Popular Post Cassylvania Posted December 13, 2023 Author Popular Post Share Posted December 13, 2023 (edited) 14 hours ago, Super_Mep said: @Cassylvania Fun fact my wife and I purchased our first house and renovated it and did a huge purge and big move this past summer then about 2 months later we played and absolutely adored Unpacking. It's just so chill. I really can't explain why we enjoyed it so much. We just did. Hell we even went for the alternative playthrough where you put everything in the wrong spot even though there was no trophy for it. Highly recommend going for that when you're in a better mood though haha.  There's sort of this weird paradox that I (and I'm assuming many others) play video games to relax, but the majority of video games out there aren't very relaxing to play. That seems to be shifting as cozy games get more popular. I've personally always been a fan of farming games and life sims, so it makes me happy to know that others share that same passion.  Now, we just need to get developers on board that trophies don't need to be stressful and time-consuming.  The 5th Annual Game of the Year Awards (2023) #15-13  Current Ranking  D Tier 53. Bee Simulator 52. Time on Frog Island  C Tier 51. Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot 50. Klonoa Phantasy Reverie Series 49. Haven 48. Leisure Suit Larry: Wet Dreams Don't Dry 47. Cotton Reboot! 46. Rooms: The Unsolvable Puzzle 45. The Artful Escape 44. Katamari Damacy Reroll 43. Drawngeon  C+ Tier 42. Hundred Days 41. Rise of the Slime 40. Life is Strange: True Colors  B Tier 39. Virginia 38. Omno 37. Eiyuden Chronicle: Rising 36. Endling 35. Forma.8 34. Lost in Random 33. Minit 32. Catmaze 31. Lake  B+ Tier 30. Doom Eternal 29. Atelier Marie Remake 28. Dandara 27. Mighty Switch Force! Collection 26. The DioField Chronicle 25. Two Point Campus 24. Tropico 6 23. Story of Seasons: Pioneers of Olive Town 22. Axiom Verge 2 21. Atelier Ryza 3 20. Tunche 19. Star Wars Jedi: Survivor  A Tier 18. Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales 17. Risk of Rain 2 16. Unpacking  Remaining Games 13 Sentinels A Short Hike Bugsnax Carrion Deliver Us The Moon Detroit: Become Human FAR: Lone Sails Gal Guardians: Demon Purge Green Hell Inside Monster Boy and the Cursed Kingdom Rain World Risk of Rain Subnautica: Below Zero Yoku's Island Express Alright. Fifteen games to go. I think the next worse one is...  Hm. This really is getting tougher.  #15 - Risk of Rain  Well, it feels a bit weird aesthetically to have Unpacking sandwiched between this and the sequel, but it's not like I enjoyed the original THAT much more. I didn't really a chance to, though, as this is one of those rare games I finished in under 24 hours. If it had a platinum, I think it would've qualified for my fastest one yet.  As I said yesterday, I just think the concepts in this game work better when they're presented in a 2D environment. You get enemies coming to you from both sides and you're not forced to spend large chunks of your time running around a mostly empty world or getting lost. I would've much rather seen a random DLC trophy drop for this game than the sequel. I don't know why this game isn't as popular as RoR2, but it's the one I had more fun with.  #14 - Inside  Speaking of popular indie games...  Disclaimer here. This was my first time playing this game. I know a lot of indie games were inspired by Inside, so I kinda put it here out of respect, but I'd be lying if I said it was one of my favorite games to do this kind of thing. I mean, I'm a simp for Little Nightmares. Coming from that (and the sequel), this just felt like more of the same... just not as good, if that makes sense. (And if there's one thing we've learned from the past few entries, "more of the same" is not usually a compliment from me.)  BUT... it was good. I'm complaining because of the format I forced upon myself. I will always have a soft spot for games like this. And, who knows, maybe next year I'll finally get to Limbo. The game's been in limbo long enough.  ...There. That saved me from having to make an Inside pun.  #13 - FAR: Lone Sails  I guess the theme for today is... 2D games without a platinum? Huh.  I had fun with this one. Unlike the two games above, this is a concept that I don't think has been done before. Maybe I'm wrong. But this is a...resource management puzzle adventure game? You're basically just moving right, but in a large vehicle that you have to tend to. That almost makes it like an escort game, except you're the one being escorted. Your job is to keep the vehicle fueled and the path clear. Sometimes that means getting out, which makes you feel very vulnerable, and sometimes that means putting out fires or putting up your sails so that you can make good time.  This also marks the first time on this list that I think I'm actually excited to play a sequel. I already have it bought and downloaded on my console. Just need to press play. But the #1 thing this game has going for it is the atmosphere. It's not technically a survival game, but it feels like one. And one of the ways I judge every survival game is how it feels when it rains. (Weird, I know.) But, like... take The Forest, for example. Amazing game, right? One of the reasons I loved that game is how I physically got chills when the sky darkened or rain started coming down. I'm talking about actual goosebumps, guys. If a game can make me feel like the weather in the game is happening in real life, then it's probably doing a good job at being atmospheric. And this game made me want to take shelter in my vehicle. That's not an easy thing to do when you think about it because most games have you itching for action.  I wasn't a fan of having to play through the game three or four times just for one trophy, but I think the journey was worth it. That's more than I can say for most of the games in the B+ tier and below. Edited December 13, 2023 by Cassylvania 11 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ProfSeajay7 Posted December 13, 2023 Share Posted December 13, 2023 (edited) On 12/11/2023 at 9:07 AM, Cassylvania said: (Stop making mobile games.) The day that people stop making mobile games is the day when we all go back to normal dial-up phones. Â Also glad to see that my recommendation might make top 10. The fact that I got the platinum for that game three times and maybe a fourth incoming shows that this game would be a disgrace to its series if it didn't get your approval. Edited December 13, 2023 by ProfSeajay7 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Cassylvania Posted December 13, 2023 Author Popular Post Share Posted December 13, 2023 (edited) We interrupt your... wait, I already did this joke. Let's just get into the review.  Platinum #407 - Röki  Yes, I took the time to type the umlauted form of o. I also learned a new word today.  Alright, so, Roki... A game I got for free from PS+. What is it and should you play it?  I'd consider this game to be a point-and-click, even though it's not advertised as such. I think we're referring to these games as "puzzle adventure" now. But just because you aren't using a mouse cursor to select or use an object doesn't mean it doesn't feel like the King's Quests or Monkey Islands of old. (Remember, boys and girls, it's never OK to use a double negative, but triple negatives are fine.)  In this "puzzle adventure" game, you play as a young girl named Tove, a name that makes me glad I'm not doing these reviews verbally because I could get three cracks at that and I guarantee I would still pronounce it wrong. She has a brother named Lars. (I think I'd be good with that one.) Without spoiling too much of what happens, the basic plot of this game is that you and Lars get separated and it's up to you to find him. So, for the most part, you're playing the role of the protective big sister. That reminds me of A Plague Tale, which is not a bad thing. And, if you couldn't tell from names like Tove, Lars, and the umlauted form of Röki, much of this game is influenced by Scandinavian culture and mythology. Again, not a bad thing. The reason I cheer for the Minnesota Vikings year after year isn't because I live in Minnesota or because they're even remotely watchable (particularly over the past month) -- it's because I love Scandinavia. It's practically my user name here.  So, way to suck up to me, devs.  Now, this game is broken into three chapters: a hilariously short tutorial, an extremely long chapter where the bulk of the game takes place, and a medium-sized chapter that switches up the gameplay just a bit. I will not spoil any of the story because that's generally the best part of these games. (It's also one of those stories that is gradually fed to you, so much of it remains a mystery until closer to the end.) And, because this is so heavily influenced by Scandinavian mythology and folklore, you can bet you're going to meet a lot of strange and colorful characters along the way. I'd say it feels just short of being whimsical, but obviously it's still going to appeal to children and anybody who grew up with this sort of thing.  There's no spoken dialogue, but most lines of text are accompanied by a short moan, grunt, or cry from the character who is speaking. I guess kinda like a character from The Sims...? That's a design choice, I guess... I'm not personally a fan of that. Like, ever. I feel like you should either commit to have voice acting or not. Here, it at least helps to capture some of their personality, which is nice in the earlier sections where Tove is interacting with Lars, so that you can tell when she's teasing him and when she actually seems annoyed or frustrated. I wish my sister was limited to moans and grunts too. I mean, outside of when she hasn't had her coffee yet.  For the most part, this is a game where you'll be filling your inventory with every selectable object you find, but I DON'T feel it's one where you'll be trying to use every selectable object in every place you can think of. Some point-and-clicks do that and I hate it. Here, you're usually using objects in places that make sense, like a key in a doorway or a shovel to dig out objects. If you're trying to be creative, you're probably thinking too hard. But there are some puzzles, so you can't let your mind wander too much. Usually, by the time you pick up an object, you'll either have a good idea of where it should go or how it can be used in the future. You can also combine some objects, but they're usually self-explanatory too. Stuff like picking up a hook and a rope. I think you can figure out how those two might be associated.  