more fun. And the new abilities and displayable map make walking around addictive and more varied. C1, being the granddaddy of a genre, gets the nod in innovation, though. 4/10//7/10
Sound/Art: same. The Revamped devs just took what was here and made it better. They knew not to touch perfection. 20/20//20/20
Charm: reVamped. Neither did well here, but exploration goes a long way with me. 2/10//3/10
Negatives: I'm bad at the game, so I'm knocking 2 points off of C1. This is a me thing, so you may want to point, laugh, and ignore me.
Tally up the numbers, and Castlevania for the Nintendo gets a score of 27 out of 50. ReVamped gets a more respectable 33 points.
1986 was a hell of a drug. I didn't enjoy C1, but I see the acclaim with ReV. I don't get the hype over the game, though. I dug SoTN, but C1 didn't give me the same feelings.
ReVamped did exactly what it set out to do. The devs saw a classic game, altered it, and let people experience it slightly differently. It succeeded and really made a worthwhile experience. And it's not even that drastic of an update. Vampire Killer and Castlevania 2 did something similar. If you dig the Metroidvania genre and OG Castlevania, you owe yourself a few hours of Wall 4's time.
I do want to play more of the franchise, but that'll be later. I've been delaying Vandal Hearts for a long, long time already...
Recently, though, Epic gave away the Castlevania Anniversary Collection for free. It runs like booty on my computer! But I was looking forward to playing it and was undaunted in this premise. But I still suck at the NES game... But there's a fan made remake of Castlevania 1 called Castlevania ReVamped! It remade the game to keep the graphics and music but added in the Metroid part of the Metroidvania genre. It's no longer linear and adds in fun powers to move and fight with. It also runs like booty on my computer... But let's see how it works!
Both Castlevania and ReVamped start the same. Even the opening areas look alike. ReVamped starts with no powers, so all you can do is swing your whip side to side. Pretty quickly, though, ReVamped grants you the power to attack in eight directions. The down attacks are kinda tough to perform, but maybe that's just my terrible rig. You no longer get whip extensions, but a full attack radius is hella rad! And pretty soon, Simon can get a choice of whips. There are three in total, and they do something different. I won't spoil their differences, partially because my trash CPU didn't let me fully experience them.
But there's also an assortment of movement skills. Double jump is obviously here, but there's also a flame dash that can also be used in the air to fly. You also get cool stomp and kick, too! Using all those skills lets you reach all new areas of the map and even break the terrain to unlock character upgrades: increased health and hearts. It's all a lot of fun!
Secondary weapons are unchanged, but that's not to say they're vanilla. The devs added cards, which can be bought from two scarecrows. These add challenges (more cash at the risk of OHKOs), ability augments (crits and damage numbers), or secondary weaponry boosts. Three knives instead of one, slow boomerangs for more damage chances, or trailing holy waters can be bought for 1000 gold. You can only equip three cards at a time, so choose your loadout carefully.
As far as I can tell, rooms aren't drastically altered, but some appear slightly off to accommodate the hidden upgrades. And, yes, teleporters have been added, as have save points, so you don't die and have to restart all the time. Even with all the new stuff, I still suck at Castlevania 1. But all the monsters are still here and function the same, as do the bosses. I've read the bosses are a bit different, though... The story is also unchanged, so the spirit of the original remains.
Let's do some numbering comparisons! How does C1 add up compared to ReVamped?
Plot: Same. Simon doesn't speak, nor does Dracula. Why are we here? 3/10//3/10
Gameplay: ReVamped. ReVamped makes the game less difficult, helping it a lot more fun. And the new abilities and displayable map make walking around addictive and more varied. C1, being the granddaddy of a genre, gets the nod in innovation, though. 4/10//7/10
Sound/Art: same. The Revamped devs just took what was here and made it better. They knew not to touch perfection. 20/20//20/20
Charm: reVamped. Neither did well here, but exploration goes a long way with me. 2/10//3/10
Negatives: I'm bad at the game, so I'm knocking 2 points off of C1. This is a me thing, so you may want to point, laugh, and ignore me.
Tally up the numbers, and Castlevania for the Nintendo gets a score of 27 out of 50. ReVamped gets a more respectable 33 points.
1986 was a hell of a drug. I didn't enjoy C1, but I see the acclaim with ReV. I don't get the hype over the game, though. I dug SoTN, but C1 didn't give me the same feelings.
ReVamped did exactly what it set out to do. The devs saw a classic game, altered it, and let people experience it slightly differently. It succeeded and really made a worthwhile experience. And it's not even that drastic of an update. Vampire Killer and Castlevania 2 did something similar. If you dig the Metroidvania genre and OG Castlevania, you owe yourself a few hours of Wall 4's time.
I do want to play more of the franchise, but that'll be later. I've been delaying Vandal Hearts for a long, long time already...
Thursday, October 31, 2024
I know now, without a doubt, Kingdom Hearts is...
...kinda mid.
Kingdom Hearts feels like a near perfect game. And here's why:
Sora is a perfect protagonist. Being a kid thrown into a multi dimensional war between Disney and shadow monsters lets one show off plenty of personality while also showcasing plenty of drama and growth. All of his moments of weakness made sense, even if they sort of came from nowhere.
Donald, Goofy, and the other Disney heroes aren't perfect, but they're all above average characters who, sadly, don't get a lot of screen time. The permanent party members are fun and engaging with clear roles.
I dug the villains! The heartless have no personalities, but each boss is unique and interesting, even compared to others in the genre. But Riku is a perfect villain. He's got the connections, reasons, and iconic moments leading to his redemption in later games. I wouldn't say I like Ansem, though. His role is explored in subsequent games in the franchise, but his existence is tenuous in Kingdom Hearts 1. And, goodness, is it confusing!
I'll get to the story later... ??/10
I'll make the rest real quick:
The music and visuals are perfect. Especially so, I'd imagine, if you're a Disney baby. I'm not, so a lot is lost on me, but I still had fun. Like each Disney movie, the music and worlds are tailored to each sub story. Each has its gimmick to shake things up, even if I hated most of them... But everything I dig in these two categories is here. Even the gameplay is perfect... but only on the surface. 30/30
The charm is nearly flawless, as well, ticking all my boxes but one. We'll get into that in a moment... 9/10
But if you spend enough time in the world, you start to realize that Kingdom Hearts might really suck. Several of these complaints are notorious, with the camera being the most well known. And the camera is atrocious, it's true. It likes to randomly move and sometimes won't let you do it. Unskippable cutscenes are also a common complaint. Yes, I get it, "You're not taking Kairi's heart!" But there are worse things than death.
I hated all of the worlds. Their design teetered on the tedious with short but combat heavy areas. Wonderland had a fun, optional puzzle, but it felt so hollow. Tarzan had too much backtracking and platforming with this camera. Monstro was a maze with too many mobs. Halloween Town was too dark and overly populated with heartless. Neverland and Atlantica were 3D worlds that weren't fun with this combat. I flailed around for too long. They make you do Hollow Bastion twice... Traverse Town and Agrabah were all right.
The lock on is worthless. Why does it lock to a mob across the room? I guess that's still better than the harmless barrel...
Why couldn't we open the menu in combat?
Ya know what could have alleviated my displeasure? Better mob AI! Enemies love to run away from you. Sora, though, isn't good at chasing. He's kinda slow, so there's more flailing around because the camera lacks depth perception. And they have too many ways of getting away from you that leave you standing there. Wizards teleport away, becoming untouchable for a few moments before appearing on the other side of the room. Darksides and darkballs can also become intangible for seconds, so you just stand there being bored. Add everything I hate together/alluded to, remind everyone the camera is trash, the story is confusing, and we're looking at a record -18 points.
And the story cannot save it. I have so many questions that even a sequel can't answer, nor does it make sense. Why was it so backloaded? So the plot is a meer 5/10.
Total everything up, and Kingdom Hearts is a 26/50 game. It was a fun, albeit frustrating mess, that I couldn't follow. Maybe one of the 484893 follow up games explain more, but I get lost with all the proper nouns. It's too much across too many games, and who has the time and money for this? Is Kingdom Hearts a cash grab? Do we need a KH4?
Kingdom Hearts feels like a near perfect game. And here's why:
Sora is a perfect protagonist. Being a kid thrown into a multi dimensional war between Disney and shadow monsters lets one show off plenty of personality while also showcasing plenty of drama and growth. All of his moments of weakness made sense, even if they sort of came from nowhere.
Donald, Goofy, and the other Disney heroes aren't perfect, but they're all above average characters who, sadly, don't get a lot of screen time. The permanent party members are fun and engaging with clear roles.
I dug the villains! The heartless have no personalities, but each boss is unique and interesting, even compared to others in the genre. But Riku is a perfect villain. He's got the connections, reasons, and iconic moments leading to his redemption in later games. I wouldn't say I like Ansem, though. His role is explored in subsequent games in the franchise, but his existence is tenuous in Kingdom Hearts 1. And, goodness, is it confusing!
I'll get to the story later... ??/10
I'll make the rest real quick:
The music and visuals are perfect. Especially so, I'd imagine, if you're a Disney baby. I'm not, so a lot is lost on me, but I still had fun. Like each Disney movie, the music and worlds are tailored to each sub story. Each has its gimmick to shake things up, even if I hated most of them... But everything I dig in these two categories is here. Even the gameplay is perfect... but only on the surface. 30/30
The charm is nearly flawless, as well, ticking all my boxes but one. We'll get into that in a moment... 9/10
But if you spend enough time in the world, you start to realize that Kingdom Hearts might really suck. Several of these complaints are notorious, with the camera being the most well known. And the camera is atrocious, it's true. It likes to randomly move and sometimes won't let you do it. Unskippable cutscenes are also a common complaint. Yes, I get it, "You're not taking Kairi's heart!" But there are worse things than death.
I hated all of the worlds. Their design teetered on the tedious with short but combat heavy areas. Wonderland had a fun, optional puzzle, but it felt so hollow. Tarzan had too much backtracking and platforming with this camera. Monstro was a maze with too many mobs. Halloween Town was too dark and overly populated with heartless. Neverland and Atlantica were 3D worlds that weren't fun with this combat. I flailed around for too long. They make you do Hollow Bastion twice... Traverse Town and Agrabah were all right.
The lock on is worthless. Why does it lock to a mob across the room? I guess that's still better than the harmless barrel...
Why couldn't we open the menu in combat?
Ya know what could have alleviated my displeasure? Better mob AI! Enemies love to run away from you. Sora, though, isn't good at chasing. He's kinda slow, so there's more flailing around because the camera lacks depth perception. And they have too many ways of getting away from you that leave you standing there. Wizards teleport away, becoming untouchable for a few moments before appearing on the other side of the room. Darksides and darkballs can also become intangible for seconds, so you just stand there being bored. Add everything I hate together/alluded to, remind everyone the camera is trash, the story is confusing, and we're looking at a record -18 points.
And the story cannot save it. I have so many questions that even a sequel can't answer, nor does it make sense. Why was it so backloaded? So the plot is a meer 5/10.
Total everything up, and Kingdom Hearts is a 26/50 game. It was a fun, albeit frustrating mess, that I couldn't follow. Maybe one of the 484893 follow up games explain more, but I get lost with all the proper nouns. It's too much across too many games, and who has the time and money for this? Is Kingdom Hearts a cash grab? Do we need a KH4?
Friday, October 18, 2024
Dust: An Elysian Tail
There's not enough sex to be a furry game.
Dust: An Elysian Tail was the first game I ever bought on Steam. I have no idea why! Of all the RPGs, adventure games, or highly touted experiences on the client in 2014, I chose a side scrolling beat 'em up about anthropomorphic animals. I'm not saying Dust is a bad game, but it was a strange decision, even if it was perfect. Besides that, I have nothing else to say. It was developed by one dude who only had help with music and voice work. It's a really short game, hence why it was an Xbox Arcade release, so let's do a fairly concise review. I'm also coming off a weeklong illness, so double this up!
Plot: surprisingly good. You play as Dust, an amnesiac fox (?) who was summoned to wield a talking sword. The blade's guardian, Fidget, a flying fox, is along for the ride. The goal is to figure out who Dust is, why he wears his uniform, and why the Blade of Arhrah keeps testing him.
Dust has a great twist in his story, and it helps to guide the main plot. It's also filled with a deep side story or two. There are only two bosses I can see as being actually villainous, which left something to want. It's also back ended with exposition, so the pacing isn't great. 9/10
Gameplay: Castlevania with stubby swords! Dust is a sword user, and Fidget casts magic. You can combine the two with the Dust Storm to deal big damage with massive combos, gaining extra experience for doing so! Along the way, Dust learns new movement abilities to make backtracking give fun rewards. But before you reach those abilities, you can master a few Beat 'em Up combos. So the game is like a meshing of Castlevania and Streets of Rage.
Dust is a love letter to Metroid, Golden Axe, and Ys. I don't get the Ys vibes, but the other two are pretty obvious. And it works very well! It's fun and exciting, and the dungeons keep you on your toes with their unique stage hazards and mobs. Because it's a strong emulation of other games, it doesn't reinvent the wheel. I'll leave that up to you if that's actually a bad thing. There's also no other side content besides fighting and platforming. 6/10
Sound: hit and miss. The voice acting is usually pretty good, but Fidget annoyed me. She was usually fine, but there were negative moments. The OST also isn't my thing. The music was good, but it was more symphonic than anything. The game lacks traditional loops, which I prefer. If you're a band nerd, you'll probably dig this Hyperduck Productions. 8/10
Art: perfect. Every dungeon looks great and unique. The magic spells, all three of them, looked and played differently. Everything else hits. 10/10
Charm: mostly there. The world references itself often, and there are several areas that exist solely for side quests. There's also plenty of fun and cute dialog in those missions. Weather effects exist for some reason. It's a Metroidvania, so, of course, exploration is rad! NPCs have the tendency to feel important, but they're kinda not, and it's only a fifteen hour game. Not sure if that's good or bad. 6/10
There are negatives, though. I often found myself annoyed at trying to interact with things, the save point being the most dominant. I try to press up, but nothing happens. I also hate fourth wall breaking stuff. Guess what Fidget does a number of times? -3
I had a lot of fun with Dust. It was a quick call back to some games I also enjoy. It's another game that feels like a better score than it got. But, in my eyes, Dust: An Elysian Tail is a 35 out of 50 game.
Dust: An Elysian Tail was the first game I ever bought on Steam. I have no idea why! Of all the RPGs, adventure games, or highly touted experiences on the client in 2014, I chose a side scrolling beat 'em up about anthropomorphic animals. I'm not saying Dust is a bad game, but it was a strange decision, even if it was perfect. Besides that, I have nothing else to say. It was developed by one dude who only had help with music and voice work. It's a really short game, hence why it was an Xbox Arcade release, so let's do a fairly concise review. I'm also coming off a weeklong illness, so double this up!