I didn't really feel the need for a guide for this one, outside of the missable trophies. I was actually terrified I would run into these because there are quite a few and having to redo the entire game or even a single chapter does NOT sound like fun. The guide says 7 hours to platinum, but I'm pretty sure that's with a walkthrough. This is probably a 10-12 hour game because you're going to spend quite a while walking back and forth. What's nice, though, is you're only occasionally going to run into bottlenecks. This is a problem in a lot of point-and-clicks, where you'll miss picking up one tiny object and it will drive you crazy for hours. Here, you can just tap L3 and it'll highlight every object on the screen you can interact with in some way. Some objects can only be "viewed", while others are simply added to your journal, which contributes nothing to the game but fortunately isn't required for a trophy. (I found most of these just because I was pretty thorough in every area, but they seem to be smaller and more well-hidden than the objects actually required to advance the story.)  None of the puzzles are particularly difficult. I believe in you. I think one of them required me actually drawing a grid and putting some X's down...but I did it in my notebook that I usually reserve for jotting down notes for game reviews. Unfortunately, I did it over my notes for Minoria, so I hope I included "the jumping sucks" and "she does a rabbit hop when you spam roll LOL" in my review for that game because I just noticed it.  Um... what else? Graphics are simple, but nice. Some of the spelling or the way characters talk is a bit awkward or foreign to me. I'm assuming my European friends are used to seeing the word "prise" used a present tense verb. I am not. And if you had asked me to guess what that word actually stood for, I'd be wrong. So, I guess I learned two words today...?  Overall, I thought the game was OK. I guess we have an actual metric I can use for rating games now. If I were to include it in this year's game awards, where would it fall...? Ehh. Maybe high B tier? Somewhere around Lake. I think that game was a little more memorable, but they both have a kind of simple charm. And, hey, they both cost me $0.00. That's more than I can say for DUUM and its DLC.  Would I recommend it? Ehh again. I could recommend Lake just because it's something different (and even if you think it's bad, I think you can enjoy making fun of it while you play), but there are a lot of really good "puzzle adventure" games out there. I'm pretty sure I gave the King's Quest reboot my GOTY award a few years back. That would be my gold standard for this sort of thing. So, just play that...? And then, when you're done... I mean, FAR: Lone Sails...? Broken Age? Day of the Tentacle? Deponia? Lair of the Clockwork God? Grim Fandango? Leisure Suit Larry!?  Maybe not that last one. Edited December 13, 2023 by Cassylvania 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ProfSeajay7 Posted December 13, 2023 Share Posted December 13, 2023 1 hour ago, Cassylvania said: I feel like you should either commit to have voice acting or not.  Well, good thing you don't play MMOs. (Yes, I am pointing at YOU, Final Fantasy XIV. Wizard101 had full voice acting for every bit of dialogue, and it was also an MMO... of course, it was an MMO that is preyed on you with lootboxes and cash shops and forced you to sub to do anything past Route 1, but hey, it was worth it. I'm just kidding to you, FFXIV. Don't ever change. 😜) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Cassylvania Posted December 14, 2023 Author Popular Post Share Posted December 14, 2023 (edited) The 5th Annual Game of the Year Awards (2023) #12-10  Current Ranking  D Tier 53. Bee Simulator 52. Time on Frog Island  C Tier 51. Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot 50. Klonoa Phantasy Reverie Series 49. Haven 48. Leisure Suit Larry: Wet Dreams Don't Dry 47. Cotton Reboot! 46. Rooms: The Unsolvable Puzzle 45. The Artful Escape 44. Katamari Damacy Reroll 43. Drawngeon  C+ Tier 42. Hundred Days 41. Rise of the Slime 40. Life is Strange: True Colors  B Tier 39. Virginia 38. Omno 37. Eiyuden Chronicle: Rising 36. Endling 35. Forma.8 34. Lost in Random 33. Minit 32. Catmaze 31. Lake  B+ Tier 30. Doom Eternal 29. Atelier Marie Remake 28. Dandara 27. Mighty Switch Force! Collection 26. The DioField Chronicle 25. Two Point Campus 24. Tropico 6 23. Story of Seasons: Pioneers of Olive Town 22. Axiom Verge 2 21. Atelier Ryza 3 20. Tunche 19. Star Wars Jedi: Survivor  A Tier 18. Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales 17. Risk of Rain 2 16. Unpacking 15. Risk of Rain 14. Inside 13. FAR: Lone Sails  Remaining Games 13 Sentinels A Short Hike Bugsnax Carrion Deliver Us The Moon Detroit: Become Human Gal Guardians: Demon Purge Green Hell Monster Boy and the Cursed Kingdom Rain World Subnautica: Below Zero Yoku's Island Express Top twelve, I suppose. Maybe some of these surprise you. Maybe some of these don't.  I'm not quite sure where we're going to draw the line for the A+ tier, but I think we can keep going...  #12 - Monster Boy and the Cursed Kingdom  To be fair, I might've put this a spot or two lower, but I thought it was kinda neat to have three games without a platinum in a row. And, in all honesty, this was a very good Metroidvania (#6 on the list, I believe). Enough to make me want to complete the series, when I only had an inkling to begin it at the start of the year.  It was also fairly challenging, which I wasn't expecting. Old school style. I liked the various animal transformations and how they were integral to both movement and combat. Kinda sucks you got the pig form first because he was the worst. While I still like the Shantae series more overall, I think I preferred how the animal forms were used in this game because you weren't just turning into something when necessary and then immediately switching back to your human form. Here, you're basically stuck as an animal buddy -- it's just a matter of which one you want to be. I think that helps with the flow of the game, but also makes backtracking less of a hassle and more interesting because you're getting to navigate through those areas with faster or more agile forms as the game progresses. It's also kinda interesting how you can equip some of the with were various armor and equipment to either buff your character or make some platforming sections easier or doable. That's what you want to see when you play a Metroidvania. Every upgrade should feel like a relief.  The size of the world was impressive. I don't think I got bored. Maybe a bit too many treasure chests to find, but at least there was an in-game method of locating them (even if I resorted to a walkthrough most of the time because it didn't cost valuable resources).  And... yeah. Pretty cool stuff. Thanks for this one, CJ.  #11 - Yoku's Island Express  Metroidvania #7! At least, I think it's a Metroidvania... Hard to say.  Before we get into this one, I'd just like every game from #12 to #53 to realize that you just got beat out by a game in which you play as a dung beetle and roll around a ball of shit. I think you all should be ashamed.  But you know what this game was? Fun. I remember hitting the two hour mark and thinking to myself, "Wow. I'm actually liking this. I'm actually enjoying myself." It is amazing to me how few times that happens when I play a game. I play so many games that are either designed to stress me out or to make me want to bang my head against the wall. There's also a lot of games I play, just because of the person I am, that don't put me in a good mood. I'm not talking about depressing games necessarily. But I like to be scared occasionally, or to be carried on an emotion a journey. There's a reason that games like Katamari don't usually appeal to me. I don't want rainbows and unicorn farts shoved down my throat. I like the isolation and the solitude that comes from more melancholy games.  But then out comes Yoku with his little ball of feces and his goofy smile and I can't help but feel tingly inside. This game was silly and colorful and just a blast to play. I actually feel bad comparing it to Katamari just because they both involve rolling around a ball of crap. It's probably more like Untitled Goose Game in that it doesn't take itself too seriously and that you're too busy having fun to care when you mess up. If you're shocked this made it this far, you really shouldn't be. I will always appreciate a game that emphasizes fun.  The reason I'm not putting it higher is because the pinball mechanics are limited and, by their nature, a little awkward to handle and can get stale after a while. But for a game that routinely goes on sale for under $5... guys, this might be my easiest recommendation of the year, and that includes every game left on the list. What kind of heartless bastard wouldn't enjoy a game like this?  #10 - A Short Hike  Basically, just take what I said about Yoku, turn him into a bird instead of a dung beetle, replace pinball with short bursts of flight, and you have yourself A Short Hike. Just a really fun and really relaxing game. It is been a long journey since we discussed Time at Frog Island, way back there in the D tier, but this game does that concept so, so, so much better. I don't know if it's because of the pixelated graphics or the chipper music, but you owe it to yourself to play this game. You could be the most hardcore gamer or an elderly grandmother who's never even touched a video game controller and I think you could walk away from this feeling good.  I'm trying not to re-review these games. I already did that. I mostly just want to discuss what stood out the most to me. And I've been thinking, every since we finished D tier, about WHY this game beats the living snot out of Frog Island. There are fetch quests here. It's not procedurally generated or anything. You're stuck on an island with a bunch of anthropomorphic creatures. The graphics aren't THAT different. I'm even listening to Frog Island soundtrack right now and I feel it could work in A Short Hike. Maybe somebody more articulate than me can explain it, but sometimes I think it just comes down to a game's premise. In Frog Island, you crashed your ship and now you're stranded. That's not cool. That's not supposed to make you feel happy. You're a prisoner! Compare that to the plot of A Short Hike. You need to reach the top of the mountain because...you need cell phone reception. Not to call for help. Just to make a simple phone call. THAT is the difference between a survival game and a cozy game. And while there's obviously a lot more to both games than just the opening premise, I think A Short Hike simply does a much better job of knowing what it's supposed to be and designing the rest of the game around that. It wasn't just because of the plot that I wanted to escape Frog Island and get lost in this one. Some games just do it better.  Wow. Hard to believe we're in the top 10. I almost convinced myself to put those last two games higher, but I think I can make an argument that the remaining games are just a little better. Until next time! Edited December 14, 2023 by Cassylvania 11 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pelagia14 Posted December 15, 2023 Share Posted December 15, 2023 (edited) 21 hours ago, Cassylvania said: The 5th Annual Game of the Year Awards (2023) #12-10  Firstly, I love how you've tackled your 2023 Game of the Year Awards (despite still being in progress)! I was worried that ranking each of the games would be a mammoth undertaking for you - and it's certainly a time investment, I don't want to downplay that - but I think it's really smart how you've broken it apart into ranking and posting 3 games at a time. Plus, it's like an unofficial little "advent calendar" for us readers, getting it broken down into shorter, almost daily posts!  21 hours ago, Cassylvania said: #11 - Yoku's Island Express  Yes, this game was such a delight! I only bothered purchasing the game (for hella on sale, yup) because I was looking for something to fit the Pinball Genre for the Plat Every Genre/Theme Challenge, and since a lot of people had used this game for the category I figured "at least it wasn't shovelware or completely terrible". Then I discovered the genius idea of mixing metroidvania and pinball mechanics together! I definitely agree that they should have done a bit more with the pinball mechanics, but I also hope that this game crawled/walked so that eventually we can get a spiritual successor that flies.  Lmao at the shade to the lower-ranking games on the list! Though it also goes to show that any premise can be executed well, even one where you play as a dung beetle and his ball of shit.  21 hours ago, Cassylvania said: #10 - A Short Hike  Basically, just take what I said about Yoku, turn him into a bird instead of a dung beetle, replace pinball with short bursts of flight, and you have yourself A Short Hike. Just a really fun and really relaxing game. It is been a long journey since we discussed Time at Frog Island, way back there in the D tier, but this game does that concept so, so, so much better. I don't know if it's because of the pixelated graphics or the chipper music, but you owe it to yourself to play this game. You could be the most hardcore gamer or an elderly grandmother who's never even touched a video game controller and I think you could walk away from this feeling good.  I'm trying not to re-review these games. I already did that. I mostly just want to discuss what stood out the most to me. And I've been thinking, every since we finished D tier, about WHY this game beats the living snot out of Frog Island. There are fetch quests here. It's not procedurally generated or anything. You're stuck on an island with a bunch of anthropomorphic creatures. The graphics aren't THAT different. I'm even listening to Frog Island soundtrack right now and I feel it could work in A Short Hike. Maybe somebody more articulate than me can explain it, but sometimes I think it just comes down to a game's premise. In Frog Island, you crashed your ship and now you're stranded. That's not cool. That's not supposed to make you feel happy. You're a prisoner! Compare that to the plot of A Short Hike. You need to reach the top of the mountain because...you need cell phone reception. Not to call for help. Just to make a simple phone call. THAT is the difference between a survival game and a cozy game. And while there's obviously a lot more to both games than just the opening premise, I think A Short Hike simply does a much better job of knowing what it's supposed to be and designing the rest of the game around that. It wasn't just because of the plot that I wanted to escape Frog Island and get lost in this one. Some games just do it better.  Wow. Hard to believe we're in the top 10. I almost convinced myself to put those last two games higher, but I think I can make an argument that the remaining games are just a little better. Until next time!  A Short Hike was such a fun and cozy experience. It's incredible that I completed this game in *July*, in just over 4 hours, and I still remember so much of it! Not only did the game know exactly what it was supposed to be, and how to turn that into a fun gameplay experience, but it also managed to not overstay its welcome. The (single!) developer could have easily added in more side quests to add a few extra hours to the game - in an era when many gamers hold the mindset of "longer game = better game" - but instead did exactly what he needed to reach his vision and then stopped there.  21 hours ago, Cassylvania said: I'm trying not to re-review these games. I already did that. I mostly just want to discuss what stood out the most to me.  Your discussions of what stood out the most to you are part of why I've been enjoying these 2023 "Awards" posts! I haven't decided yet what I'm going to do, but I might take a page out of your book to focus on what stood out to me. Edited December 15, 2023 by pelagia14 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ProfSeajay7 Posted December 16, 2023 Share Posted December 16, 2023 (edited) On 12/14/2023 at 11:47 AM, Cassylvania said: And... yeah. Pretty cool stuff. Thanks for this one, CJ. No problem, Cass. I am glad that game got where it was. It can't compete with some of those top tiers but it's a really decent game. (And I have to plat it again for my newest account, so third time's the charm! ^_^)  Also, while this game was one lower than a scarab rolling a ball of manure - which doesn't disgust me because Pokemon Scarlet and Violet have a bug-type Pokemon called Rellor which is also a dung beetle rolling a ball around - at least it was only beat out by one spot instead of those poor saps which got dropped to D-tier. 🤣 Edited December 16, 2023 by ProfSeajay7 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Cassylvania Posted December 17, 2023 Author Popular Post Share Posted December 17, 2023 On 12/15/2023 at 10:21 AM, pelagia14 said: Firstly, I love how you've tackled your 2023 Game of the Year Awards (despite still being in progress)! I was worried that ranking each of the games would be a mammoth undertaking for you - and it's certainly a time investment, I don't want to downplay that - but I think it's really smart how you've broken it apart into ranking and posting 3 games at a time. Plus, it's like an unofficial little "advent calendar" for us readers, getting it broken down into shorter, almost daily posts!  Immediately after you say that, I forget to post for a couple days... My bad. We're back now!  On 12/15/2023 at 10:21 AM, pelagia14 said: A Short Hike was such a fun and cozy experience. It's incredible that I completed this game in *July*, in just over 4 hours, and I still remember so much of it! Not only did the game know exactly what it was supposed to be, and how to turn that into a fun gameplay experience, but it also managed to not overstay its welcome. The (single!) developer could have easily added in more side quests to add a few extra hours to the game - in an era when many gamers hold the mindset of "longer game = better game" - but instead did exactly what he needed to reach his vision and then stopped there.  I actually didn't know that was a single developer team, but I can see that. I bet a good number of games I played this year were like that too.  The 5th Annual Game of the Year Awards (2023) #9-8  Current Ranking  D Tier 53. Bee Simulator 52. Time on Frog Island  C Tier 51. Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot 50. Klonoa Phantasy Reverie Series 49. Haven 48. Leisure Suit Larry: Wet Dreams Don't Dry 47. Cotton Reboot! 46. Rooms: The Unsolvable Puzzle 45. The Artful Escape 44. Katamari Damacy Reroll 43. Drawngeon  C+ Tier 42. Hundred Days 41. Rise of the Slime 40. Life is Strange: True Colors  B Tier 39. Virginia 38. Omno 37. Eiyuden Chronicle: Rising 36. Endling 35. Forma.8 34. Lost in Random 33. Minit 32. Catmaze 31. Lake  B+ Tier 30. Doom Eternal 29. Atelier Marie Remake 28. Dandara 27. Mighty Switch Force! Collection 26. The DioField Chronicle 25. Two Point Campus 24. Tropico 6 23. Story of Seasons: Pioneers of Olive Town 22. Axiom Verge 2 21. Atelier Ryza 3 20. Tunche 19. Star Wars Jedi: Survivor  A Tier 18. Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales 17. Risk of Rain 2 16. Unpacking 15. Risk of Rain 14. Inside 13. FAR: Lone Sails 12. Monster Boy and the Cursed Kingdom 11. Yoku's Island Express 10. A Short Hike  Remaining Games 13 Sentinels Bugsnax Carrion Deliver Us The Moon Detroit: Become Human Gal Guardians: Demon Purge Green Hell Rain World Subnautica: Below Zero Uh oh. You read that right. We're down to TWO GAMES per post now. Really trying to stretch this out until Christmas.  #9 - Bugsnax  KINDA BUG, KINDA SNACK, TRY TO CATCH 'EM IN YOUR TRAP FEED SOMEBODY AND YOU'LL SEE, WE ARE WHATEVER WE EAT  Going to need you to pick your jaw up off the floor. There are too many more surprises for this one to come as a shock.  But maybe it should. I certainly would be shocked if you told me going into this year that this would end up in my top 10. For the longest time, I thought this game was a meme. I remember seeing it being advertised as one of the first games on the PS5 and people were absolutely ripping it apart. I got serious Knack vibes from it. (I never played it, but I think it was one of the original PS4 launch titles and people either really loved it or hated it.) I'm typically of the mindset that I'll give anything a try, and I hate bashing on a game based solely on initial impressions. That doesn't always mean I'll get around to it.  