Plot: surprisingly good. You play as Dust, an amnesiac fox (?) who was summoned to wield a talking sword. The blade's guardian, Fidget, a flying fox, is along for the ride. The goal is to figure out who Dust is, why he wears his uniform, and why the Blade of Arhrah keeps testing him.
Dust has a great twist in his story, and it helps to guide the main plot. It's also filled with a deep side story or two. There are only two bosses I can see as being actually villainous, which left something to want. It's also back ended with exposition, so the pacing isn't great. 9/10
Gameplay: Castlevania with stubby swords! Dust is a sword user, and Fidget casts magic. You can combine the two with the Dust Storm to deal big damage with massive combos, gaining extra experience for doing so! Along the way, Dust learns new movement abilities to make backtracking give fun rewards. But before you reach those abilities, you can master a few Beat 'em Up combos. So the game is like a meshing of Castlevania and Streets of Rage.
Dust is a love letter to Metroid, Golden Axe, and Ys. I don't get the Ys vibes, but the other two are pretty obvious. And it works very well! It's fun and exciting, and the dungeons keep you on your toes with their unique stage hazards and mobs. Because it's a strong emulation of other games, it doesn't reinvent the wheel. I'll leave that up to you if that's actually a bad thing. There's also no other side content besides fighting and platforming. 6/10
Sound: hit and miss. The voice acting is usually pretty good, but Fidget annoyed me. She was usually fine, but there were negative moments. The OST also isn't my thing. The music was good, but it was more symphonic than anything. The game lacks traditional loops, which I prefer. If you're a band nerd, you'll probably dig this Hyperduck Productions. 8/10
Art: perfect. Every dungeon looks great and unique. The magic spells, all three of them, looked and played differently. Everything else hits. 10/10
Charm: mostly there. The world references itself often, and there are several areas that exist solely for side quests. There's also plenty of fun and cute dialog in those missions. Weather effects exist for some reason. It's a Metroidvania, so, of course, exploration is rad! NPCs have the tendency to feel important, but they're kinda not, and it's only a fifteen hour game. Not sure if that's good or bad. 6/10
There are negatives, though. I often found myself annoyed at trying to interact with things, the save point being the most dominant. I try to press up, but nothing happens. I also hate fourth wall breaking stuff. Guess what Fidget does a number of times? -3
I had a lot of fun with Dust. It was a quick call back to some games I also enjoy. It's another game that feels like a better score than it got. But, in my eyes, Dust: An Elysian Tail is a 35 out of 50 game.
Tuesday, October 8, 2024
Sword of Mana
I liked the Legend so much that I wanted to experience the Sword.
Legend of Mana was a shockingly well reviewed experienced, so I kinda wanted to play something similar. I haven't enjoyed the middle two games of the franchise, but maybe I'll see where it all started! Then I saw it began on the Gameboy (as a Final Fantasy side game) and knew that would be a terrible idea. My eyes and ears can't appreciate the presentation on that anymore. And I'm a failure, so I can't play the remaster, Adventure of Mana. Fortunately, that was the second remaster. There was a remake that came out in 2003 for the Gameboy Advanced. It Ys IVs it by slightly retelling the story and adding a new character to play as. It also removes the Final Fantasy references and makes it more like the sequels, so it's more Manay. I have mixed feelings about that, but I'm gonna ride the hype I made for myself! Let's do something weird and go into spoilers about the plot.
You can pick one of two characters. They generally follow the same path, but there are a number of dungeons and experiences that are unique to themselves. I only played the girl (who I named Lulu), so I don't know anything about the boy's path. Other than that, Lulu can never equip the sword, and the boy can never wield the staff. They also begin with different magics. Lu can heal!
They meet up quite often, so both are vital to the game. But Lulu's story begins as a child, talking to her mother. It's the eve of a big journey that every woman of the Mana Tribe goes through. They're waiting for a knight to arrive to guide Lu. We see some of our friends, and they say their farewells, but it's short lived. A gaudy blue dude shows up and raises the hidden village. He's mad Mana didn't save someone close to him. Lu and her mom get away, but the guy gives chase. He catches up, but the warrior arrives. Mom gives Lu to Bogard and teleports the two away, buying time to get more distance.
Bogard and Lulu arrive in a town, and Bogard leads them to a friend of his, Grantz. They try to spend the night, but ol' Bluey has followed them. Bogard tries to fight him off, but he tells Lulu and Grantz' son, Z, to flee. They end up getting separated in the forest. Bogard ends up finding Lulu, and they live together in the village of Topple. Some years pass, and it's time for another journey. Bogard has his squire do some busy work, but it's just to let him slip out to let her journey on her own. While doing the busy work, she meets a strange boy she ends up beating up, thinking he's here to hunt her. It's apparent to us, but Lu doesn't see this is Z and vice versa.
After meeting a traveling catman merchant, the two set out to find Bogard. He left Topple, saying he went to the capital, Wendel, but the passage there is sealed, so they'll need to speak to Count Lee. A ghost scares Lulu, but a pretty lady sets the fear at ease. Count Lee is a vampire, and that's how he gets around. Both Lee and Isabella, the pretty lady, are Mavoles, sorta demon creatures who aren't necessarily evil. They plan to speak to Lee, but it's bedtime now. Lu wakes up from her recurring nightmare and wants to talk to Isabelle, but she's gone. Lu saw the weird butler being creepy, talking about marriage and wants to investigate. She lets Z sleep. Lulu battles through the bats and slimes, ignoring the zombies I couldn't figure out how to kill until she sees a dozen Mana tribe women in coffins. She beats up one of the butlers when he mentions a forced marriage.
Lu keeps descending the basement until she walks into a conversation with Isabelle and Count Lee. Something happens, and Lulu beats up an aristocratic vampire. He tells her he put the women to sleep to protect them. Dark Lord, the guy in charge of destroying Lulu's village, wants to wipe out the Tribe. Doing this should keep them safe, and he wants to do the same with Lu. But after getting beaten up, and Isabelle telling him Lu is strong enough to fight, he's rethought this "marriage." Z joined them by now, and Lee will break the seal to Wendel. We'll, we have to, but he gives us the key. And then we're attacked by Dark Lord. The two kids flee and recall they did this before, making them wonder if this is the other person they tried to escape with all those years ago.
By now, Lulu has collected a few weapons and spirits. These work as they did in other Mana games and let the players have access to an assortment of play styles. Wanna go full mage? Sure...maybe. Want to get close and personal or stay away? Use an axe or a bow while Z tanks? Spirits are magic, and whoever you have equipped deals a corresponding magic attack (or buff). Sadly, this gets really annoying. You have to swap weapons and spirits a lot. Many mobs can only be damaged by a specific weapon type or element, and this becomes far too common late game. And there's no easy way to check if you have the correct types equipped. We have to enter the awful circle menu too often.
While we're here, I'll also talk about the class system. It's more of an Easter egg to Mana 3, but you do get bonuses by unlocking classes. And you reach stronger classes by gaining levels in particular jobs, which focuses stat gains. Warrior level five gets you the title of Fighter and a bonus of five extra sword damage. But a combo of warrior, monk, and thief makes you an Amazon, giving a buff to spear attacks. I ended up as a Dragon Master. I don't know if there's a guide in the manual, so I worry it's possible to screw this up? You can achieve your final class at level thirty six. You gain exp via the typical Mana hack and slashing. It plays like the best parts of the SNES Mana games and Legend. So it's Secret without the cooldown. I dug it! It's nice and fast while still being smooth!
Back to the story, we walk on the beach to Wendel and meet a pleasant Bard who foreshadows future stuff. There's also a blonde guy named Devious. I wonder if he's evil? He likes birds, so probably not. In Wendel, we met the sage, Chibba. Bogard is also here because they're friends. The two of them, alongside Grantz, defeated the evil Vendole Empire ten years ago. It was a nice peace until Dark Lord showed up. Speaking of whom... Dark Lord and the gaudy blue guy, Julius, finally found Lulu and Z. Taking Wendel as hostages, Dark Lord kidnaps Lulu and takes her to his airship.
Dark Lord is surprisingly cordial, but his number two, Julius, is vindictive and tortures Lulu. The friends she's met end up saving her, as well as a new ally, Marley. They find a new spirit and crash the airship. Bogard and Lulu find their way to Jadd, home of the bard, Lester, and the blond guy, Devious. We find Devious' grand castle, and it's filled with birds. The real owner is the wife of Lord Grantz, and she's gone mad in the desert. We end up exploring a quicksand maze and kill Medusa, the wife of Grantz and the mother of Devious and Dark Lord... Devious gets mad, so we kill him. This makes both Lu and Z realize they have a lot in common with their enemy. They've both killed each other's parents. From here, we set out to the realm of Dark Lord: Grantz Castle.
We finally get the lance here, so I can make use of my class bonus. At the top of the keep, we beat up Dark Lord. It is at this point where Julius becomes the star. He and his allies, who include Ms. Isabelle, become the primary antagonists. Cannon travel opens up, and both protagonists meet a mutual friend, Willy. From there, they try to overcome the fact they've failed at every turn. They've saved no one and now have to protect the world from something worse than before: the destruction of Mana. Julius seeks to burn the Mana tree and control all magics. The power of friendship guides them, and one of Julius' allies betrays him. Gourmand gets no comeuppance and disappears from the plot. Love randomly appears after Lul learns she's a Mana Goddess and becomes the Mana Tree. Minus the plot holes and dropped points, it was pretty good.
---
Plot: holy. The basis of it is really good. Save the world after a hint of vengeance, but our characters can't quite get it right. What happened to the women in Lee's coffins or the Gourmand? Did the Moon Mirror have any purpose? Fortunately, both sides of the characters are really fun! 7/10
Gameplay: the important parts. I had so much fun fighting and treasure hunting. The gameplay variety was a little bland, and SoM didn't really reinvent the wheel. 8/10
Sound: Gameplay Advanced... The GBA served a purpose at the time, and it was much stronger than its predecessor. But I struggle to handle it. The sound is awful, and it's an ugly SNES game. But it works well enough. 6/10
Art: See above. All the good bits are taken care of, but the console can only do so much. At least that magic missile can change color. 8/10
Charm: it's a Mana game. The NPCs are great, and I like the world. And all the small details work. My biggest issues are the plot holes make me feel like I've missed something, and the circle menu gets tedious too fast. It kills the GOAT vibes. 9/10
The only negatives are the cumbersome circle menu with all the necessities of ad hoc weapon switching. The translation also comes off as lazy and budget a few times. How did they give us the wrong direction?! I wonder how it should be. -3
I enjoyed Sword of Mana. I certainly like it more than Secret and Trails. So I'm a bit shocked that both games have a better score. Sword of Mana gets a 35/50.
Sword of Mana is a solid remake that came out before remakes were all the rage. It's worth a playthrough, and I feel it's better than the more well known entries in the franchise. I'm curious about the newer games, but I don't see myself playing them anytime soon. Maybe one day...
Legend of Mana was a shockingly well reviewed experienced, so I kinda wanted to play something similar. I haven't enjoyed the middle two games of the franchise, but maybe I'll see where it all started! Then I saw it began on the Gameboy (as a Final Fantasy side game) and knew that would be a terrible idea. My eyes and ears can't appreciate the presentation on that anymore. And I'm a failure, so I can't play the remaster, Adventure of Mana. Fortunately, that was the second remaster. There was a remake that came out in 2003 for the Gameboy Advanced. It Ys IVs it by slightly retelling the story and adding a new character to play as. It also removes the Final Fantasy references and makes it more like the sequels, so it's more Manay. I have mixed feelings about that, but I'm gonna ride the hype I made for myself! Let's do something weird and go into spoilers about the plot.
You can pick one of two characters. They generally follow the same path, but there are a number of dungeons and experiences that are unique to themselves. I only played the girl (who I named Lulu), so I don't know anything about the boy's path. Other than that, Lulu can never equip the sword, and the boy can never wield the staff. They also begin with different magics. Lu can heal!
They meet up quite often, so both are vital to the game. But Lulu's story begins as a child, talking to her mother. It's the eve of a big journey that every woman of the Mana Tribe goes through. They're waiting for a knight to arrive to guide Lu. We see some of our friends, and they say their farewells, but it's short lived. A gaudy blue dude shows up and raises the hidden village. He's mad Mana didn't save someone close to him. Lu and her mom get away, but the guy gives chase. He catches up, but the warrior arrives. Mom gives Lu to Bogard and teleports the two away, buying time to get more distance.
Bogard and Lulu arrive in a town, and Bogard leads them to a friend of his, Grantz. They try to spend the night, but ol' Bluey has followed them. Bogard tries to fight him off, but he tells Lulu and Grantz' son, Z, to flee. They end up getting separated in the forest. Bogard ends up finding Lulu, and they live together in the village of Topple. Some years pass, and it's time for another journey. Bogard has his squire do some busy work, but it's just to let him slip out to let her journey on her own. While doing the busy work, she meets a strange boy she ends up beating up, thinking he's here to hunt her. It's apparent to us, but Lu doesn't see this is Z and vice versa.
After meeting a traveling catman merchant, the two set out to find Bogard. He left Topple, saying he went to the capital, Wendel, but the passage there is sealed, so they'll need to speak to Count Lee. A ghost scares Lulu, but a pretty lady sets the fear at ease. Count Lee is a vampire, and that's how he gets around. Both Lee and Isabella, the pretty lady, are Mavoles, sorta demon creatures who aren't necessarily evil. They plan to speak to Lee, but it's bedtime now. Lu wakes up from her recurring nightmare and wants to talk to Isabelle, but she's gone. Lu saw the weird butler being creepy, talking about marriage and wants to investigate. She lets Z sleep. Lulu battles through the bats and slimes, ignoring the zombies I couldn't figure out how to kill until she sees a dozen Mana tribe women in coffins. She beats up one of the butlers when he mentions a forced marriage.
Lu keeps descending the basement until she walks into a conversation with Isabelle and Count Lee. Something happens, and Lulu beats up an aristocratic vampire. He tells her he put the women to sleep to protect them. Dark Lord, the guy in charge of destroying Lulu's village, wants to wipe out the Tribe. Doing this should keep them safe, and he wants to do the same with Lu. But after getting beaten up, and Isabelle telling him Lu is strong enough to fight, he's rethought this "marriage." Z joined them by now, and Lee will break the seal to Wendel. We'll, we have to, but he gives us the key. And then we're attacked by Dark Lord. The two kids flee and recall they did this before, making them wonder if this is the other person they tried to escape with all those years ago.
By now, Lulu has collected a few weapons and spirits. These work as they did in other Mana games and let the players have access to an assortment of play styles. Wanna go full mage? Sure...maybe. Want to get close and personal or stay away? Use an axe or a bow while Z tanks? Spirits are magic, and whoever you have equipped deals a corresponding magic attack (or buff). Sadly, this gets really annoying. You have to swap weapons and spirits a lot. Many mobs can only be damaged by a specific weapon type or element, and this becomes far too common late game. And there's no easy way to check if you have the correct types equipped. We have to enter the awful circle menu too often.
While we're here, I'll also talk about the class system. It's more of an Easter egg to Mana 3, but you do get bonuses by unlocking classes. And you reach stronger classes by gaining levels in particular jobs, which focuses stat gains. Warrior level five gets you the title of Fighter and a bonus of five extra sword damage. But a combo of warrior, monk, and thief makes you an Amazon, giving a buff to spear attacks. I ended up as a Dragon Master. I don't know if there's a guide in the manual, so I worry it's possible to screw this up? You can achieve your final class at level thirty six. You gain exp via the typical Mana hack and slashing. It plays like the best parts of the SNES Mana games and Legend. So it's Secret without the cooldown. I dug it! It's nice and fast while still being smooth!
Back to the story, we walk on the beach to Wendel and meet a pleasant Bard who foreshadows future stuff. There's also a blonde guy named Devious. I wonder if he's evil? He likes birds, so probably not. In Wendel, we met the sage, Chibba. Bogard is also here because they're friends. The two of them, alongside Grantz, defeated the evil Vendole Empire ten years ago. It was a nice peace until Dark Lord showed up. Speaking of whom... Dark Lord and the gaudy blue guy, Julius, finally found Lulu and Z. Taking Wendel as hostages, Dark Lord kidnaps Lulu and takes her to his airship.
Dark Lord is surprisingly cordial, but his number two, Julius, is vindictive and tortures Lulu. The friends she's met end up saving her, as well as a new ally, Marley. They find a new spirit and crash the airship. Bogard and Lulu find their way to Jadd, home of the bard, Lester, and the blond guy, Devious. We find Devious' grand castle, and it's filled with birds. The real owner is the wife of Lord Grantz, and she's gone mad in the desert. We end up exploring a quicksand maze and kill Medusa, the wife of Grantz and the mother of Devious and Dark Lord... Devious gets mad, so we kill him. This makes both Lu and Z realize they have a lot in common with their enemy. They've both killed each other's parents. From here, we set out to the realm of Dark Lord: Grantz Castle.
We finally get the lance here, so I can make use of my class bonus. At the top of the keep, we beat up Dark Lord. It is at this point where Julius becomes the star. He and his allies, who include Ms. Isabelle, become the primary antagonists. Cannon travel opens up, and both protagonists meet a mutual friend, Willy. From there, they try to overcome the fact they've failed at every turn. They've saved no one and now have to protect the world from something worse than before: the destruction of Mana. Julius seeks to burn the Mana tree and control all magics. The power of friendship guides them, and one of Julius' allies betrays him. Gourmand gets no comeuppance and disappears from the plot. Love randomly appears after Lul learns she's a Mana Goddess and becomes the Mana Tree. Minus the plot holes and dropped points, it was pretty good.
---
Plot: holy. The basis of it is really good. Save the world after a hint of vengeance, but our characters can't quite get it right. What happened to the women in Lee's coffins or the Gourmand? Did the Moon Mirror have any purpose? Fortunately, both sides of the characters are really fun! 7/10
Gameplay: the important parts. I had so much fun fighting and treasure hunting. The gameplay variety was a little bland, and SoM didn't really reinvent the wheel. 8/10
Sound: Gameplay Advanced... The GBA served a purpose at the time, and it was much stronger than its predecessor. But I struggle to handle it. The sound is awful, and it's an ugly SNES game. But it works well enough. 6/10
Art: See above. All the good bits are taken care of, but the console can only do so much. At least that magic missile can change color. 8/10
Charm: it's a Mana game. The NPCs are great, and I like the world. And all the small details work. My biggest issues are the plot holes make me feel like I've missed something, and the circle menu gets tedious too fast. It kills the GOAT vibes. 9/10
The only negatives are the cumbersome circle menu with all the necessities of ad hoc weapon switching. The translation also comes off as lazy and budget a few times. How did they give us the wrong direction?! I wonder how it should be. -3
I enjoyed Sword of Mana. I certainly like it more than Secret and Trails. So I'm a bit shocked that both games have a better score. Sword of Mana gets a 35/50.
Sword of Mana is a solid remake that came out before remakes were all the rage. It's worth a playthrough, and I feel it's better than the more well known entries in the franchise. I'm curious about the newer games, but I don't see myself playing them anytime soon. Maybe one day...
Thursday, September 19, 2024
Legend of Mana
A game so lost in my dark ages that it took me four years to remember I played it.
Legend of Mana is the fourth game in the Mana franchise. I've played the second and third entries before and didn't enjoy them, so I was worried about Legend. I only added it to my playlist because I dabbled in it before college. So I finished, to my knowledge, all of my depression era games with this reluctant playthrough, but then something good happened. This was pleasantly surprising!
Legend of Mana plays similar to other games in the franchise in that it's a real time/action/hack n slash game. It does away with the cooldown after swings, but there is still a timing mechanic to allow for chains, building up a special attack meter. Once the special meter is full, you can unleash a devastating attack that even chunks bosses. These attacks are learned by having certain abilities equipped. These abilities tend to be movement based, like jump, lunge, and back step, but they can also be attacks (grapple, push) or miscellaneous stuff like spin, cheer, or defend. Switching abilities to learn the techniques was something I actually sought out. It felt so fun and rewarding because of the gameplay. I learned everything my spear could learn. Techniques are learned pretty fast, so you never feel like you're wasting too much time. This is especially important as every weapon has its own techs. And there are eleven weapon types! The only downside to any of this is there is no way to attack north and south of your character. LoM is an old school beat 'em up, I guess.
The graphics of LoM are stunning. They're something out of a children's storybook with an almost watercolor aesthetic. It makes the world and NPCs pop and look unique, giving everything a whimsical quality. Interaction items can sometimes blend in, and I missed a lot of room exits, but I wouldn't trade them for the world. There were several times I just stood there and looked at the backgrounds.
The music was composed by Yoko Shinomura. Her compositions add to that whimsy. The town themes are spectacular and take you to an alternative world, and the battle themes are surprisingly metal. I really wish I could describe music better!!!
The plot is... a strange thing. There is no obvious a-plot in Legend of Mana. The most obvious one would be you have to restore the famed Mana Tree to its once majestic glory. You do this by helping people with their problems, allowing mana to flow better now that areas are at peace. I assume, at least. But this is a passive plotline. There are three main b-plots that you experience as you play. One involves slaying dragons to revive a dead man. Another is a love/friendship triangle with four people of varying races. The final is about a race of gem people who are dying out. There were a load of twists and turns in these three that kept me guessing. You only need to finish one to unlock the final dungeon, but I did all three because they were amazing. They each add areas to visit on the world map, so of course I was. But even the small, one off side quests are fun and varied.
There's also an excessive amount of other, smaller mechanics. Some are better than others... I dug being able to create my own world space. Finishing certain sub stories rewards you with an artifact that allows you to place a new town or dungeon on the world map. You can set that artifact on the map to create your world/board game space. There are strategies to this, as the placement creates stronger mobs (and loot) or better shops depending on the distance from your home.
You also forge and temper weapons and armor. Forging is fun, but tempering is tedious and confusing. I never figured it out. Fortunately, tempering isn't necessary to beat the game.
There's also golem and pet creation. You can find monster eggs throughout the world and help them grow to fight alongside you. And using your extra weapons and armor lets you form automatons to do the same. This was also something I never dabbled in, so I had a rabbite as my pet the entire game.
To expand all of that is the orchard. Feed seeds to a tree to farm fruits and vegetables and use them to strengthen all the above. It was... fine.
Magic comes in the form of instruments you can create, but guess what I never did?
The important mechanics are great and fun, but the tertiary ones don't hamper the gameplay. That's what's important!
---
Plot: the worst bit. The main character is a mute. They speak one line and don't really have much personality. The main bosses almost make up for it, and the stories definitely do. 7/10
Gameplay: perfect. With the excessive mechanics and fun action gameplay, how could it not be? The missions are as varied as the battles! 10/10
Music: perfect. The OST has metal for bosses and relaxing songs for the whimsical hamlets. Sad, happy, and wanderlust are all abound! 10/10
Graphics: whimsical. I can not stress enough how beautiful this PlayStation 1 game is. It could do with some better contrasts. 9/10
Charm: instant classic. The world is what you make it, and the NPCs are wonderful and among my favorites ever. The exploration, sense of replay, and game length are also up to the player. I loved this. 10/10
Halfway through Legend of Mana, I knew it would get high scores. But I didn't expect a 46/50!
Legend of Mana is what a slice of live anime would be like if it were a video game. How you play the game is entirely up to the user, but the devs made everything worthwhile. The variety of gameplay, world space, and missions are so impressive. I played for nearly thirty hours and didn't get everything. And I kinda feel bad. There are a few NPCs I wanted to help, but the quests never triggered. A bit sad, but new game plus exists... I'm just glad I found a Mana game I liked!
Legend of Mana is the fourth game in the Mana franchise. I've played the second and third entries before and didn't enjoy them, so I was worried about Legend. I only added it to my playlist because I dabbled in it before college. So I finished, to my knowledge, all of my depression era games with this reluctant playthrough, but then something good happened. This was pleasantly surprising!
Legend of Mana plays similar to other games in the franchise in that it's a real time/action/hack n slash game. It does away with the cooldown after swings, but there is still a timing mechanic to allow for chains, building up a special attack meter. Once the special meter is full, you can unleash a devastating attack that even chunks bosses. These attacks are learned by having certain abilities equipped. These abilities tend to be movement based, like jump, lunge, and back step, but they can also be attacks (grapple, push) or miscellaneous stuff like spin, cheer, or defend. Switching abilities to learn the techniques was something I actually sought out. It felt so fun and rewarding because of the gameplay. I learned everything my spear could learn. Techniques are learned pretty fast, so you never feel like you're wasting too much time. This is especially important as every weapon has its own techs. And there are eleven weapon types! The only downside to any of this is there is no way to attack north and south of your character. LoM is an old school beat 'em up, I guess.
The graphics of LoM are stunning. They're something out of a children's storybook with an almost watercolor aesthetic. It makes the world and NPCs pop and look unique, giving everything a whimsical quality. Interaction items can sometimes blend in, and I missed a lot of room exits, but I wouldn't trade them for the world. There were several times I just stood there and looked at the backgrounds.
The music was composed by Yoko Shinomura. Her compositions add to that whimsy. The town themes are spectacular and take you to an alternative world, and the battle themes are surprisingly metal. I really wish I could describe music better!!!
The plot is... a strange thing. There is no obvious a-plot in Legend of Mana. The most obvious one would be you have to restore the famed Mana Tree to its once majestic glory. You do this by helping people with their problems, allowing mana to flow better now that areas are at peace. I assume, at least. But this is a passive plotline. There are three main b-plots that you experience as you play. One involves slaying dragons to revive a dead man. Another is a love/friendship triangle with four people of varying races. The final is about a race of gem people who are dying out. There were a load of twists and turns in these three that kept me guessing. You only need to finish one to unlock the final dungeon, but I did all three because they were amazing. They each add areas to visit on the world map, so of course I was. But even the small, one off side quests are fun and varied.
There's also an excessive amount of other, smaller mechanics. Some are better than others... I dug being able to create my own world space. Finishing certain sub stories rewards you with an artifact that allows you to place a new town or dungeon on the world map. You can set that artifact on the map to create your world/board game space. There are strategies to this, as the placement creates stronger mobs (and loot) or better shops depending on the distance from your home.
You also forge and temper weapons and armor. Forging is fun, but tempering is tedious and confusing. I never figured it out. Fortunately, tempering isn't necessary to beat the game.
There's also golem and pet creation. You can find monster eggs throughout the world and help them grow to fight alongside you. And using your extra weapons and armor lets you form automatons to do the same. This was also something I never dabbled in, so I had a rabbite as my pet the entire game.
To expand all of that is the orchard. Feed seeds to a tree to farm fruits and vegetables and use them to strengthen all the above. It was... fine.
Magic comes in the form of instruments you can create, but guess what I never did?
The important mechanics are great and fun, but the tertiary ones don't hamper the gameplay. That's what's important!
---
Plot: the worst bit. The main character is a mute. They speak one line and don't really have much personality. The main bosses almost make up for it, and the stories definitely do. 7/10
Gameplay: perfect. With the excessive mechanics and fun action gameplay, how could it not be? The missions are as varied as the battles! 10/10
Music: perfect. The OST has metal for bosses and relaxing songs for the whimsical hamlets. Sad, happy, and wanderlust are all abound! 10/10
Graphics: whimsical. I can not stress enough how beautiful this PlayStation 1 game is. It could do with some better contrasts. 9/10
Charm: instant classic. The world is what you make it, and the NPCs are wonderful and among my favorites ever. The exploration, sense of replay, and game length are also up to the player. I loved this. 10/10
Halfway through Legend of Mana, I knew it would get high scores. But I didn't expect a 46/50!
Legend of Mana is what a slice of live anime would be like if it were a video game. How you play the game is entirely up to the user, but the devs made everything worthwhile. The variety of gameplay, world space, and missions are so impressive. I played for nearly thirty hours and didn't get everything. And I kinda feel bad. There are a few NPCs I wanted to help, but the quests never triggered. A bit sad, but new game plus exists... I'm just glad I found a Mana game I liked!
Thursday, September 5, 2024
I returned to Shining Force!
I have mixed feelings!
I played Shining Force on the Sega Genesis an inconceivable amount of time ago. I got mad that my MC got ganged up on and died, causing me to restart a battle that lasted almost an hour. But since my recent burn out has let me go all loosey-goosey with this blog, I wanted to do something odd. What really inspired this was a recent Majuular video essay about the Sega Saturn RPGs. He found many of them weird, but one of them was Shining Force III. I thought it looked neat, and Maj praised it for a number of reasons. It made me want to play it, but I've only experienced the Genesis version, which I didn't like. But what if I tried again?
And so I did. But this time, I gave a slightly more updated port a try. The Gameboy Advanced version exists, and the synopsis of it across the internet gave me good vibes with it. There's one thing, in particular, that I dug, but it wasn't my issue with the Genesis one. But we'll get to that soon...
Let's start with the good parts:
The gameplay is balanced. I got frustrated a few times, but rarely did I want to quit again. And once I had my first KO, even that frustration went away. Outside of Mae's terrible accuracy, at least. I even found it fun and went into overtime nearly every night.
Sadly, I think that's it. The graphics do look nice enough, but they're kinda generic. The Genesis version has more charm and aesthetics, and the GBA world textures feel so samey. Every town looked like they were neighbors.