This was one of the most bizarre games I played. It's kinda like a "If you know, you know" thing, but it's not like the game advertises itself as a totally normal concept and then hits you over the head with literal fridge horror. It's right there in the trailer. And, similarly, it's not like this is a straight-up horror game. It's simply a very different take on the horror genre. I think it wears its mask well and it actually had me enthralled until the end, which is not something I can usually say about most games. Even if most of the quests are simply fetch quests, and even if the game's capturing mechanics can get stale after a while, the premise alone makes you want to see what happens next. It's kinda like when you're just flipping channels and you come across something that looks stupid and you only plan to watch for a couple minutes and then you end up binging the whole thing. You don't know what sparked your interest, but something did.  This is also the third game in a row that involves you being on an island and running errands for NPCs. Kinda makes me wish I had put it with the other two. But this game was much deeper and more involved than either Yoku or A Short Hike. I didn't even mind doing the DLC.  Perhaps I'm just feeding into the meme here, but there's something wholly unique about this game. It's not just that it's good. A lot of games are good. Just look at everything in the B+ and A tier. But this game is captivating. That is a word I don't think I've ever used in this thread and I'm not just doing it to make a pun. If you're a game and you can pique my interest and you can hold my interest until the end, then you probably did something right. And if you manage to still be memorable, despite being one of the earliest games I played this year, then all the better.  #8 - Carrion  I know what you're thinking. "What is this game?" "How did it make it so far on this list?" "Did you just forget it was there because the title is so bland?" "Are you going to wait until April 20 to pop platinum #420?"  Well, guys. It turns out Bugsnax isn't the only game we'll be looking at today that has an interesting take on the horror genre.  Carrion is...well, it advertises itself as a "reverse horror" game. I can agree with that. You play as the monster and you get to stalk your prey. It's not a straight-up gore fest. There are stealth elements here, you can be killed, and you start out kinda weak. Almost cute. It's probably more accurately defined as a Metroidvania (#7 on this list, I think?), but this is one of the few times I can follow up "good concept" with "good execution" because it's bloody fun. I have no other reason for putting this game this high on the list. I had a good time. I can sit here and bitch about a lot of things I didn't like in other games. I'm at a loss for what to say here. I'd say the controls were a bit janky, but they were extremely impressive given all the various body parts that had to accounted for (especially as the monster grows bigger). Like, how often do you hear me compliment a game's controls? Normally, reviewers only address that when they're bad. Here, they were fluid, the killing was great, and the difficulty was perfectly balanced. You felt like a killing machine without being indestructible. I probably should've praised this game more in my initial review. It is no oversight that it made it this far.  If you want some good laughs, check out the Steam reviews for this game. 9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ProfSeajay7 Posted December 17, 2023 Share Posted December 17, 2023 8 hours ago, Cassylvania said: #9 - Bugsnax  KINDA BUG, KINDA SNACK, TRY TO CATCH 'EM IN YOUR TRAP FEED SOMEBODY AND YOU'LL SEE, WE ARE WHATEVER WE EAT  Going to need you to pick your jaw up off the floor. There are too many more surprises for this one to come as a shock.  Someone sent me a list of suggested games to prep for my Make it Rain challenge, and this game was amongst them. I told them I don't think I can handle FPS action with freaky walrus people, so I have to apologize in advance for offending walruses. 😢 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Cassylvania Posted December 19, 2023 Author Popular Post Share Posted December 19, 2023 (edited) The 5th Annual Game of the Year Awards (2023) #7-6  Current Ranking  D Tier 53. Bee Simulator 52. Time on Frog Island  C Tier 51. Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot 50. Klonoa Phantasy Reverie Series 49. Haven 48. Leisure Suit Larry: Wet Dreams Don't Dry 47. Cotton Reboot! 46. Rooms: The Unsolvable Puzzle 45. The Artful Escape 44. Katamari Damacy Reroll 43. Drawngeon  C+ Tier 42. Hundred Days 41. Rise of the Slime 40. Life is Strange: True Colors  B Tier 39. Virginia 38. Omno 37. Eiyuden Chronicle: Rising 36. Endling 35. Forma.8 34. Lost in Random 33. Minit 32. Catmaze 31. Lake  B+ Tier 30. Doom Eternal 29. Atelier Marie Remake 28. Dandara 27. Mighty Switch Force! Collection 26. The DioField Chronicle 25. Two Point Campus 24. Tropico 6 23. Story of Seasons: Pioneers of Olive Town 22. Axiom Verge 2 21. Atelier Ryza 3 20. Tunche 19. Star Wars Jedi: Survivor  A Tier 18. Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales 17. Risk of Rain 2 16. Unpacking 15. Risk of Rain 14. Inside 13. FAR: Lone Sails 12. Monster Boy and the Cursed Kingdom  A+ Tier 11. Yoku's Island Express 10. A Short Hike 9. Bugsnax 8. Carrion  Remaining Games 13 Sentinels Deliver Us The Moon Detroit: Become Human Gal Guardians: Demon Purge Green Hell Rain World Subnautica: Below Zero It has occurred to me, upon looking at the remaining games, that we have wandered into the A+ tier without even realizing it. I'm going to go ahead and draw the line right before Yoku. I believe that's when we crossed from good into greatness. Now...back to the games!  #7 - 13 Sentinels  (Believe me. I thought about putting this one at #13 just for the aesthetics.)  This is this year's Night in the Woods. I'm convinced I only gave this a middling review because I was expecting something mind-blowing and instead got an engaging story that it took me until now to truly appreciate. Such is the case with some games. It's only when I compare them to the likes of other games that I played this year that they really get a chance to shine.  First, let's admire the balls on these developers. This game was advertised as a narrative-driven turn-based strategy game. That's like taking one of my favorite genres (TBS) and combining it with the genre I'm most likely to pick apart in my review because -- let's be real -- I'm a movie critic cosplaying as a video game critic. I'm much more likely to judge a game harshly if it wants to tell a good story and just can't.  Now, instead of giving those genres an even 50/50 split, pour 90% of your resources into the story and 10% into the part of the game I'm more likely to enjoy. (Oh, and remove the "strategy" part of turn-based strategy. Make it more time-consuming than it is difficult.) And, while you're at it, try to have thirteen protagonists at once. Most scripts can't handle two. I'm sure you'll be fine.  Somehow, some way... They were fine. I think I'm more stunned than anything. Not only do we have a baker's dozen of storylines to keep track of, not only are they presented in a non-linear way, not only are complicated sci-fi concepts like time travel and parallel universes a thing, but the game has a way of making you think you know what's going on, only for the story to get even more convoluted than before. Unlike a certain popular franchise that features Mickey Mouse, though, this game never feels it's just making stuff up. There's a central plot here, and all the various storylines are connected to it, but you're drip-fed this stuff very slowly. It's basically Last Stop, but done right.  Perhaps the most remarkable thing is how you'll never have a favorite character or storyline. They're all your favorite. And because you'll often be revisiting the same scenes through the eyes of another character, your perspective will change over time too. You'll understand why a character might act in a certain way or say a particular thing, and you'll almost always side with the character you're playing as, even if you were just playing as the other one. It's neat. It's refreshing too. And, most importantly, I think, it's interesting. I didn't want to pop on a YouTube video or have music playing in the background. That's why it took me so long to complete this game. I legitimately wanted to see this story through, and the payoff was surprisingly worth it.  I felt this as high as I could put this game, which is actually a lot higher than I originally planned. I just can't deny how this game has stuck with me throughout the year, while others have come and gone.  #6 - Deliver Us the Moon  Absolutely fantastic game. I have nothing else to say. You have zero excuse not to play this. It's a sub-10 hour platinum, I don't think there are any missable trophies, and it's super easy. Take the 2-3 minutes it'd usually take you to read one of my reviews and go download it. Consider that my Christmas gift to you.  A gift you have to pay for, but maybe you can still get it free on PS+ Extra. Edited December 19, 2023 by Cassylvania 15 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Cassylvania Posted December 19, 2023 Author Popular Post Share Posted December 19, 2023 The 5th Annual Game of the Year Awards (2023) #5-4  Current Ranking  D Tier 53. Bee Simulator 52. Time on Frog Island  C Tier 51. Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot 50. Klonoa Phantasy Reverie Series 49. Haven 48. Leisure Suit Larry: Wet Dreams Don't Dry 47. Cotton Reboot! 46. Rooms: The Unsolvable Puzzle 45. The Artful Escape 44. Katamari Damacy Reroll 43. Drawngeon  C+ Tier 42. Hundred Days 41. Rise of the Slime 40. Life is Strange: True Colors  B Tier 39. Virginia 38. Omno 37. Eiyuden Chronicle: Rising 36. Endling 35. Forma.8 34. Lost in Random 33. Minit 32. Catmaze 31. Lake  B+ Tier 30. Doom Eternal 29. Atelier Marie Remake 28. Dandara 27. Mighty Switch Force! Collection 26. The DioField Chronicle 25. Two Point Campus 24. Tropico 6 23. Story of Seasons: Pioneers of Olive Town 22. Axiom Verge 2 21. Atelier Ryza 3 20. Tunche 19. Star Wars Jedi: Survivor  A Tier 18. Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales 17. Risk of Rain 2 16. Unpacking 15. Risk of Rain 14. Inside 13. FAR: Lone Sails 12. Monster Boy and the Cursed Kingdom  A+ Tier 11. Yoku's Island Express 10. A Short Hike 9. Bugsnax 8. Carrion 7. 13 Sentinels 6. Deliver Us The Moon  Remaining Games Detroit: Become Human Gal Guardians: Demon Purge Green Hell Rain World Subnautica: Below Zero Bit of a spoiler here, but we're going to wrap up the A+ tier today with two games that are probably a bit higher than they deserve to be, simply because I love the genre. I do wonder if my opinions would change if I had played more games in that genre this year.  #5 - Subnautica: Below Zero  Hate to start out the top 5 with a negative, but one of the things I meant when I said this was a bottom-heavy year for me when it comes to gaming is that there weren't very many games I truly loved. This is a good example. Yes, S:BZ is a good game. Yes, the original is one of my favorites in the survival genre, and this game does a decent enough job for a follow-up. But... I don't know that it really does enough to stand out. Most of the "changes" from the original aren't really an improvement, and it's hard to capture that same mixture of terror and excitement you got when you explored the deep for the first time. Think of it as watching a scary movie twice or getting back in line for a roller coaster. Even if some time has passed, you'll never be able to relive that same "first" experience again. That's just an unfortunate product of being unable to wipe our memories. And, as a developer, you run the risk of creating a watered-down clone if you do the same thing again and alienating the people who liked the first game if you change up the formula too much. I think many sequels and spiritual successors are doomed to fail because of this.  That said, a fall from Subnautica's 10/10 to Subnautica: Below Zero's 8/10 isn't shameful or discouraging. It's just expected. And I think for somebody who really enjoyed the original, as I did, there's absolutely every reason in the world to play this one too. I had fun, it was a bit liberating to be able to explore on land too, and I'm a sucker for any game or part of a game that takes place in a snowy environment. You guys know that about me by now.  #4 - Green Hell  Turns out I also like games that take place in the rainforest. Who would've thought?  Outside of finding that stupid puma, this was a blast. This is what I expect from my survival games. Yes, it's a bit janky and slow at times and can be overly frustrating to figure out what you're supposed to do, but so was The Long Dark. The best survival games are the most immersive and this one had me hooked from the beginning. I really liked how the map feels hand-crafted, with various landmarks and points of interest that you can keep coming back to serve as a temporary base camp or shelter. I think my favorite part of playing survival games has nothing to do with the gameplay -- it's those times when you're hunkered down in your camp, the flickering embers of your campfire about to go out, and your mind is either at ease or racing as you try to think of what course of action you should take next. There's a sense of freedom you feel when you're not a slave to a mini-map or a quest tracker (even though both are present here). It's up to you to decide what supplies you need, which path to take, where it's safe to stop, how long you're willing to travel in the dark. It reminds me of...oh, I always go back to this one, but the Western Plains of Karana in EverQuest. I loved being so far away from the safety and comfort of my hometown. I liked sitting in a guard tower, wondering if that howling in the distance was a werewolf that was going to come and rip me apart. I love when a game keeps me on my toes instead of holding my hand all the time. That's when you know a game is good -- when you want to KEEP on playing, not when a game forces you to keep playing.  But if that's a bit too poetic for you, then let me just say that I adored the turtle shells in this game. Maybe my favorite in-game item in a survival game. Not only do tortoises make good soup, but you can place the shells on the ground to collect rain water. I like how natural and rustic that feels. To pick on a much worse game again, look at Story of Seasons: Pioneers of Olive Town. Those "upgrades" to your farm just feel cold and mechanical. And I get that it's a farming game, not a survival game, and that not every game needs to make you feel like Bear Grylls, but it's so much easier to get immersed in a world in which the items you use and craft feel like they belong in that environment.  I don't know that I would recommend this game over something like, say, Subnautica, The Long Dark, or even The Forest, but this is a very fine survival game. I'm happy to have it in the A+ tier. In fact, I originally had it in S, but this marks the first time on this list that I actually moved a game down a tier. Just because I think the remaining three games are a bit better. 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rally-Vincent--- Posted December 19, 2023 Share Posted December 19, 2023 18 hours ago, Cassylvania said: Somehow, some way... They were fine. I think I'm more stunned than anything. Not only do we have a baker's dozen of storylines to keep track of, not only are they presented in a non-linear way, not only are complicated sci-fi concepts like time travel and parallel universes a thing, but the game has a way of making you think you know what's going on, only for the story to get even more convoluted than before. Unlike a certain popular franchise that features Mickey Mouse, though, this game never feels it's just making stuff up. There's a central plot here, and all the various storylines are connected to it, but you're drip-fed this stuff very slowly. It's basically Last Stop, but done right.  Perhaps the most remarkable thing is how you'll never have a favorite character or storyline. They're all your favorite. And because you'll often be revisiting the same scenes through the eyes of another character, your perspective will change over time too. You'll understand why a character might act in a certain way or say a particular thing, and you'll almost always side with the character you're playing as, even if you were just playing as the other one. It's neat. It's refreshing too. And, most importantly, I think, it's interesting. I didn't want to pop on a YouTube video or have music playing in the background. That's why it took me so long to complete this game. I legitimately wanted to see this story through, and the payoff was surprisingly worth it.  I felt this as high as I could put this game, which is actually a lot higher than I originally planned. I just can't deny how this game has stuck with me throughout the year, while others have come and gone.    A top 10 position is well deserved. The non-linearity really makes it a different experience for most people you talk to about the game. And the game could well be undertitled with "You've got to be kidding me". Well worth a play for anyone who enjoys story-telling. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrickwallBill Posted December 20, 2023 Share Posted December 20, 2023 On 12/18/2023 at 9:31 PM, Cassylvania said: Absolutely fantastic game. I have nothing else to say. You have zero excuse not to play this. Â My thoughts exactly, loved Deliver us the Moon so damn much. Hoping to play the sequel next year, and really hoping it works as well as the first installment. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vulpine9Tails Posted December 20, 2023 Share Posted December 20, 2023 18 hours ago, Cassylvania said: B+ Tier 30. Doom Eternal 29. Atelier Marie Remake 28. Dandara 27. Mighty Switch Force! Collection 26. The DioField Chronicle 25. Two Point Campus 24. Tropico 6 23. Story of Seasons: Pioneers of Olive Town 22. Axiom Verge 2 21. Atelier Ryza 3 20. Tunche 19. Star Wars Jedi: Survivor  A Tier 18. Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales 17. Risk of Rain 2 16. Unpacking 15. Risk of Rain 14. Inside 13. FAR: Lone Sails 12. Monster Boy and the Cursed Kingdom  A+ Tier 11. Yoku's Island Express 10. A Short Hike 9. Bugsnax 8. Carrion 7. 13 Sentinels 6. Deliver Us The Moon  I think Roki got lost somewhere in there. Was it supposed to be in A rank? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Cassylvania Posted December 20, 2023 Author Popular Post Share Posted December 20, 2023 (edited) 6 hours ago, BrickwallBill said:  My thoughts exactly, loved Deliver us the Moon so damn much. Hoping to play the sequel next year, and really hoping it works as well as the first installment.  Oh, that's right. I forgot there's a sequel. I'll have to add that to my list for next year too...  5 hours ago, Vulpine9Tails said: I think Roki got lost somewhere in there. Was it supposed to be in A rank?  Poor Roki isn't allowed to participate in this year's awards, since I made the cut off December 1. Same for Minoria and Sea of Stars. I kinda mentioned where I'd rank them in those reviews, but I'm way too lazy to have to re-number everything. (Off the top of my head, I think they're all mid-tier games. Maybe B tier, except for SoS, which would be a bit higher.)  I do that because I'm inherently going to have a stronger opinion towards December games since I just got done playing them.  Now, I know why you're all here, but we're going to have to make a bit of a detour today. I want three more plats before the year is over so I can end on a nice round number.  Platinum #408 - Everdream Valley  Ahh. Do you smell that, guys? It's the scent of fresh manure. No, I'm not talking about a farming game -- I'm talking about a shit game. Let's get right to it.  Everdream Valley is a farming sim brought to you by Mooneaters, the makers of... Everdream Valley, and published by Untold Tales and Varsav Game Studios. Now, Untold Tales has published a bunch of games I've never heard of (except Arise, which I hear is good), but Varsav only has one other published game on the PSN catalog. Bee Simulator. Let that set the tone for the rest of this review.  So, let's begin with the premise. You are a kid sent to work on your grandparents' farm on what is seemingly a never-ending summer vacation. For once, though, your grandparents are alive! In fact, outside of the merchant, I'm pretty sure they're the only NPCs in the entire game. There is no village, no townspeople, no romance options (that's good -- you're a kid). Just you and a very... very... very big valley.  