Musically, I hated it. So many songs get reused, and I grew angry and annoyed by them. The town theme, especially. For the first time in four years, I'm giving my first negative score in the standouts category because that awful, repetitive, quick melody haunts me.
And the plot is shockingly barebones. Even with the new GBA feature of giving the thirty three member cast a personality, backstory, or world building, they didn't help out much. Most are still boring, and, because the cast is so giant, you can't experience everyone's story. And "unlocking" new dialogue triggers is a total unknown. I used most of the cast for the entire game, but I didn't hear the end of their stories. What happened to Gort's Land Whale tornado? My displeasure aside, it's still so much better than the original game, where everyone was a blank slate.
---
Plot: unrewarding. With simple characters and a story that takes too long to go anywhere, the decent enough villains don't matter to me. 5/10
Gameplay: too basic. I found it fun and addictive, but there's nothing else to do besides repetitive battles. 4/10
Sound: hate. I don't want to hear the town theme ever again. 2/10
Art: generic. The Genesis was prettier. That aside, I have nothing too negative to say. 8/10
Charm: fine. The new character interactions expand the world more than anything else. But the lack of NPCs and the game length kills any cute or exploration bonus. Somehow, I see why people love this game, though. 5/10
The only negative is you can't grind melee characters late game. I wanted to explore some of the other horse boys and bird people halfway through the game, but they only did one damage and died to the enemy counter. -2
So, Shining Force gets a painfully disappointing 24/50. The GBA port adds three characters, only one of whom is relevant, but I don't know if that (and the interactions) make it better than the Genesis. Shining Force should be played only for the gameplay, I think, so maybe stick to the OG.
Do I still want to experience the rest of this franchise? I was having a lot of fun early on, but man did it crumble fast...
I played Shining Force on the Sega Genesis an inconceivable amount of time ago. I got mad that my MC got ganged up on and died, causing me to restart a battle that lasted almost an hour. But since my recent burn out has let me go all loosey-goosey with this blog, I wanted to do something odd. What really inspired this was a recent Majuular video essay about the Sega Saturn RPGs. He found many of them weird, but one of them was Shining Force III. I thought it looked neat, and Maj praised it for a number of reasons. It made me want to play it, but I've only experienced the Genesis version, which I didn't like. But what if I tried again?
And so I did. But this time, I gave a slightly more updated port a try. The Gameboy Advanced version exists, and the synopsis of it across the internet gave me good vibes with it. There's one thing, in particular, that I dug, but it wasn't my issue with the Genesis one. But we'll get to that soon...
Let's start with the good parts:
The gameplay is balanced. I got frustrated a few times, but rarely did I want to quit again. And once I had my first KO, even that frustration went away. Outside of Mae's terrible accuracy, at least. I even found it fun and went into overtime nearly every night.
Sadly, I think that's it. The graphics do look nice enough, but they're kinda generic. The Genesis version has more charm and aesthetics, and the GBA world textures feel so samey. Every town looked like they were neighbors.
Musically, I hated it. So many songs get reused, and I grew angry and annoyed by them. The town theme, especially. For the first time in four years, I'm giving my first negative score in the standouts category because that awful, repetitive, quick melody haunts me.
And the plot is shockingly barebones. Even with the new GBA feature of giving the thirty three member cast a personality, backstory, or world building, they didn't help out much. Most are still boring, and, because the cast is so giant, you can't experience everyone's story. And "unlocking" new dialogue triggers is a total unknown. I used most of the cast for the entire game, but I didn't hear the end of their stories. What happened to Gort's Land Whale tornado? My displeasure aside, it's still so much better than the original game, where everyone was a blank slate.
---
Plot: unrewarding. With simple characters and a story that takes too long to go anywhere, the decent enough villains don't matter to me. 5/10
Gameplay: too basic. I found it fun and addictive, but there's nothing else to do besides repetitive battles. 4/10
Sound: hate. I don't want to hear the town theme ever again. 2/10
Art: generic. The Genesis was prettier. That aside, I have nothing too negative to say. 8/10
Charm: fine. The new character interactions expand the world more than anything else. But the lack of NPCs and the game length kills any cute or exploration bonus. Somehow, I see why people love this game, though. 5/10
The only negative is you can't grind melee characters late game. I wanted to explore some of the other horse boys and bird people halfway through the game, but they only did one damage and died to the enemy counter. -2
So, Shining Force gets a painfully disappointing 24/50. The GBA port adds three characters, only one of whom is relevant, but I don't know if that (and the interactions) make it better than the Genesis. Shining Force should be played only for the gameplay, I think, so maybe stick to the OG.
Do I still want to experience the rest of this franchise? I was having a lot of fun early on, but man did it crumble fast...
Monday, August 26, 2024
Zeal & Ardor - Greif
I'm sure spell check will appreciate that spelling.
Zeal & Ardor came out of nowhere for me, and they instantly became one of my current favorite bands. Their third album may have actually knocked off Taylor Swift's Midnights from my top three of 2022. I've since gone back to their other albums and can't stop getting them stuck in my head. My bangers list is full of ZaA.
But now it's a new album! Greif, which, I've been told, is the German word for gryphon, is a new story. Zeal & Ardor's last three albums have told the tale of an alternative America, where slaves realized the Bible was keeping them in chains. They turned to Satan and went to war against their enemies. On first (and second) listen, that epic is over. Is this a new tale, or am I just imagining it? I'll talk a little about the musical and lyrical qualities of a song and then go into detail about how I think this is a concept album. Maybe vice versa...
Track one is a short intro. It sets up the story with a shock appearance of "the bird, the lion, and the wildkin," which is how to describe a gryphon. The lyrics are five lines: a declaration of war. They've been waiting for this, and they're never gonna stop. "Here's to the dead." The prevailing music motif is a civil war drum snare beat with a mildly disturbing child's choir in the background. The standard ZaA guitar tone plays to remind us who wrote this, but this song simply sets things up.
"Fend You Off" was an early single. The video is a woman driving a car with the word "Descendent" in the corner, with the description referencing the "Heir of the Gryphon." It also mentions a resistance. ZaA shows off the disturbed sing-song lyrics Manny has brought to previous albums. Rather than go through each line, I'll suggest that the song was about a chosen one type of being, but they don't feel happy with this destiny. They've "eaten the lies to fend you off" and have been clenching fists and grinding teeth. Is this how they become better than the "next of our very kin"? I guess that's why they fight each other.
"Kilonova" is a real world thing. It's a magnetic burst from outer space. It has the power to wipe out all life on Earth, so I guess it's why it's a good metaphor for the arrival of this unnamed enemy. The word "Dessa" (meaning wanderer) is repeated often, so I'll call them Dessa. There's more of that sing-song singing, which gets really unsettling with lines like "Bring the son, bring the father and the nun. As we'll never feel the meaning if we didn't die…Bring the salt, bring the circle and the chalk. And we'll never make a promise if we didn't lie." It's something I can randomly see myself singing in the shower. But this is the inciting incident of our tale. Musically, there's one riff that drones on through the entirety of the track. It's very ZaA, even if the riff isn't something out of spirituals or metal. A commentator on YouTube said it reminds them of a heartbeat. There's also a weirdly jaunty but scary bass behind it. The key changes to something higher for the chorus. It's a very unsettling song. Drags on a bit, though.
"Are you the only one now" is about the survivors of the initial attack. They try to move slow and fear to even breathe too hard. Everything is "embers" now. As you'd expect, it's tonally depressing. A single guitar (that I don't think is tuned correctly) slowly strums a dissonant chord progression. It's occasionally joined by an electric guitar that plays the credits of the bad ending of a movie. Halfway through, though, it suddenly turns into some black metal with low screams and fast guitars. It represents that the bad ending isn't over yet. Kinda drags a bit, though.
"Go home, my friend" is about those still trying to live. They dream of making it through the night and getting to safety. They hope others do, too. Some try to sail away or hop a train. But hope is fleeting. Many ask for rope and want others to remind them god isn't coming. Classic Zeal & Arder show up with their slavery inspired call and response techniques. The guitars are even reminiscent of that era, too. It ramps up from an acapella song to what critics may call an "imagine dragons" song where they bring up the devil. Oddly, it ends with a synth…
"Clawing Out" is vintage ZaA. It has Latin words! It's staccato and disturbing, and it jumps around from one line to another, verse to chorus. The Latin chanting even grows more and more unsettling. The Latin words apparently translate to a justifiable evil deed (Genius.com). It's a song that is as frantic as a rock track can get and works for this album. Lyrically, this is when the "hero" from song three starts to fight back against the Dessa. But the "hero" isn't sure who he is or what he's fighting for. The song drags on for a while, but it works here.
"Disease" is when the hero joins the good guys, but the good guys don't like him. Someone is called a "disease," and the line "Insisting that you're kind but you're the enemy" is a pretty damning indictment. Alternatively, it could be about a group of people who want the speaker to be a hero, but the hero knows they can't trust them, "them" being humans and all. I think the second view fits more with the second half of the album. Musically, it oozes desert stoner rock vibes. With a driving drum intro followed by a fat bass melody beneath a guitar that's playing something on the body frets, this isn't a typical ZaA track. There's not a lot of variation in the track, so it really drags on for a while… This song did not need to be 4:30 minutes.
"369" is a quick reminder that someone(s) is a devil. He ain't dead, and things will be written in gold. Griffons protected gold in mythology, so I assume it's about the hero. Perhaps they're wanted by both sides? The speakers talk about being the "left hand path," so it's definitely from Dessa. This is a good reminder that this is a ZaA song. It mostly stomps, claps, and natural clangs.
"Thrill" is my favorite song on the album. The hero has started fighting, and they're a big fan of it. They "don't feel anymore. Baffled by the thrill of it all." I'm not sure what the "cut your bombadiers" means, though. The uselessness of manmade weaponry? I said it was my favorite, but the music is kinda generic rock. It's fun and gets into your ear by being weirdly danceable, but it's probably the least traditional ZaA song in an album that doesn't sound very ZaA.
"une ville vide" is an instrumental. The title means an empty city in French. It's a two minute electronic build up.
"Sugarcoat" has very few lyrics: eight lines and an oft repeated chorus. Of all my guesses about lyrical meaning, this is my worst idea because I don't know… Another inciting incident? It mentions coming alive and feeling alone a lot. There's also a shockingly disturbed "la la lalala" all over the place. It sounds like an old Queens of the Stone Age song. And that's a good thing.
"Solace" is the beginning of the end. It's depressing for all the reasons a song could be. Whatever made the hero feel alone in the last song is now making them think that "There is solace and hope/In the end of your rope/To be sharp as a blade." It's a somber piano song, but the almost black metal guitars try to pop in late.
"Hide in Shade" is a Zeal & Ardor song. It flips back and forth from spiritual call and response to black metal speed screams. The lyrics show when the hero realizes they can't do anything. "It's gonna burn" is spammed throughout. They know they'll be gone soon, so they're talking to someone else. One day, others will talk about this person. Sometimes good ("sing"), sometimes bad ("scream"). "Burn your hope, it's only gonna hold you back" is repeated at the end. The video shows a gryphon egg, so is this a message to a child?
"To my ilk" is the final song. It's another message to the child about their future: a warning. Strangers will one day come to hunt them to "make you pay." But others will worship them. "Wrapped in finest cloth and finest silk." It will be up to them to bring peace. The video is a gryphon doing a Batman pose. Why does it have holes in it? Regardless, the entire song is a depressing but fast guitar (or two) with clapping to keep the rhythm. I would consider this a ZaA song, and it ending the album on a sad note is perfect.
The ending kinda confuses me. Where did this child come from? When was another person mentioned? Could it have been an unknown object in Sugercoat? Of course, this assumes this is a concept album that tells a cohesive story. It could just be an anthology with a common theme.
In an interview with Keranng, Manuel Gagneux described a ceremony from his home in Switzerland about a man dressed as a gryphon "sticking his ass out to the man." The event is a tradition called Vogel Gryff, where the working class shows their disdain for the rich across the Rhine River. He even mentions how so much hippocracy is involved around this event and the band.
In that same interview, he states that all the songs are just about how he was feeling that day when writing, and it combines the grief of all the new band members who have, up to now, just been touring musicians. This is the first Zeal & Ardor album where Manny wasn't the sole contributor. And that's likely why it's such a strange album, even by the standards of a strange band. In a way, it's the first album from a new band.
—
Skill) Nothing about this album sucks, even if it doesn't necessarily sound like Zeal and Ardor. And the lyrics are still fun to decipher. 2/2
Variation) This is a weird one. Most songs are different from one another, and many get frantic and shift throughout. But, yowie wowie, do they drag on for a while… 1/2
Bangers) We've got a record (for this year) of four! 2/2
Replayability) I think I'm already up to eight times through this album, and I'm still not sick of it. And it's still ZaA, so I'm gonna listen to their old stuff, too. 2/2
Extras) I think this might be too short of an album… I'm missing one track to explain where that egg came from. That aside, I loved what I listened to and want to dig more into this potential concept album I may have made up. 1/2
So Greif by Zeal & Ardor gets an 8/10.
Many reviewers are disappointed with this album, but I don't get why. The songs are still fun to listen to, and I love the backstory of making the touring musicians into full fledged band members. It's like a union! What's further confusing me is ZaA is, by design, a strange band. An avant-garde band wrote an avant-garde album, and people are mad. Go figure…
Zeal & Ardor came out of nowhere for me, and they instantly became one of my current favorite bands. Their third album may have actually knocked off Taylor Swift's Midnights from my top three of 2022. I've since gone back to their other albums and can't stop getting them stuck in my head. My bangers list is full of ZaA.
But now it's a new album! Greif, which, I've been told, is the German word for gryphon, is a new story. Zeal & Ardor's last three albums have told the tale of an alternative America, where slaves realized the Bible was keeping them in chains. They turned to Satan and went to war against their enemies. On first (and second) listen, that epic is over. Is this a new tale, or am I just imagining it? I'll talk a little about the musical and lyrical qualities of a song and then go into detail about how I think this is a concept album. Maybe vice versa...
Track one is a short intro. It sets up the story with a shock appearance of "the bird, the lion, and the wildkin," which is how to describe a gryphon. The lyrics are five lines: a declaration of war. They've been waiting for this, and they're never gonna stop. "Here's to the dead." The prevailing music motif is a civil war drum snare beat with a mildly disturbing child's choir in the background. The standard ZaA guitar tone plays to remind us who wrote this, but this song simply sets things up.
"Fend You Off" was an early single. The video is a woman driving a car with the word "Descendent" in the corner, with the description referencing the "Heir of the Gryphon." It also mentions a resistance. ZaA shows off the disturbed sing-song lyrics Manny has brought to previous albums. Rather than go through each line, I'll suggest that the song was about a chosen one type of being, but they don't feel happy with this destiny. They've "eaten the lies to fend you off" and have been clenching fists and grinding teeth. Is this how they become better than the "next of our very kin"? I guess that's why they fight each other.
"Kilonova" is a real world thing. It's a magnetic burst from outer space. It has the power to wipe out all life on Earth, so I guess it's why it's a good metaphor for the arrival of this unnamed enemy. The word "Dessa" (meaning wanderer) is repeated often, so I'll call them Dessa. There's more of that sing-song singing, which gets really unsettling with lines like "Bring the son, bring the father and the nun. As we'll never feel the meaning if we didn't die…Bring the salt, bring the circle and the chalk. And we'll never make a promise if we didn't lie." It's something I can randomly see myself singing in the shower. But this is the inciting incident of our tale. Musically, there's one riff that drones on through the entirety of the track. It's very ZaA, even if the riff isn't something out of spirituals or metal. A commentator on YouTube said it reminds them of a heartbeat. There's also a weirdly jaunty but scary bass behind it. The key changes to something higher for the chorus. It's a very unsettling song. Drags on a bit, though.
"Are you the only one now" is about the survivors of the initial attack. They try to move slow and fear to even breathe too hard. Everything is "embers" now. As you'd expect, it's tonally depressing. A single guitar (that I don't think is tuned correctly) slowly strums a dissonant chord progression. It's occasionally joined by an electric guitar that plays the credits of the bad ending of a movie. Halfway through, though, it suddenly turns into some black metal with low screams and fast guitars. It represents that the bad ending isn't over yet. Kinda drags a bit, though.
"Go home, my friend" is about those still trying to live. They dream of making it through the night and getting to safety. They hope others do, too. Some try to sail away or hop a train. But hope is fleeting. Many ask for rope and want others to remind them god isn't coming. Classic Zeal & Arder show up with their slavery inspired call and response techniques. The guitars are even reminiscent of that era, too. It ramps up from an acapella song to what critics may call an "imagine dragons" song where they bring up the devil. Oddly, it ends with a synth…
"Clawing Out" is vintage ZaA. It has Latin words! It's staccato and disturbing, and it jumps around from one line to another, verse to chorus. The Latin chanting even grows more and more unsettling. The Latin words apparently translate to a justifiable evil deed (Genius.com). It's a song that is as frantic as a rock track can get and works for this album. Lyrically, this is when the "hero" from song three starts to fight back against the Dessa. But the "hero" isn't sure who he is or what he's fighting for. The song drags on for a while, but it works here.
"Disease" is when the hero joins the good guys, but the good guys don't like him. Someone is called a "disease," and the line "Insisting that you're kind but you're the enemy" is a pretty damning indictment. Alternatively, it could be about a group of people who want the speaker to be a hero, but the hero knows they can't trust them, "them" being humans and all. I think the second view fits more with the second half of the album. Musically, it oozes desert stoner rock vibes. With a driving drum intro followed by a fat bass melody beneath a guitar that's playing something on the body frets, this isn't a typical ZaA track. There's not a lot of variation in the track, so it really drags on for a while… This song did not need to be 4:30 minutes.
"369" is a quick reminder that someone(s) is a devil. He ain't dead, and things will be written in gold. Griffons protected gold in mythology, so I assume it's about the hero. Perhaps they're wanted by both sides? The speakers talk about being the "left hand path," so it's definitely from Dessa. This is a good reminder that this is a ZaA song. It mostly stomps, claps, and natural clangs.
"Thrill" is my favorite song on the album. The hero has started fighting, and they're a big fan of it. They "don't feel anymore. Baffled by the thrill of it all." I'm not sure what the "cut your bombadiers" means, though. The uselessness of manmade weaponry? I said it was my favorite, but the music is kinda generic rock. It's fun and gets into your ear by being weirdly danceable, but it's probably the least traditional ZaA song in an album that doesn't sound very ZaA.
"une ville vide" is an instrumental. The title means an empty city in French. It's a two minute electronic build up.
"Sugarcoat" has very few lyrics: eight lines and an oft repeated chorus. Of all my guesses about lyrical meaning, this is my worst idea because I don't know… Another inciting incident? It mentions coming alive and feeling alone a lot. There's also a shockingly disturbed "la la lalala" all over the place. It sounds like an old Queens of the Stone Age song. And that's a good thing.
"Solace" is the beginning of the end. It's depressing for all the reasons a song could be. Whatever made the hero feel alone in the last song is now making them think that "There is solace and hope/In the end of your rope/To be sharp as a blade." It's a somber piano song, but the almost black metal guitars try to pop in late.
"Hide in Shade" is a Zeal & Ardor song. It flips back and forth from spiritual call and response to black metal speed screams. The lyrics show when the hero realizes they can't do anything. "It's gonna burn" is spammed throughout. They know they'll be gone soon, so they're talking to someone else. One day, others will talk about this person. Sometimes good ("sing"), sometimes bad ("scream"). "Burn your hope, it's only gonna hold you back" is repeated at the end. The video shows a gryphon egg, so is this a message to a child?
"To my ilk" is the final song. It's another message to the child about their future: a warning. Strangers will one day come to hunt them to "make you pay." But others will worship them. "Wrapped in finest cloth and finest silk." It will be up to them to bring peace. The video is a gryphon doing a Batman pose. Why does it have holes in it? Regardless, the entire song is a depressing but fast guitar (or two) with clapping to keep the rhythm. I would consider this a ZaA song, and it ending the album on a sad note is perfect.
The ending kinda confuses me. Where did this child come from? When was another person mentioned? Could it have been an unknown object in Sugercoat? Of course, this assumes this is a concept album that tells a cohesive story. It could just be an anthology with a common theme.
In an interview with Keranng, Manuel Gagneux described a ceremony from his home in Switzerland about a man dressed as a gryphon "sticking his ass out to the man." The event is a tradition called Vogel Gryff, where the working class shows their disdain for the rich across the Rhine River. He even mentions how so much hippocracy is involved around this event and the band.
In that same interview, he states that all the songs are just about how he was feeling that day when writing, and it combines the grief of all the new band members who have, up to now, just been touring musicians. This is the first Zeal & Ardor album where Manny wasn't the sole contributor. And that's likely why it's such a strange album, even by the standards of a strange band. In a way, it's the first album from a new band.
—
Skill) Nothing about this album sucks, even if it doesn't necessarily sound like Zeal and Ardor. And the lyrics are still fun to decipher. 2/2
Variation) This is a weird one. Most songs are different from one another, and many get frantic and shift throughout. But, yowie wowie, do they drag on for a while… 1/2
Bangers) We've got a record (for this year) of four! 2/2
Replayability) I think I'm already up to eight times through this album, and I'm still not sick of it. And it's still ZaA, so I'm gonna listen to their old stuff, too. 2/2
Extras) I think this might be too short of an album… I'm missing one track to explain where that egg came from. That aside, I loved what I listened to and want to dig more into this potential concept album I may have made up. 1/2
So Greif by Zeal & Ardor gets an 8/10.
Many reviewers are disappointed with this album, but I don't get why. The songs are still fun to listen to, and I love the backstory of making the touring musicians into full fledged band members. It's like a union! What's further confusing me is ZaA is, by design, a strange band. An avant-garde band wrote an avant-garde album, and people are mad. Go figure…
Sunday, August 25, 2024
Thousand Arms
So...a bit controversial here, but Thousand Arms sucks. I don't think that opinion is a boiling hot take, but I've only experienced about ten hours of it. In that time, I've struggled to enjoy most of it.
Maybe it's because I'm ace, but our MC is annoyingly horny. The main draw of the game is that it's a dating sim. Meis can date the girls that join his party and a few extra here and there. Doing so increases Meis' ability to forge stronger weapons/learn new spells. The dates are boring, long, repetitive, and I feel like the girls are just sex objects. I know the game came out in the 90s, but I feel gross. Doubly so because I'm an adult man in my thirties.
Worst still, the dating mechanics don't end up being rewarding. They're supposed to lead to more powerful weapons, but I didn't notice any of my stats increasing. How do you gain stats in TA? And the spells aren't worthwhile because the battle system sucks.
You can bring in three people, but only one can do anything. The back row acts as one and can only do a small amount of spells. Luckily, cure is one of them. And battles are long and tedious because the devs wanted to overcorrect the NA release because the Japan version was called too easy. So get ready to spam heal and potions... I struggled to find a balance between having HP or MP. And even without the sword sponge mobs, it's painfully slow. The game has an opposite ATB gauge. You select your action at the start of your turn and then wait for the bar to empty, pressing X upon completion. The mob will always be slightly faster than you. This just means there's a lot of nothing happening in battle, mainly because you're just controlling one character. It would be fine if you're only against one mob, but there are plenty of full (three) enemy parties. I felt trapped in every battle.
I don't know anything about the story, but there seemed to be promise. You're a blacksmith who communes with spirits, and you need the power of friendship to beat up a robot. There were some interesting twists early on, and I spoiled a few in the far future, but there's no way it can even out the rest.
I listened to the OST on YouTube and found it pretty alright. It seemed it would have been the best part of Thousand Arms.
Graphics were also fine enough, but I already saw plenty of spell animation reuse and mob palette swaps.
After only ten hours, you can't make a true declaration of worth. My guesstimate is Thousand Arms would get a 20 out of 50. Sorry if it's your favorite (a guy I watch on YouTube said he liked it), but I'm moving on already.
Maybe it's because I'm ace, but our MC is annoyingly horny. The main draw of the game is that it's a dating sim. Meis can date the girls that join his party and a few extra here and there. Doing so increases Meis' ability to forge stronger weapons/learn new spells. The dates are boring, long, repetitive, and I feel like the girls are just sex objects. I know the game came out in the 90s, but I feel gross. Doubly so because I'm an adult man in my thirties.
Worst still, the dating mechanics don't end up being rewarding. They're supposed to lead to more powerful weapons, but I didn't notice any of my stats increasing. How do you gain stats in TA? And the spells aren't worthwhile because the battle system sucks.
You can bring in three people, but only one can do anything. The back row acts as one and can only do a small amount of spells. Luckily, cure is one of them. And battles are long and tedious because the devs wanted to overcorrect the NA release because the Japan version was called too easy. So get ready to spam heal and potions... I struggled to find a balance between having HP or MP. And even without the sword sponge mobs, it's painfully slow. The game has an opposite ATB gauge. You select your action at the start of your turn and then wait for the bar to empty, pressing X upon completion. The mob will always be slightly faster than you. This just means there's a lot of nothing happening in battle, mainly because you're just controlling one character. It would be fine if you're only against one mob, but there are plenty of full (three) enemy parties. I felt trapped in every battle.
I don't know anything about the story, but there seemed to be promise. You're a blacksmith who communes with spirits, and you need the power of friendship to beat up a robot. There were some interesting twists early on, and I spoiled a few in the far future, but there's no way it can even out the rest.
I listened to the OST on YouTube and found it pretty alright. It seemed it would have been the best part of Thousand Arms.
Graphics were also fine enough, but I already saw plenty of spell animation reuse and mob palette swaps.
After only ten hours, you can't make a true declaration of worth. My guesstimate is Thousand Arms would get a 20 out of 50. Sorry if it's your favorite (a guy I watch on YouTube said he liked it), but I'm moving on already.
Monday, August 12, 2024
Assassin's Creed:Bloodlines
Why, tho?
Assassin's Creed: Bloodlines is a direct sequel to Altair's escapades in the Holy Land. He's chasing after the Templar remnants who fled to Cypress. I don't remember if there is a reason why, but Altair learns of an archive, presumably filled with relics similar to the Apple of Eden. He's brought along Maria, the right hand woman of Robert de Sable, but she's not thrilled.
While aiding the citizens of Limassol and Kyrenia (for no reason) and killing Templars, Altair considers the Apple of Eden and the people who made it. Meanwhile, Maria learns the truth about her order and comes to appreciate that Altair hasn't killed her. Betrayals, twists, and confusion lead the way into a game that makes me ask one question: what was the point?
I like the Assassin's Creed series because all the games are interconnected. I'm the weird one who enjoyed the out-of-Animus segments. There are always two or three stories being told, but Bloodlines drops the hall on all of those fronts. Desmond is never seen at all. We get a framing device about being in the Animus, but who are we? What is Abstergo even seeking? There is no mention of another Precursor Artifact, and (SPOILER) a potential thing they could want gets destroyed. So why are we living as Altair again? And what did Altair even get out of this journey besides a wife? AC is about genealogy, but this didn't need to be a game.
Especially one with these terrible controls! Early AC games were sketchy, but AC1 was playable! Altair randomly stopped or jumped way too often. He constantly refused to grab on to things, which, in his defense, were shockingly few. Worst still, he kept leaping to the wrong thing, often to his death. It's frustrating and unrewarding. There are not even any cool parkour runs like in the Holy Land. Combat is also weirdly sluggish. It feels like a step back from AC1.
The music is...odd. Jysper Kid's techno ambiance remains, but nothing hit me here. I enjoyed the stuff from AC1, Brotherhood, and the other games, but it's empty on Cypress. And all the combat songs are the same.
Graphics are also lacking. While all three cities in AC! looked and played differently, both primary locations in Bloodlines look the same. The castles/dungeons are different, but they're short and one time events that carry their own nonsense with gameplay and boring boss fights.
My biggest gripe with AC Bloodlines is how empty everything feels. Nothing is explained, and I never once felt rewarded for my actions. As Bloodlines was short and concise but empty, so to will this review.
Overall score: 18/50
Assassin's Creed: Bloodlines is a direct sequel to Altair's escapades in the Holy Land. He's chasing after the Templar remnants who fled to Cypress. I don't remember if there is a reason why, but Altair learns of an archive, presumably filled with relics similar to the Apple of Eden. He's brought along Maria, the right hand woman of Robert de Sable, but she's not thrilled.
While aiding the citizens of Limassol and Kyrenia (for no reason) and killing Templars, Altair considers the Apple of Eden and the people who made it. Meanwhile, Maria learns the truth about her order and comes to appreciate that Altair hasn't killed her. Betrayals, twists, and confusion lead the way into a game that makes me ask one question: what was the point?
I like the Assassin's Creed series because all the games are interconnected. I'm the weird one who enjoyed the out-of-Animus segments. There are always two or three stories being told, but Bloodlines drops the hall on all of those fronts. Desmond is never seen at all. We get a framing device about being in the Animus, but who are we? What is Abstergo even seeking? There is no mention of another Precursor Artifact, and (SPOILER) a potential thing they could want gets destroyed. So why are we living as Altair again? And what did Altair even get out of this journey besides a wife? AC is about genealogy, but this didn't need to be a game.