The problems start right away. Character customization is limited. They do this thing where you're not able to choose a gender, which is fine, but there's only one body type. My typical rule when it comes to video games is that I'll play as a guy character if there are romance options and a girl character if there's not. I usually just look this up real quickly before I start a game. Here, I tried playing as a girl, but she definitely looked like a boy from behind. Maybe it was the hairstyle I picked. Not a big deal, but when you're playing a game with only a handful of character models, seeing more options for the playable character would be nice. I'd like to play as a chubby farmer for once.  Then the game gets started and you're introduced to the loop. This is where I'll say some nice things. The graphics are serviceable. They're actually really pretty at times -- especially the grass. I'm actually amazed at how much texture is shown. You can even plant grass seeds and flowers all across the valley, which was unexpected. The trees are nice too, but there's some pop-in. The rocks need work. Water is OK. The audio is OK too and -- holy crap, I have a lot of ducks (sorry, I'm writing this review as I'm wrapping up the last trophy and I just saw there are about a hundred ducks in my pond starving to death). I like when the music kicks in. This is definitely intended to be a relaxing, slow-paced game, and it plays that way.  I struggle to call this a farming game. Yes, there's a farm. Yes, it's a game. But you'll spend most of time herding animals. That's really what it's about. The basic gameplay loop goes something like this: receive a quest to find an animal, seek the animal out in the valley using the in-game map, dream about the animal (more on this in a second), and bring the animal back to the farm. It's the last part that sucks. Maybe I'm doing something wrong, but the way you're intended to bring animals back is among the stupidest game design decisions I've seen this year. And they trick you. They make you THINK it's going to be fun when you receive the first task: bring back the chickens. Chickens are easy. You can pick up chickens. You can physically run back to your farm when you have them in tow. (Well, "run" until your run out of stamina. As if I didn't get enough of this in Genshin. This is one of those games where you'll need to conserve just a little bit of stamina or you'll have to wait until the whole thing refills to use again.)  Then you see what the game is REALLY about. How do you think you bring back sheep or goats or alpacas or horses? You pet them and they follow you. For 30 seconds. (According to the patch notes, it used to be TWENTY seconds. Are they insane?) Then they get bored and start wandering away. Sometimes they'll even run from you! So, you run up to them and pet them again. Do this over and over until you manage to guide them all the way back to your farm (which I think is technically near the middle of the map, but it sure doesn't feel like it). This is painfully slow. And you'll need to build a pen and guide them into the pen if you want them to stay in the relative vicinity of your farm. Not sure it matters, outside of breeding. I just let most of my animals roam free. They seem to be fine grazing on grass. (Except those ducks. Dunno why they were starving. I'm not even sure you can pen up the ducks because they use the pond?)  You can also "guide" animals by using the fact that they run from you to your advantage. Simply chase them towards your farm...or wherever the game asks you to. You actually need to do this for the beaver quest. I think it's one of the last quests you get in the game and it was awful. It takes like 5-10 minutes to get one beaver to take the correct path along the stream bank, across the bridge, and into the forest -- or you can be an asshole like me and try to get all five beavers at once. Does that sound like fun? It's not.  That's basically how the game plays. You can grow crops and do some cooking and crafting, but the actual storyline centers around finding animals because your character "dreams" about them at night. That's where this game's title comes into play. Every time you go to sleep, you have a dream. Some of these dreams involve you talking to the animal you just found or rescued. That's how you advance the plot. When you're NOT having a Doctor Dolittle dream, you get to spin a wheel and play a mini-game based around one of the animals you rescued. I believe there are seven of these. To the developer who designed these mini-games: what is wrong with you?  Where do I begin? First, these are very simple mini-games. You get to play as the animal and do something that might typically be associated with that animal. For example, the duck mini-game has you trying to gather all your ducklings in the pond. Every time you touch one, it follows along behind you, becoming like a big conga line. Accidentally run into one of the ducklings or onto the shore, though, and they'll all swim away. I'm making this sound more fun than it is. These ducklings fuckin' hate you and will not only try to swim away from you, but will purposely gather by the shore so you're just as likely to break the line as touch them. And every time you complete one of these mini-games successfully, it gets harder the next time you roll it. You CAN skip these games, but you need to complete 10 of them for a trophy. I chose to do the duck game because the others were even worse. The chicken game WAS fun until I reached this stage that only gave me 10 seconds to lay five eggs. Not even sure that's possible. The goat game has you trying to balance on an obstacle course. Fall and you start back from the beginning. The horse race makes me want to put my fist through the wall. And the wolves. The goddamn wolves. It's not even a mini-game. It's more like a punishment. If you're unfortunate enough to roll this game, the wolves will come and attack your farm. Your ACTUAL farm. They'll break your fences and try to steal your sheep. You play as your dog and try to scare them away. But whatever sheep they do steal or fences they break will apply to your game. So, get ready to do more herding and building. (Or be like me and save before you sleep so you can reload if you get the wolves.)  Speaking of wolves... Don't stay out too late or the wolves will find you and...ask you politely to go home for the night. Yeah. I thought it was funny too.  Ain't much else to the game, guys. My biggest complaint is simply how long it takes to go anywhere or do anything. It's pretty, but shallow and rather boring. There's no real incentive to make money or farm or even take care of your animals. If you're trying to get the platinum, you don't even need to finish the main game. I was done when I got to the beavers. The one thing I would suggest if you're going to play this is to get as many apples or berries as you can. A couple big stacks will do. Every time you eat one, your stamina is restored (and the bar gets slightly longer, up to a point). And since you're likely to wind up with a few hundred, that means you can just chow down on food while you're running around and never have to stop sprinting. I guess you could ride your horse too, but you won't. Do the horse race once and you'll see why.  The trophies to focus on are the ones for raising 20 animals, raising 20 chickens (doesn't count as animals for some reason), and catching all the species of butterflies. That last one probably requires a guide. Some of them only appear in specific areas, and some of them don't appear in your guide book for whatever reason.  I'm happy to say I crushed the PSNP guide time on this one. It says 20 hours to platinum and I got it in 19. I suppose I can agree with the 2/10 difficulty too. The mini-games are frustrating, but they're not hard. They're not fun either. This was just a very standard farming animal herding game. Not worth playing. I'd put PoOT over this, and it's not even close.  As far as placement goes... I dunno. Better than Bee Sim, for sure. Better than DBZ. Better than Larry. Not...quite as good as The Artful Escape. So, high 40s. Somewhere in the low to mid-C tier. Unlike Bee Sim, though, I think there's the potential for a good game here. It's not fundamentally broken. It just needs to be more condensed. We need more stuff to do and less time to get there. The mini-games should be something to look forward to. I don't want to groan every time I roll a game, regardless of which one it is. The wolf one is fine because it's supposed to be bad, but the others should be a joy to play. So should this game. It just falls short.  Sadly, not recommended. Edited December 20, 2023 by Cassylvania 6 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Cassylvania Posted December 21, 2023 Author Popular Post Share Posted December 21, 2023 (edited) The 5th Annual Game of the Year Awards (2023) #3-1  Current Ranking  D Tier 53. Bee Simulator 52. Time on Frog Island  C Tier 51. Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot 50. Klonoa Phantasy Reverie Series 49. Haven 48. Leisure Suit Larry: Wet Dreams Don't Dry 47. Cotton Reboot! 46. Rooms: The Unsolvable Puzzle 45. The Artful Escape 44. Katamari Damacy Reroll 43. Drawngeon  C+ Tier 42. Hundred Days 41. Rise of the Slime 40. Life is Strange: True Colors  B Tier 39. Virginia 38. Omno 37. Eiyuden Chronicle: Rising 36. Endling 35. Forma.8 34. Lost in Random 33. Minit 32. Catmaze 31. Lake  B+ Tier 30. Doom Eternal 29. Atelier Marie Remake 28. Dandara 27. Mighty Switch Force! Collection 26. The DioField Chronicle 25. Two Point Campus 24. Tropico 6 23. Story of Seasons: Pioneers of Olive Town 22. Axiom Verge 2 21. Atelier Ryza 3 20. Tunche 19. Star Wars Jedi: Survivor  A Tier 18. Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales 17. Risk of Rain 2 16. Unpacking 15. Risk of Rain 14. Inside 13. FAR: Lone Sails 12. Monster Boy and the Cursed Kingdom  A+ Tier 11. Yoku's Island Express 10. A Short Hike 9. Bugsnax 8. Carrion 7. 13 Sentinels 6. Deliver Us The Moon 5. Subnautica: Below Zero 4. Green Hell  Remaining Games Detroit: Become Human Gal Guardians: Demon Purge Rain World We're finally there, guys. Not only are we at the last three games, but they're all in S rank. Since the only surprise left is which order I'll put the next two games, I guess we'll just finish it up here...  #3 - Gal Guardians: Demon Purge  There are a lot of negative things I did with my gaming decisions this year, but the one I'm most proud of is the sheer number of Metroidvanias I put myself through. I think this makes eight, depending on how generous you are with the definition of that genre. It was also the best. I said it in my original review and I'll say it again now: this was one of the most pure fun games I played in 2023 and probably my easiest recommendation. There's even an argument to be made that I could put this game at #2 or even #1 (!) because, much like Deliver Us The Moon, I have almost nothing bad to say about it. In fact, my only real "complaint" (if you can call it that) is an odd game design decision. I guess that's what I'll spend the next paragraph talking about.  So, I don't want to rehash all the game's mechanics here, but you can freely swap between two characters at any time: Maya, who is a melee character, and Shinobu, who is a ranged character. Given that this is an action platformer, where your main goal is killing enemies and not getting hit, which one are you most likely to play as? Would you guess it's also the one with the most HP? I think I'm the only person, based on all the reviews I read and watched, that thought it was weird that the ranged character is also the tank. I don't think there's much of an incentive or advantage to playing as Maya. She MIGHT do more damage, but it's not like Shinobu has slow-moving projectiles... She has a freakin' machine gun. Why would you NOT stand back and shoot enemies, given the option? And it seems like a simple fix, right? Just swap their health bars. I don't know if there's a reason the game was designed that way (maybe Maya is weaker than Shinobu in the Gal*Gun universe?), but the only reason I ever found it useful to play as Maya is if Shinobu is low on health. Because if you die as Maya, it's easy enough to get back to her to revive as Shinobu. But if you die as Shinobu, you might as well kill Maya so you can restart at the last checkpoint with both.  That's such a small complaint, though. It doesn't hurt the game in any way. Yes, the whole "finding the girls' panties" sub-quest is dumb, but the gameplay is solid, the music is good, and the graphics are great. There's a reason the SNES has simply aged the best out of all the retro consoles. There's even a part of the game towards the end where it opens up, similar to SotN, which gives it plenty of replay value. (Emphasis on value. Most games with NG+ modes forget that part.)  I'm not sure why this game caught my eye, but I'm glad it did.   #2 - Detroit: Become Human  Easily one of the best story-driven games I've ever played. Certainly the best this year. I just really liked the characters and the story. Even the characters I didn't like -- like TODD, MOTHER F'IN TODD -- were memorable and played their part well. It's hard for me to get invested in a story because I'm trying to play so many games at once, but sometimes I just get hooked and I want to see where the story takes me. This one took me to all sorts of places. And, just like 13 Sentinels, there's no clear "favorite" when it comes to characters or storylines. That's why I made the joke in the OG review that every character was the best character. (But really it was Kara. I mean, that scene where she's cleaning the house for Todd was the moment I fell in love with the game.)  There's also another thing I said in my review that the androids in this game had more personality than most human characters in other games. That is, I think, intentional. I mean, it's literally the subtitle. But that's not an easy thing to do, and I'm not an easy person to please. I'll admit that. I spend most of my reviews thinking of ways to nitpick and criticize every little thing. I just spent a whole paragraph complaining about the relative size of health bars. I feel like a terrible person sometimes. I obviously like games. I obviously want to be entertained. I just think a lot of games struggle to hold my attention when it comes to storytelling. This was such a positive and welcome experience that it kinda caught me off-guard. That's... all I have to say about this. Easy recommendation if you haven't gotten to it yet.  Onto #1, my GAME! OF! THE! YEAR!  Drum roll please...  ...  ...  ...  This is the most anti-climatic thing ever...  ...  ...  ...  You all already know what it is...  ...  ...  ...  It's literally the only game left...  ...  ...  ...  #1 - Rain World  This shit was over in July. The only way this wasn't getting GOTY from me is MAYBE if I stopped letting Elden Ring collect dust on my shelf for 12 months. (Still not sure what that's about.) But before we get into this, I want to show you guys the results of my most played games this year. (Hopefully this works. I have trouble embedding images from time to time.)   Two things. First, I'd like to point out I platinumed Genshin last year. Keep that in mind if you decide to ever play that. Second, let me remind you of my play schedule for Rain World. This is for all the new people and those who forgot. I started playing that game because it was on my wheel. Somebody recommended it, I just happened to roll it for the month of July, and I started playing it. Coincidentally, July was also the month when the DLC dropped. So, let's review. I got the first trophy on July 1, platinumed the game on July 6, heard about the DLC, started playing the DLC on July 16 (or so), and got the 100% on July 29. That's 230 hours of playtime over the course of a single month, keeping in mind that I took about a week and a half break. As of right now, I only see six other people with 100%. There are very few records I hold on this site. I'm not even sure of another one I hold. But I do believe, unless some Rain World expert makes a new account, that my 4 weeks and 11 hours to platinum this game will be IMMORTALIZED forever.  I'm not saying that as a humble brag (or to be egotistical, as some would have you believe). I'm saying that because what I did over the month of July was so fuckin' unhealthy that I should have sought therapy. I felt like Doug Funnie in that episode where he gets so addicted to a video game that he forgets to do his homework or what day it is. This wasn't one of those games that I just casually played while listening to music or let sit idle for hours, like Genshin. This was a game that I was fully invested in. I took time off work. I stayed up late. I got up BEFORE DAWN and played. I put what little social life I have on hold for an entire month because I was so determined to see each of these little slugcats through to the end. I don't think I have ever been this deep into a video game before. Even with XCOM 2, I found the time to, you know, shower and eat. There is a gameplay loop here that is so addictive, so fun, so frustrating, and so dangerous that I question if I should even recommend this game.  And I've been thinking to myself... there's actually a second way this could've not been my GOTY. What if I hadn't rolled it in July? Remember: I only tried to get it done as quickly as I did because I thought it'd be cool to 100% every game I roll in the month I rolled them (guess I failed with that now, oops). If I had rolled it June or August or literally any other month, I would've felt no obligation to rush the game. I could've taken my time. I could still be working on it. And would that influence my ranking? I've been trying to NOT include the DLC experience in with these games. Usually, DLCs are just something that appear later down the line, I play them and don't really think much about them. I don't even know how many times on this list had DLC. DOOM? Two Point Campus, I guess. Bugsnax? Dandara? Meh. Just more of the same. I don't think the DLC would make me feel differently about the base game.  Rain World is different. I would argue it's the best DLC I've ever played. XCOM 2's WotC is up there too. But you're talking about FIVE different slugcats, each with their own abilities and storylines. That might not sound impressive, given the only major change is how your character plays, but believe me when I say that something as simple as making your character just a little faster or being able to hold two spears instead of one VASTLY changes the gameplay -- to the point that I feel this game could ENDLESSLY be modded to create unique experiences.  I didn't intend for this final entry to come across more as an AA meeting than a review, but I do think there is a danger in video game addiction. I worry about it with Genshin too. 230 hours in the span of what is honestly three weeks is not healthy. I need to check myself before I wreck myself. I know I played Persona 5 Royal in 2020, around the same time of the year, and I remember getting really addicted to that.  That said, I wouldn't put 230 hours into anything unless I liked it. Especially not in that short of a time span. This was such an immersive game. Made me nervous and anxious and scared at the same time. It was awesome. I still have nightmares of that torrential downpour that appears if you don't reach shelter in time. Is this a survival game? Is it a platformer? I'm not really sure. It's probably the most convoluted game I played this year, but it also relies heavily on physics and RNG. We've discussed several games that do those concepts worse. Mostly, I'd say this is an ecology simulator. You are simply one creature among many. In most games, there are good guys and there are bad guys. Here, just like in nature, there is simply life -- and life that devours other life. You can use this to your advantage because you're not the only edible source of food for the creatures around, but you also have to be aware that every creature is trying to do their best to survive. It's such a simple concept, but what this game does with it is remarkable.  This game needs to come with a warning tag. I do hope you try it, though.  