Especially one with these terrible controls! Early AC games were sketchy, but AC1 was playable! Altair randomly stopped or jumped way too often. He constantly refused to grab on to things, which, in his defense, were shockingly few. Worst still, he kept leaping to the wrong thing, often to his death. It's frustrating and unrewarding. There are not even any cool parkour runs like in the Holy Land. Combat is also weirdly sluggish. It feels like a step back from AC1.
The music is...odd. Jysper Kid's techno ambiance remains, but nothing hit me here. I enjoyed the stuff from AC1, Brotherhood, and the other games, but it's empty on Cypress. And all the combat songs are the same.
Graphics are also lacking. While all three cities in AC! looked and played differently, both primary locations in Bloodlines look the same. The castles/dungeons are different, but they're short and one time events that carry their own nonsense with gameplay and boring boss fights.
My biggest gripe with AC Bloodlines is how empty everything feels. Nothing is explained, and I never once felt rewarded for my actions. As Bloodlines was short and concise but empty, so to will this review.
Overall score: 18/50
Thursday, August 8, 2024
Digimon World
Digimon was a better anime than Pokémon. Hate me 'cus it's true.
I think I bought Digimon World as a kid. It might have been a gift, though; I don't remember. It may have just randomly appeared in my hand one day! DW may be the only game I have no recollection of obtaining. But I remember playing quite a lot of it despite never really figuring anything out. I don't think I even enjoyed it, but it triggered so many reward mechanics in my dumb brain. But why?
Digimon World is a second person RPG, which is a novel idea. You play a young kid who, like the kids in the rad anime, gets sucked into the digital world because the Tamagotchis are in trouble. He, who I named 0, meets his egg watch, Amigo, and the digital monster who will guide him through this journey, Jijimon. Jijimon informs 0 that the island we're on is dying, and the Digimon inhabitants are going feral. What few remain sane now live in the small, desolate village of File City. If we want to save File (city and island), we're gonna need to knock sense into a lot of Digimon and find out what's responsible for all this. Many mons we find can be encouraged to join and rebuild the city, returning it to a thriving home.
Before heading into the world, we need to get used to the primary game loop of the game: Green Gym. The gym is the best way to gain stats for your Digimon. You'll need to empower your friend in order to beat anyone, digivolve further to take on stronger mobs, and explore the vast regions of the island. So you'll be spending a lot of time here. So, so much time... It can get painfully boring and tedious as there is no interaction during training sessions unless you want to gamble. And while you do this, you need to pay attention to Amigo. He needs food, gets tired, sleepy, and needs to poop. Yes, you need to take your bestie to the nearby toilet often.
Once you're sufficiently beefy, venture into the Native Forest and beat up an Agumon. You do this by telling Amigo what to do. Sometimes, he listens. You don't actually get to control anyone during combat, which is why I called this a second person RPG. All 0 does is guide the real hero by yelling vague commands. But Amigo wins, and Agumon regains his senses and opens up a bank in File. Our first resident! Other Digimon reside in the forest and nearby mine. You can also leap across a new friend's head to reach a rainforest. And from there, we explore a few canyons, plains, deep forest, ice flow, concrete jungle, and another forest. We even have to fish! Within these areas are future friends that open up new shops, clinics, arenas, fast travel spots, gym upgrades, and other cozy features. Rebuilding the city is definitely the fun part of Digimon World. Seeing this empty plot grow and fill with allies is my favorite thing to do. I'm noticing how much I love communities in video games. There's probably a psychological thing there, but I don't have the money to discuss it.
It's especially true here because the story is so bare bones. You're sucked into the world, aimlessly walk around, and only discover the enemy just before the final dungeon. There's only one thing of plot before then, and you only finally meet the main boss when you defeat him. 4/10 Plot
The plot is tertiary to the city and roguelike gameplay. You eventually learn that you have the only Digimon who can die and have to start all over again. So welcome to a second person, roguelike, open world RPG! There are about 60 Digimon, so that's a more rewarding goal than the story. 8/10 Gameplay
The music is also lacking. There's a lot of ambiance here but very few bits of actual melodic tunes. I want to say more, but I can't. It really is just not a big thing. 6/10 sound
Graphics are iffy. It's very budget esq, but the opening, ending, and post game cutscenes are surprisingly well made. They're even dubbed. And there's a lot of confusion as to where I can walk. Pallet swaps exist but make sense. But there's a lot of stuff to see, at least. 4/10 Visuals
For a potential budget title, there's a lot of charm here. If you love the Digimon anime aesthetic, the game replicates it well. There are so many natural things that look unnatural and vice versa. Since the city building aspects are the driving force, I can confirm the NPCs are rewarding. The tone of the anime is also brought here, and it's a good length for what it's going for, especially if you're into roguelikes. 9/10 Charm
Sadly, since so much of the game takes place in a gym, figuring out the time and dealing with so many unexplained mechanics, Digimon World feels tedious. Especially finding the five percent rare mons or trying to finagle the three specific ones you need for the dungeons. The loading times are also frequent and long. -7
So Digimon World gets a painfully low 24 points.
I feel like that's fitting, actually. It's a real shallow game that's aimed at the nichnist of audiences. I enjoyed the game, but I wish I hadn't bought it. I don't feel like I've grown by finishing this childhood flight of fancy. I cheated to finish this after my first Amgio died (Centarumon) and finished the game with my second (Megaseadramon). There is post game content (I think), but I don't care about beating the main boss again. I entered the final dungeon with a city prosperity of 69, so that's nice.
I think I bought Digimon World as a kid. It might have been a gift, though; I don't remember. It may have just randomly appeared in my hand one day! DW may be the only game I have no recollection of obtaining. But I remember playing quite a lot of it despite never really figuring anything out. I don't think I even enjoyed it, but it triggered so many reward mechanics in my dumb brain. But why?
Digimon World is a second person RPG, which is a novel idea. You play a young kid who, like the kids in the rad anime, gets sucked into the digital world because the Tamagotchis are in trouble. He, who I named 0, meets his egg watch, Amigo, and the digital monster who will guide him through this journey, Jijimon. Jijimon informs 0 that the island we're on is dying, and the Digimon inhabitants are going feral. What few remain sane now live in the small, desolate village of File City. If we want to save File (city and island), we're gonna need to knock sense into a lot of Digimon and find out what's responsible for all this. Many mons we find can be encouraged to join and rebuild the city, returning it to a thriving home.
Before heading into the world, we need to get used to the primary game loop of the game: Green Gym. The gym is the best way to gain stats for your Digimon. You'll need to empower your friend in order to beat anyone, digivolve further to take on stronger mobs, and explore the vast regions of the island. So you'll be spending a lot of time here. So, so much time... It can get painfully boring and tedious as there is no interaction during training sessions unless you want to gamble. And while you do this, you need to pay attention to Amigo. He needs food, gets tired, sleepy, and needs to poop. Yes, you need to take your bestie to the nearby toilet often.
Once you're sufficiently beefy, venture into the Native Forest and beat up an Agumon. You do this by telling Amigo what to do. Sometimes, he listens. You don't actually get to control anyone during combat, which is why I called this a second person RPG. All 0 does is guide the real hero by yelling vague commands. But Amigo wins, and Agumon regains his senses and opens up a bank in File. Our first resident! Other Digimon reside in the forest and nearby mine. You can also leap across a new friend's head to reach a rainforest. And from there, we explore a few canyons, plains, deep forest, ice flow, concrete jungle, and another forest. We even have to fish! Within these areas are future friends that open up new shops, clinics, arenas, fast travel spots, gym upgrades, and other cozy features. Rebuilding the city is definitely the fun part of Digimon World. Seeing this empty plot grow and fill with allies is my favorite thing to do. I'm noticing how much I love communities in video games. There's probably a psychological thing there, but I don't have the money to discuss it.
It's especially true here because the story is so bare bones. You're sucked into the world, aimlessly walk around, and only discover the enemy just before the final dungeon. There's only one thing of plot before then, and you only finally meet the main boss when you defeat him. 4/10 Plot
The plot is tertiary to the city and roguelike gameplay. You eventually learn that you have the only Digimon who can die and have to start all over again. So welcome to a second person, roguelike, open world RPG! There are about 60 Digimon, so that's a more rewarding goal than the story. 8/10 Gameplay
The music is also lacking. There's a lot of ambiance here but very few bits of actual melodic tunes. I want to say more, but I can't. It really is just not a big thing. 6/10 sound
Graphics are iffy. It's very budget esq, but the opening, ending, and post game cutscenes are surprisingly well made. They're even dubbed. And there's a lot of confusion as to where I can walk. Pallet swaps exist but make sense. But there's a lot of stuff to see, at least. 4/10 Visuals
For a potential budget title, there's a lot of charm here. If you love the Digimon anime aesthetic, the game replicates it well. There are so many natural things that look unnatural and vice versa. Since the city building aspects are the driving force, I can confirm the NPCs are rewarding. The tone of the anime is also brought here, and it's a good length for what it's going for, especially if you're into roguelikes. 9/10 Charm
Sadly, since so much of the game takes place in a gym, figuring out the time and dealing with so many unexplained mechanics, Digimon World feels tedious. Especially finding the five percent rare mons or trying to finagle the three specific ones you need for the dungeons. The loading times are also frequent and long. -7
So Digimon World gets a painfully low 24 points.
I feel like that's fitting, actually. It's a real shallow game that's aimed at the nichnist of audiences. I enjoyed the game, but I wish I hadn't bought it. I don't feel like I've grown by finishing this childhood flight of fancy. I cheated to finish this after my first Amgio died (Centarumon) and finished the game with my second (Megaseadramon). There is post game content (I think), but I don't care about beating the main boss again. I entered the final dungeon with a city prosperity of 69, so that's nice.
Friday, August 2, 2024
Wild Arms
Sorry, I forgot to update. I was having too much fun.
And I cannot stress that enough. Wild Arms is an absolutely amazing game, and I wish I had played it years ago. The internet tried to tell me Wild Arms II was better, but that was a lie. I meant to update more often about the going ons in Filgaia, but I kept going into overtime. I had to know what these characters were doing, what plan those bosses had up their sleeves, and listen to this music. I regret procrastinating on this! Why did I let me do this!?!? So let's get into it!
Despite all that praise, let's start with what sucks.
It's kind of an ugly game. Despite releasing two years after the PlayStation's debut and being the seventh RPG on the console, WA still uses SNES looking character sprites and tile sets for the world and field areas. There aren't any prerendered backgrounds or 3D models there. That's a design choice I won't argue against, but even compared to late SNES releases, they don't hold up. As I said, Treasure of Rudra looked better. As for the battle graphics, they are 3D in battle, and they're...fitting for the time, but that brings its own issues. The spells remind me of Quest 64. What I mean by that is there are two levels of each spell, but animations for both versions are the same. Back to the tile sets, many dungeons tend to look the same. They're all either caves, pallet swapped ruins, or Magitek Research Facility knockoffs. But this is a bit of a ticky-tacky problem. And, honestly, ugly is the wrong word. They're just dated. And it was Media.Vision's third game, after all.
Who even cares graphics when everything else is so wonderful?
The gameplay is filled with interesting puzzles throughout the dungeons that make use of the game's Tools, character based field specials that the player can trigger throughout an area. Rudy can bomb certain things to remove them from the path, Jack gets a grappling hook to bridge the gaps, and Cecilia uses a plot relevant mcguffin that opens magical doors. Along with typical puzzles (blocks, locks, and damage floors), it makes for some fun crawling through the kinda repetitive ruins of an ancient civilization. It's a strange shame that the mobs feel thrown around haphazardly, though.
The music was an unexpected bit of enjoyment. Wild Arms 2's OST was rather middling, and I struggled to find my favorite song because they all kinda sucked. But I had the opposite problem in Wild Arms. World map, towns, dungeons, certain scenes: all amplified by the melodies and notes that passed through my speakers. I did not expect this from someone I've never heard of. My apologies to Michiko Naruke.
I absolutely loved the characters. I was sucked into the struggles of a seventeen-year-old princess, a twenty something warrior with a troubled background, and a silent protagonist with a forbidden power and amnesia. How they grew as people, became friends, learned about themselves, and became fond of their planet forced me to play five to eight hours a night. And even the bosses were fantastic. Even their reasons to fight changed over time and for varying reasons. They all really drove this plot with their twists and intricacies. So good!
---
Plot: world changing. Between the characters, good and bad, and how they drive the story to exciting climaxes, I couldn't put down Wild Arms. I'll get into a deeper point on this at the end. 9/10
Gameplay: matches. The actual game part of this story could have been a second rate experience, but the devs didn't skip any corners here, either. 9/10
Sound: why cats? Why do so many mobs sound like a cat was kicked to record them? Other than that, I want to go listen to the OST again. From relaxing tunes to morose melodies, action themes, and a Xenogears vocal track: I dug all of them! 10/10
Art: dated. I spoke enough about my nitpick and don't want to again. 7/10
Charm: the important bits. The world is great, and there are a number of NPCs who help the story expand. Shout out to the goat, Earth Golem! Exploration brings you to so many secrets and super bosses, and the game is the perfect length. And I laughed at the Link doll in Cecilia's room. The only point lost is because I don't see a lot of replayability here. But ask me again in a few years or when I get a hold of the remake. 9/10
Sadly, there are some negatives. A lot of enemies and bosses love to spam negative status effects. It really bogs down the game and artificially creates difficulty. -2
And with that, the original Wild Arms garners a more than respectable 42 out of 50.
Had I played Wild Arms when it first came out, I think this would have been my favorite game. I wouldn't have cared about the graphics, the status effects, or the enemy placements. I only would have paid attention to Cecilia and her story, how rad Jack is, and the best implementation of a silent protagonist I've seen. There's even a handful of bosses that kicked my butt I want to go back to. To say nothing of the secret dungeon and all that! I am so glad I played Wild Arms, and it reminds me why I love this genre. I want to find Alter Code...
And I cannot stress that enough. Wild Arms is an absolutely amazing game, and I wish I had played it years ago. The internet tried to tell me Wild Arms II was better, but that was a lie. I meant to update more often about the going ons in Filgaia, but I kept going into overtime. I had to know what these characters were doing, what plan those bosses had up their sleeves, and listen to this music. I regret procrastinating on this! Why did I let me do this!?!? So let's get into it!
Despite all that praise, let's start with what sucks.
It's kind of an ugly game. Despite releasing two years after the PlayStation's debut and being the seventh RPG on the console, WA still uses SNES looking character sprites and tile sets for the world and field areas. There aren't any prerendered backgrounds or 3D models there. That's a design choice I won't argue against, but even compared to late SNES releases, they don't hold up. As I said, Treasure of Rudra looked better. As for the battle graphics, they are 3D in battle, and they're...fitting for the time, but that brings its own issues. The spells remind me of Quest 64. What I mean by that is there are two levels of each spell, but animations for both versions are the same. Back to the tile sets, many dungeons tend to look the same. They're all either caves, pallet swapped ruins, or Magitek Research Facility knockoffs. But this is a bit of a ticky-tacky problem. And, honestly, ugly is the wrong word. They're just dated. And it was Media.Vision's third game, after all.
Who even cares graphics when everything else is so wonderful?
The gameplay is filled with interesting puzzles throughout the dungeons that make use of the game's Tools, character based field specials that the player can trigger throughout an area. Rudy can bomb certain things to remove them from the path, Jack gets a grappling hook to bridge the gaps, and Cecilia uses a plot relevant mcguffin that opens magical doors. Along with typical puzzles (blocks, locks, and damage floors), it makes for some fun crawling through the kinda repetitive ruins of an ancient civilization. It's a strange shame that the mobs feel thrown around haphazardly, though.
The music was an unexpected bit of enjoyment. Wild Arms 2's OST was rather middling, and I struggled to find my favorite song because they all kinda sucked. But I had the opposite problem in Wild Arms. World map, towns, dungeons, certain scenes: all amplified by the melodies and notes that passed through my speakers. I did not expect this from someone I've never heard of. My apologies to Michiko Naruke.
I absolutely loved the characters. I was sucked into the struggles of a seventeen-year-old princess, a twenty something warrior with a troubled background, and a silent protagonist with a forbidden power and amnesia. How they grew as people, became friends, learned about themselves, and became fond of their planet forced me to play five to eight hours a night. And even the bosses were fantastic. Even their reasons to fight changed over time and for varying reasons. They all really drove this plot with their twists and intricacies. So good!
---
Plot: world changing. Between the characters, good and bad, and how they drive the story to exciting climaxes, I couldn't put down Wild Arms. I'll get into a deeper point on this at the end. 9/10
Gameplay: matches. The actual game part of this story could have been a second rate experience, but the devs didn't skip any corners here, either. 9/10
Sound: why cats? Why do so many mobs sound like a cat was kicked to record them? Other than that, I want to go listen to the OST again. From relaxing tunes to morose melodies, action themes, and a Xenogears vocal track: I dug all of them! 10/10
Art: dated. I spoke enough about my nitpick and don't want to again. 7/10
Charm: the important bits. The world is great, and there are a number of NPCs who help the story expand. Shout out to the goat, Earth Golem! Exploration brings you to so many secrets and super bosses, and the game is the perfect length. And I laughed at the Link doll in Cecilia's room. The only point lost is because I don't see a lot of replayability here. But ask me again in a few years or when I get a hold of the remake. 9/10
Sadly, there are some negatives. A lot of enemies and bosses love to spam negative status effects. It really bogs down the game and artificially creates difficulty. -2
And with that, the original Wild Arms garners a more than respectable 42 out of 50.
Had I played Wild Arms when it first came out, I think this would have been my favorite game. I wouldn't have cared about the graphics, the status effects, or the enemy placements. I only would have paid attention to Cecilia and her story, how rad Jack is, and the best implementation of a silent protagonist I've seen. There's even a handful of bosses that kicked my butt I want to go back to. To say nothing of the secret dungeon and all that! I am so glad I played Wild Arms, and it reminds me why I love this genre. I want to find Alter Code...
Thursday, July 18, 2024
The Beginning of the End
Still playing!
If I remember right, we were about to head into Lolithia's Tomb. It's located north of Adlehyde and isn't a big deal. It's still a tutorial level and exists to mandate you learn to use all three characters' tools in a dungeon. Rudy will need to blow down a wall or two, and Cecilia opens locked doors with the Tear. Many of the chests explode when interacted with, so have Jack throw Hanpan. There is a puzzle at the end that involves finding a switch behind a statue and then pushing four build blocks to its corners. Doing so opens the door to our destination.
It's a giant robot!
So Lolithia is an ancient mech from the time of the Demon War. It's a golem used by the Elw and/or humans to even the odds. There was no sign of any workers, but who cares? We return to Emma and get warped back to Lolithia. Emma uses her engine to lift the automaton out of her temple and, somehow, bring it to the fair. We'll need to speak to her there tomorrow. The party heads back to Adlehyde, but Cecilia leaves us. She has other business to attend to and thanks us for the help. Jack and Rudy spend the night at the inn.
They're awoken by the sounds of a fair! There's an eastern exit of the town, which is where the Ruins Festival is located. I walked around the square and played a few of the mini games. One can be used to farm stat boosting apples, but I didn't want to spend that much time here. In the center of it all are three golems. I accidentally skipped ahead in the story, so I didn't get the backstory on them. Emma is hanging out in the back, so make sure to get your $500 from her.
In the back right corner is a woman missing her child. She's beside herself with fear, so we take up the task of finding her son. He'll be spotted with his red balloon. Another NPC near the gate tells us the kid went back to town. Rudy sees him near the stairs to the castle.
The kid is afraid, too, so he lets his balloon slip out of his hand. It rises to the sky, and it takes our eyes with it. And it lets us realize that the gates of hell are open. There's a hole in the sky, and a narration plays over it. This hole represents "The Beginning of the End" for humans. A "sword of light" strikes the ground, creating a "wall of fire" on the ground. The lightning bolt strikes the town, setting the whole place on fire and killing most of the population, including the poor kid we just found. Demons begin to roam now, starting a fight when interacted with.
Go north to the castle. Cecilia is surrounded by the demons, and the boys save her. Rather than flee, she asks us to save as many of the citizens as we can. The castle gates close in five minutes, and there are only ten people who need us. It's pretty easy to get them all. I don't know if we get anything for finding all of them, but I feel like I did the right thing.
Safely in the castle, we have full range of it as Cecilia reveals she's the princess. More importantly, the King was harmed in the attack. We find him in his room at the top, and he's not doing well. A soldier rushes in to inform us of what we (the player) saw a moment ago. The demon leader, Belzelk, wants the Tear Drop. Cecilia agrees to surrender it, but the King is adamantly against it. It's a powerful memento of the lost Queen. Our mage still wants to give it away for the sake of her citizens, so her dad grounds us to her room. And so a stealth mission begins!
Don't speak to any knights. There are a few who are programmed to chase after us, but they can be outmaneuvered and sprinted past. Head for the kitchen the long way and avoid the throne room. One of the chefs will unceremoniously drop us into the secret passages, which probably aren't sewers. There are no bosses down here, and the exit was the blocked house east of the inn. Belzelk is near the castle, and Cecilia gives him the Tear. For some reason, Jack gets aggressive, saying something about revenge, and he drags the two others into a fight. Belzelk doesn't bother too much. He attacked twice in seven rounds, so it was free damage. We'll get 200 exp, but Belzelk isn't dead. In fact, he doesn't care. Humans are too weak to be worth the bother. But he follows through with his word and leaves. We then see several winged demons drag away the three golems even Belzelk was scared of, and Adlehyde returns to safety.
We jump back to the King with the news. He's upset. But Cecilia knows what she needs to do and wants to come with us to get the Tear back. The royals are shocked, but no one more so than the King. With his wounds, this bad news, and uncertainty of his planet and kingdom, he lets out one call to his daughter and dies. Cecilia has dragged Rudy and Jack into this, but Jack, at least, would have gone along with it. But there is one thing that makes him refuse. He's mad Cecilia hid her identity. Out of such a strong desire to right her wrongs and to save the planet, she takes Jack's sword and pulls a Garnet from Final Fantasy IX, cutting her hair. This convinces Jack.
We cut to the King's funeral procession through town as the opening credits roll. Four kids are playing as the corpse of their ruler goes by, and we see the boys hiding under a tree. The funeral leads into the church as the camera pans to the title card.
A week later, Jack and Rudy are ready to head out on this journey. They find Cecilia in her room, donning new clothes. They're less regal, but she is cuter in official artwork. The three say their farewells to the regent, with Cecilia promising to rebuild her town. We open several chests for us, and we'll head out to the rest of the game...
...tomorrow!
I wish I didn't blow this off for a week. That was one hell of a prologue. I'm hooked! The music during these few moments was great!
If I remember right, we were about to head into Lolithia's Tomb. It's located north of Adlehyde and isn't a big deal. It's still a tutorial level and exists to mandate you learn to use all three characters' tools in a dungeon. Rudy will need to blow down a wall or two, and Cecilia opens locked doors with the Tear. Many of the chests explode when interacted with, so have Jack throw Hanpan. There is a puzzle at the end that involves finding a switch behind a statue and then pushing four build blocks to its corners. Doing so opens the door to our destination.
It's a giant robot!
So Lolithia is an ancient mech from the time of the Demon War. It's a golem used by the Elw and/or humans to even the odds. There was no sign of any workers, but who cares? We return to Emma and get warped back to Lolithia. Emma uses her engine to lift the automaton out of her temple and, somehow, bring it to the fair. We'll need to speak to her there tomorrow. The party heads back to Adlehyde, but Cecilia leaves us. She has other business to attend to and thanks us for the help. Jack and Rudy spend the night at the inn.
They're awoken by the sounds of a fair! There's an eastern exit of the town, which is where the Ruins Festival is located. I walked around the square and played a few of the mini games. One can be used to farm stat boosting apples, but I didn't want to spend that much time here. In the center of it all are three golems. I accidentally skipped ahead in the story, so I didn't get the backstory on them. Emma is hanging out in the back, so make sure to get your $500 from her.
In the back right corner is a woman missing her child. She's beside herself with fear, so we take up the task of finding her son. He'll be spotted with his red balloon. Another NPC near the gate tells us the kid went back to town. Rudy sees him near the stairs to the castle.
The kid is afraid, too, so he lets his balloon slip out of his hand. It rises to the sky, and it takes our eyes with it. And it lets us realize that the gates of hell are open. There's a hole in the sky, and a narration plays over it. This hole represents "The Beginning of the End" for humans. A "sword of light" strikes the ground, creating a "wall of fire" on the ground. The lightning bolt strikes the town, setting the whole place on fire and killing most of the population, including the poor kid we just found. Demons begin to roam now, starting a fight when interacted with.
Go north to the castle. Cecilia is surrounded by the demons, and the boys save her. Rather than flee, she asks us to save as many of the citizens as we can. The castle gates close in five minutes, and there are only ten people who need us. It's pretty easy to get them all. I don't know if we get anything for finding all of them, but I feel like I did the right thing.
Safely in the castle, we have full range of it as Cecilia reveals she's the princess. More importantly, the King was harmed in the attack. We find him in his room at the top, and he's not doing well. A soldier rushes in to inform us of what we (the player) saw a moment ago. The demon leader, Belzelk, wants the Tear Drop. Cecilia agrees to surrender it, but the King is adamantly against it. It's a powerful memento of the lost Queen. Our mage still wants to give it away for the sake of her citizens, so her dad grounds us to her room. And so a stealth mission begins!
Don't speak to any knights. There are a few who are programmed to chase after us, but they can be outmaneuvered and sprinted past. Head for the kitchen the long way and avoid the throne room. One of the chefs will unceremoniously drop us into the secret passages, which probably aren't sewers. There are no bosses down here, and the exit was the blocked house east of the inn. Belzelk is near the castle, and Cecilia gives him the Tear. For some reason, Jack gets aggressive, saying something about revenge, and he drags the two others into a fight. Belzelk doesn't bother too much. He attacked twice in seven rounds, so it was free damage. We'll get 200 exp, but Belzelk isn't dead. In fact, he doesn't care. Humans are too weak to be worth the bother. But he follows through with his word and leaves. We then see several winged demons drag away the three golems even Belzelk was scared of, and Adlehyde returns to safety.
We jump back to the King with the news. He's upset. But Cecilia knows what she needs to do and wants to come with us to get the Tear back. The royals are shocked, but no one more so than the King. With his wounds, this bad news, and uncertainty of his planet and kingdom, he lets out one call to his daughter and dies. Cecilia has dragged Rudy and Jack into this, but Jack, at least, would have gone along with it. But there is one thing that makes him refuse. He's mad Cecilia hid her identity. Out of such a strong desire to right her wrongs and to save the planet, she takes Jack's sword and pulls a Garnet from Final Fantasy IX, cutting her hair. This convinces Jack.
We cut to the King's funeral procession through town as the opening credits roll. Four kids are playing as the corpse of their ruler goes by, and we see the boys hiding under a tree. The funeral leads into the church as the camera pans to the title card.
A week later, Jack and Rudy are ready to head out on this journey. They find Cecilia in her room, donning new clothes. They're less regal, but she is cuter in official artwork. The three say their farewells to the regent, with Cecilia promising to rebuild her town. We open several chests for us, and we'll head out to the rest of the game...
...tomorrow!
I wish I didn't blow this off for a week. That was one hell of a prologue. I'm hooked! The music during these few moments was great!
Wednesday, July 10, 2024
Go back to the old west
How Wild are these Arms?
Long ago, in the ancient year of 202...1, I played the second game of a franchise, skipping over part one. The internet said it was better. But I'm wrapping back to check out the first Wild Arms. I'm in the mood for something new but familiar, so here we are. I don't know Jack about this game, so let's dive in.
Just as its sequel, we can choose from one of three characters. I'll spoil it now, though, and say they all come together at the end of their introductions. I know the first guy is the main character, so I skipped him.
Our blonde boy has arrived at an ancient ruin. It's a well known location, and the locals warn that the Temple of Memory has been picked clean by treasure hunters. Even Jack's sidekick, Hanpan, a wind rat, thinks coming here is dumb. But Jack paid money for this hint, so here he is. The two enter the temple and approach a pedestal at the back of the room. It speaks! It asks for a name, so Jack gives it his. It doesn't work! Jack falls into a pitfall that ends up being a trap. It's filled with falling platforms, wall spears, floor spikes, and Indiana Jones rocks. He avoids all of it while narration prologues his tale. Jack van Burace is seeking the ultimate power.
We eventually regain control, and the dungeoneering begins. It's your standard affair, which is to be assumed as it's 1997 again. I used to be happy... It's also a tutorial dungeon, so why would I expect anything grandiose? But just like Wild Arms II, Wild Arms has the tools for exploration. Jack can throw Hanpan to activate switches, be a weight, or open far reaching treasure chests. There are stage hazards here, so Jack's dungeon is the most interesting.
At the end are the remains of an advanced civilization. Jack gets a giant plot dump from a hologram. It tells us that the humans once aligned themselves with the Elw and the guardians to defeat a great evil. While the guardians have disappeared, the Elw have gone extinct, leaving only hidden records. Someone named Lolithia is brought up a lot, and her resting place is to the east, but the Elw warn us not to seek her. And with that, Jack's story is finished without a boss. He leaves the ruins, gets another ominous narrative, and we can select another character. I don't and explore the world. It's not much, but we can walk to the castle of Adlehyde, where a fair is to take place tomorrow. Check out the shops and inspect the rainbow bird outside the inn to change characters because there's nothing else to do here.
Character two is Cecilia. She's cooped up in Curran Abbey, south of Adlehyde, studying magic. She's also asleep... A voice calls out to her, calling her the Innocent One. It warns her that the world is weakening, and it needs to be fixed. To do so, Cecilia needs to find the "Book." The voice loves to say her name and disappears. She fell asleep in class... The nun wakes the girl up, but that's not important. Cecilia is turning seventeen, so she's about to be kicked out of the all girls school. Her classmates suggest she say her final farewells to all her friends, and she's off. But there's something else she needs to find. Another nun gives her the idea that there's a forbidden area of the abbey. This may house the book the specter mentioned. She then needs to go on a treasure hunt, cleaning up a pile of books and obtaining her second tool, Pocket Watch, along the way. Inspecting the statues in the middle of the courtyard opens a new way forward. Cecilia can trigger her tool, Tear, to warp to the Sealed Library. Cecilia is a magic user, so her basic attacks aren't great. But they'll suffice for the most part. Don't hesitate to cast magic on the bigger, less common mobs. You should have gotten two crests to form new spells, so you'll have a couple of options. Follow along, spamming Crystal, and you'll reach a giant library. You can read the books and get more backstory on the hologram Jack saw. This game is very front loaded. After being a Republican and burning three books, the way forward appears. There's a book on a desk that Cecilia opens. Rather than the shadow that spoke in her dream, something evil appears. Nelgaul. Go all out. There's no shame in healing early (with berries) and spamming your magic attacks. After the boss dies, the shadow reveals itself. It's the whelk from Final Fantasy VI... But it's also a guardian. Stoldark, the game's first rune, guides Cecilia to her future, which is to save the world. She warps out of the library, where the nun is awaiting her. All girls of the royal family attend this abbey in the hopes that they gain the guardian and the knowledge of magic, for this is their destiny. Once again, Lolithia was brought up again in all this, and it's time for our mage to begin her journey. She leaves, gets her narration, and I guide her home. No one in Adlehyde recognizes their heir except her father, who lets her continue anonymously to enjoy the fair.
And now it's time for Rudy. He has amnesia, so he's a farm hand in the sticks of Surf Village. They're nowhere near the ocean... Explore around town until someone rushes into the mayor's house. One of the kids in town, Tony, has run off. He's gone to the forbidden area of Berry Cave. This place used to be where the village got its food, but an evil spirit invaded it. It ruined everyone's lives until an adventurer placed a Holy Seed in the monster's rejuvenating body, stopping it from reviving. That is the legend, at least. While the town gathers, our mute protagonist goes ahead. Good thing the mayor gave him bombs.
It's a tutorial dungeon, and the only thing of note is the room with bats. You're supposed to calmly walk across the cliff. If you run, though, a bat will hover around Rudy's head. I don't know what this means... Besides that and the destructible walls, Tony is at the back. He came here to find medicine for his wounded dad, but a bombable wall blocked him. Rudy destroys it and enters the shining room. A Holy Seed is resting at the back, and Rudy picks it up. He and Tony leave, and an earthquake shakes the region. We (the player) can follow the quake to the abbey.
Surf Village has gathered at the cave entrance, which is a perfect place for them to watch a boss fight! Zombie attacks us. The best strategy is to use Rudy's focus skill to guarantee his ARMs blast to hit. Do this six times, healing when needed, and you'll win. But then you lose. Everyone hates you now. Not only did you trespass, but ARMs are forbidden for some reason. They return to the village, where they exile Rudy. He makes his way to Adlehyde, learns his earthquake caused an accident at Lolithia's, and follows the kids to a woman named Emma, who's north of the inn. She tasks you to find a team and save the workers in the tomb. Guess who's outside the inn and waiting to be helpful? And we'll continue this...
...tomorrow!
So far, I'm having fun. The graphics are dated as all get out, though. Treasure of Rudra was prettier. But the battle graphics look like a lofi N64 game, so that's interesting. 1997 is a weird drug. But the music is hella rad. Surf Village felt so peaceful, and I dug the Berry Cave ambiance. I value a lot over graphics, so I'm looking forward to this. Battle system wise... I don't think its sequel changed much. Not necessarily a bad thing, though...
PS: I don't know how I'm updating this. I might not be playing every night, and I don't want to write every night, so... [shrug emoji]
Long ago, in the ancient year of 202...1, I played the second game of a franchise, skipping over part one. The internet said it was better. But I'm wrapping back to check out the first Wild Arms. I'm in the mood for something new but familiar, so here we are. I don't know Jack about this game, so let's dive in.
Just as its sequel, we can choose from one of three characters. I'll spoil it now, though, and say they all come together at the end of their introductions. I know the first guy is the main character, so I skipped him.
Our blonde boy has arrived at an ancient ruin. It's a well known location, and the locals warn that the Temple of Memory has been picked clean by treasure hunters. Even Jack's sidekick, Hanpan, a wind rat, thinks coming here is dumb. But Jack paid money for this hint, so here he is. The two enter the temple and approach a pedestal at the back of the room. It speaks! It asks for a name, so Jack gives it his. It doesn't work! Jack falls into a pitfall that ends up being a trap. It's filled with falling platforms, wall spears, floor spikes, and Indiana Jones rocks. He avoids all of it while narration prologues his tale. Jack van Burace is seeking the ultimate power.
We eventually regain control, and the dungeoneering begins. It's your standard affair, which is to be assumed as it's 1997 again. I used to be happy... It's also a tutorial dungeon, so why would I expect anything grandiose? But just like Wild Arms II, Wild Arms has the tools for exploration. Jack can throw Hanpan to activate switches, be a weight, or open far reaching treasure chests. There are stage hazards here, so Jack's dungeon is the most interesting.
At the end are the remains of an advanced civilization. Jack gets a giant plot dump from a hologram. It tells us that the humans once aligned themselves with the Elw and the guardians to defeat a great evil. While the guardians have disappeared, the Elw have gone extinct, leaving only hidden records. Someone named Lolithia is brought up a lot, and her resting place is to the east, but the Elw warn us not to seek her. And with that, Jack's story is finished without a boss. He leaves the ruins, gets another ominous narrative, and we can select another character. I don't and explore the world. It's not much, but we can walk to the castle of Adlehyde, where a fair is to take place tomorrow. Check out the shops and inspect the rainbow bird outside the inn to change characters because there's nothing else to do here.
Character two is Cecilia. She's cooped up in Curran Abbey, south of Adlehyde, studying magic. She's also asleep... A voice calls out to her, calling her the Innocent One. It warns her that the world is weakening, and it needs to be fixed. To do so, Cecilia needs to find the "Book." The voice loves to say her name and disappears. She fell asleep in class... The nun wakes the girl up, but that's not important. Cecilia is turning seventeen, so she's about to be kicked out of the all girls school. Her classmates suggest she say her final farewells to all her friends, and she's off. But there's something else she needs to find. Another nun gives her the idea that there's a forbidden area of the abbey. This may house the book the specter mentioned. She then needs to go on a treasure hunt, cleaning up a pile of books and obtaining her second tool, Pocket Watch, along the way. Inspecting the statues in the middle of the courtyard opens a new way forward. Cecilia can trigger her tool, Tear, to warp to the Sealed Library. Cecilia is a magic user, so her basic attacks aren't great. But they'll suffice for the most part. Don't hesitate to cast magic on the bigger, less common mobs. You should have gotten two crests to form new spells, so you'll have a couple of options. Follow along, spamming Crystal, and you'll reach a giant library. You can read the books and get more backstory on the hologram Jack saw. This game is very front loaded. After being a Republican and burning three books, the way forward appears. There's a book on a desk that Cecilia opens. Rather than the shadow that spoke in her dream, something evil appears. Nelgaul. Go all out. There's no shame in healing early (with berries) and spamming your magic attacks. After the boss dies, the shadow reveals itself. It's the whelk from Final Fantasy VI... But it's also a guardian. Stoldark, the game's first rune, guides Cecilia to her future, which is to save the world. She warps out of the library, where the nun is awaiting her. All girls of the royal family attend this abbey in the hopes that they gain the guardian and the knowledge of magic, for this is their destiny. Once again, Lolithia was brought up again in all this, and it's time for our mage to begin her journey. She leaves, gets her narration, and I guide her home. No one in Adlehyde recognizes their heir except her father, who lets her continue anonymously to enjoy the fair.
And now it's time for Rudy. He has amnesia, so he's a farm hand in the sticks of Surf Village. They're nowhere near the ocean... Explore around town until someone rushes into the mayor's house. One of the kids in town, Tony, has run off. He's gone to the forbidden area of Berry Cave. This place used to be where the village got its food, but an evil spirit invaded it. It ruined everyone's lives until an adventurer placed a Holy Seed in the monster's rejuvenating body, stopping it from reviving. That is the legend, at least. While the town gathers, our mute protagonist goes ahead. Good thing the mayor gave him bombs.
It's a tutorial dungeon, and the only thing of note is the room with bats. You're supposed to calmly walk across the cliff. If you run, though, a bat will hover around Rudy's head. I don't know what this means... Besides that and the destructible walls, Tony is at the back. He came here to find medicine for his wounded dad, but a bombable wall blocked him. Rudy destroys it and enters the shining room. A Holy Seed is resting at the back, and Rudy picks it up. He and Tony leave, and an earthquake shakes the region. We (the player) can follow the quake to the abbey.
Surf Village has gathered at the cave entrance, which is a perfect place for them to watch a boss fight! Zombie attacks us. The best strategy is to use Rudy's focus skill to guarantee his ARMs blast to hit. Do this six times, healing when needed, and you'll win. But then you lose. Everyone hates you now. Not only did you trespass, but ARMs are forbidden for some reason. They return to the village, where they exile Rudy. He makes his way to Adlehyde, learns his earthquake caused an accident at Lolithia's, and follows the kids to a woman named Emma, who's north of the inn. She tasks you to find a team and save the workers in the tomb. Guess who's outside the inn and waiting to be helpful? And we'll continue this...
...tomorrow!
So far, I'm having fun. The graphics are dated as all get out, though. Treasure of Rudra was prettier. But the battle graphics look like a lofi N64 game, so that's interesting. 1997 is a weird drug. But the music is hella rad. Surf Village felt so peaceful, and I dug the Berry Cave ambiance. I value a lot over graphics, so I'm looking forward to this. Battle system wise... I don't think its sequel changed much. Not necessarily a bad thing, though...
PS: I don't know how I'm updating this. I might not be playing every night, and I don't want to write every night, so... [shrug emoji]
Tuesday, June 25, 2024
Final Fantasy IV: The After Years
So this was a trip. A sequel to one of my favorite and most important games came out seventeen years after it was released with a chapter system. And it was originally released on the phone. 2008 was a crazy time. PS: This means I beat it sixteen years after TaY came out.
Now, here's the thing, TAY is usually referenced because most players think it sucks. They're not wrong, but TAY isn't all bad. I'm always down to experience the alleged happily ever after in a game. And the music of FFIV is top tier, and I want more of it. Yes, it's repetitive, and the encounter rate is too high. Maybe more new dungeons and music would have helped to keep it from being a slog, and they should have made the new characters worthwhile, but I actually enjoyed the game.
But only because I didn't hesitate to cheat. I cheated to reach the level cap as soon as I got bored and had the rare items chest active at all times. There are significantly worse games to waste your time on than FFIV: The After Years. That being said, I'm ready to move on and want to make this review quick.
Plot: much of the same. It's the same characters we know and love from 1991. Not much has changed. The new characters don't bring much to the table outside the kingdom heirs. But they could have done so much more. Is Kain still into Rosa? Why not give Golbez his redemption? But the things that happened before mean something. At least the bosses are a lot more interesting than Zemus. 7/10
Gameplay: much of the same. FFIV didn't have mini games, and its sequel doesn't either. Nothing new was added besides the band system, which I kept forgetting existed. What they did with enemy spawns killed any semblance of dungeon design its predecessor might have had. There's a reason so many people called the game repetitive. Also, the moon phase system slowed the game down. 4/10
Music: much of the same. Every song is in the same place as before. They added a few new ones, but those only play at the end. But I love me some Overworld. 10/10
Art: you know. See above. 8/10
Charm: see above. I enjoyed the call back to previous Final Fantasies, though 7/10
Negatives: tedium. With the high encounter rate and a battle system that hasn't evolved since before QoL adjustments existed, the constant retreading of dungeons (looking at your Ed), and the excessively long final dungeon, this game feels too tedious unless you cheat through it. -5
Final score: 31/50
If you love Final Fantasy IV, you'll get a kick out of The After Years. It's the same philosophy that X-2 had, so go look at what I posted there. I think I enjoyed my time here, but I'm unsure. I'm pretty sure I'm glad I played it at least. It didn't make me hate IV, so I'll take it.
Now, here's the thing, TAY is usually referenced because most players think it sucks. They're not wrong, but TAY isn't all bad. I'm always down to experience the alleged happily ever after in a game. And the music of FFIV is top tier, and I want more of it. Yes, it's repetitive, and the encounter rate is too high. Maybe more new dungeons and music would have helped to keep it from being a slog, and they should have made the new characters worthwhile, but I actually enjoyed the game.
But only because I didn't hesitate to cheat. I cheated to reach the level cap as soon as I got bored and had the rare items chest active at all times. There are significantly worse games to waste your time on than FFIV: The After Years. That being said, I'm ready to move on and want to make this review quick.
Plot: much of the same. It's the same characters we know and love from 1991. Not much has changed. The new characters don't bring much to the table outside the kingdom heirs. But they could have done so much more. Is Kain still into Rosa? Why not give Golbez his redemption? But the things that happened before mean something. At least the bosses are a lot more interesting than Zemus. 7/10
Gameplay: much of the same. FFIV didn't have mini games, and its sequel doesn't either. Nothing new was added besides the band system, which I kept forgetting existed. What they did with enemy spawns killed any semblance of dungeon design its predecessor might have had. There's a reason so many people called the game repetitive. Also, the moon phase system slowed the game down. 4/10
Music: much of the same. Every song is in the same place as before. They added a few new ones, but those only play at the end. But I love me some Overworld. 10/10
Art: you know. See above. 8/10
Charm: see above. I enjoyed the call back to previous Final Fantasies, though 7/10
Negatives: tedium. With the high encounter rate and a battle system that hasn't evolved since before QoL adjustments existed, the constant retreading of dungeons (looking at your Ed), and the excessively long final dungeon, this game feels too tedious unless you cheat through it. -5
Final score: 31/50
If you love Final Fantasy IV, you'll get a kick out of The After Years. It's the same philosophy that X-2 had, so go look at what I posted there. I think I enjoyed my time here, but I'm unsure. I'm pretty sure I'm glad I played it at least. It didn't make me hate IV, so I'll take it.
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