And with that, guys, I think I'm going to call it. I had fun looking back at some of these games. It's always interesting to try to see how games stack up against each other. I'm usually only comparing games when they belong to a similar genre or when I'm trying to find a good segue from the last game I just played. I'm not sure I would've put Gal Guardians, for example, at #3, unless I really sat down and thought how solid of an experience it was. And...you know, when I look back over the full list now, I wonder if maybe I was too harsh on some games or might some higher than they deserve. I kinda feel bad for Haven. I don't know that it's really the fifth worse game this year. Hell, I don't even know if Rain World was the best. If the DLC had never dropped and my only experience was the 40 or so hours the base game took...yeah, I dunno. I think I would've finished it too quickly for anything to really stick with me or register. Maybe Bugsnax is a bit too high and Omno was probably better than...well, Eiyuden for sure. I hated that game. Mostly, I'm looking at DioField and wondering how I allowed it anywhere above C tier. But... again, this isn't supposed to be scientific. I don't even know if it's going to be static. Maybe my opinions will change next year. Maybe next year, I'll be reviewing some game and I'll say, "You know, Katamari was actually really fun."  And when that day comes, I ask you all to check me into therapy for real. Edited December 21, 2023 by Cassylvania 12 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ProfSeajay7 Posted December 23, 2023 Share Posted December 23, 2023 (edited) On 12/20/2023 at 9:20 PM, Cassylvania said: Maybe next year, I'll be reviewing some game and I'll say, "You know, Katamari was actually really fun." Â And when that day comes, I ask you all to check me into therapy for real. Â Oh, trust me, you will need to go do therapy if you decide to do the Katamari Reroll games. I played the original Katamari Damacy and We Love Katamari and that damn King of Cosmos is such a mean dad, making you kill everyone in the world by rolling them into a ball and burning them for star fuel. Then again, he did get stinking drunk and destroyed the moon. Have a merry Christmas and a Happy New Year and I'll see you in 2024. Edited December 23, 2023 by ProfSeajay7 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Cassylvania Posted December 23, 2023 Author Popular Post Share Posted December 23, 2023 The 5th Annual Game of the Year Awards (2023) Final Curtain  No, I'm not changing any of my rankings. We'd be here all of next year if I tried doing that. Instead, I'd just like to give the December games a chance for once. I'm not going to write an article about why I placed each of them where I did -- I literally just reviewed all four of these games and explained about where they'd land -- but that should give you a rough idea of how my most recent games would stack up against the rest. Everdream Valley, of course, gets the worst of it, but Sea of Stars ended up higher than I expected. It's still a very solid game and deserves to be ranked among the better games in 2023. Minoria and Roki end up somewhere in the middle. Short, somewhat forgettable experiences that still had a bit of charm to make playing through it pleasurable. Same with all the games in the B tier.  Current Ranking  D Tier 53. Bee Simulator 52. Time on Frog Island  C Tier 51. Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot 50. Klonoa Phantasy Reverie Series 49. Haven 48. Leisure Suit Larry: Wet Dreams Don't Dry 47. Cotton Reboot! 46. Rooms: The Unsolvable Puzzle Everdream Valley 45. The Artful Escape 44. Katamari Damacy Reroll 43. Drawngeon  C+ Tier 42. Hundred Days 41. Rise of the Slime 40. Life is Strange: True Colors  B Tier 39. Virginia 38. Omno 37. Eiyuden Chronicle: Rising 36. Endling 35. Forma.8 34. Lost in Random Minoria 33. Minit 32. Catmaze Roki 31. Lake  B+ Tier 30. Doom Eternal 29. Atelier Marie Remake 28. Dandara 27. Mighty Switch Force! Collection 26. The DioField Chronicle 25. Two Point Campus 24. Tropico 6 23. Story of Seasons: Pioneers of Olive Town 22. Axiom Verge 2 21. Atelier Ryza 3 20. Tunche 19. Star Wars Jedi: Survivor  A Tier 18. Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales 17. Risk of Rain 2 16. Unpacking 15. Risk of Rain 14. Inside Sea of Stars 13. FAR: Lone Sails 12. Monster Boy and the Cursed Kingdom  A+ Tier 11. Yoku's Island Express 10. A Short Hike 9. Bugsnax 8. Carrion 7. 13 Sentinels 6. Deliver Us The Moon 5. Subnautica: Below Zero 4. Green Hell  S Tier 3. Gal Guardians: Demon Purge 2. Detroit: Become Human 1. Rain World  I guess that makes 57 completed games this year. I'd still like to shoot for 410 platinums before the year ends, so we'll try to get a couple more in there. Maybe I can even do a 100% game to make it an even 60 games. I think that would be a record.  Anyway, quick rant here. I didn't really get a chance to talk about this while I was ranking each game, but one of the reasons I wanted to ditch the wheel is because I want to re-focus my efforts in 2024. I feel like we kinda got sidetracked this year. That's not a bad thing, and it's not like I'm going through a midlife crisis with what I'm about to say, but...well, I'm getting older, guys. The number of games I want to play continues to grow, while my time on this spinning blue ball continues to get smaller. I have to accept that I just won't be able to play everything I want. I also have to accept that I don't have to play everything that comes my way. This is why I think we need to redefine the word backlog.  Since the start of this account, I've taken "backlog" to mean games I own but haven't yet played. I have over 130 of these. (It's actually a LOT more than that, but I crossed out a large number of games that I never intend to play for a variety of reasons.) I was hoping to get this list under 100 games this year. Instead, I think it's bigger than when I started. This is despite me completing almost 60 games. I also just blew $80 on the current holiday sale. Realistically, I don't expect to get around to all these.  And what happens when I do? I end up playing a bunch of games I only bought because I saw they were on sale and had a fleeting interest in them. That's how I got stuck with Larry, Bee Sim, and Drawngeon. If you told me I could only play three games this year and those were the ones I picked, imagine how miserable I would be! Poor Elden Ring is STILL collecting dust. Why have I sidestepped this game for so long, when I know it's going to be great? I don't think it's necessarily a length or difficulty thing. I mean, I'm obviously not afraid of a challenge. Maybe it's more like a dessert thing, where I feel I have to eat my gross vegetables first before I can have any cake. Or did I honestly think any of these three games would be fun experiences? I dunno. But I don't want 2024 to be a repeat of 2023, where I just end up playing a bunch of middling games that are more likely to compete for the bottom tiers than GOTY. I want 2024 to be full of amazing experiences. I want a bloodthirsty battle for first place. I want you guys screaming and agonizing over which game will claim the top spot. I want some Souls games and Resident Evils and all that AAA nonsense that always wins the real awards. I want next year's awards to be the most challenging one yet! I just want to look back and say, "Damn, boys. That was a good year." Not just, "Damn..."  So... I don't want to leave 2024 up to guesswork, or up to chance, or up to whatever game just happens to go on sale at a time when money is burning a hole through my pocket. I want 2024 to be a targeted effort. I want to tackle the games I've always said I'll get to. No more running or hiding or making excuses that this cute little farming game will compare against the behemoths that are out there. We are the boy in Shadow of the Colossus, guys. We have wondrous monsters to slay. Let us go, let us march forward, and let us TAKE DOWN THE GREATEST BEASTS SONY HAS TO OFFER.  I don't exactly know what this means right now. Maybe I'll make a checklist, maybe I'll sort my games by Metacritic score. Whatever I do, I want to feel like I'm glad I played the games I did, that I wasn't just snacking between meals. But we will make an effort to play more games in the genres that I love too. That's one thing I'm glad we did in 2023. We played a lot of Metroidvanias. I kinda slacked when it came to survival/farming games, but at least we played a couple of each. When it comes to taking chances on video games, I'd really like to stick to the genres I know best. At least those are easier for me to rank.  Anyway, that's a lot of word salad that doesn't mean anything just yet. I'll think about it more after the holiday.  Have a fun and safe whatever-you-celebrate and I'll see you after the festivities, when we try to squeeze in at least a couple more games to wrap up this year. Will they be presents or lumps of coal? We'll find out soon. 9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ProfSeajay7 Posted December 27, 2023 Share Posted December 27, 2023 On 12/23/2023 at 11:52 AM, Cassylvania said: one of the reasons I wanted to ditch the wheel is because I want to re-focus my efforts in 2024.  Yeah, I am also refocusing my efforts. That is why I made three checklist threads - one for my list of platinums, a temporary one which will be locked involving getting a Platinum Rain Day Challenge in hopes of motivating me to do more games. (It's not working, Dragon Quest Monsters is consuming my life. ) And a third one where I made a second account to platinum all the games that will never be 100% because their DLC is too difficult for me.  On 12/23/2023 at 11:52 AM, Cassylvania said: well, I'm getting older, guys.  So are we all. I just celebrated my 51st this year and I am starting to regret not getting into high school romance when I was in high school as my younger sisters have married twice and had kids with their second husband where as for me... I haven't even kissed a girl.  On 12/23/2023 at 11:52 AM, Cassylvania said: The number of games I want to play continues to grow, while my time on this spinning blue ball continues to get smaller.  Same here, only the number of games that I keep repeating keeps growing. This is why I am doing two accounts this time - one to fuel my completionist lust and the other to play the fun games that just will never get completed. My time on this ball is probably shorter than yours and I just hope that Square-Enix closes their doors before I die of old age so that I see the true Final Days for Final Fantasy XIV and the franchise in general before I leave this mortal coil.  I too have to accept that I won't be able to finish all the games I want to(which is why I created the second account, to dump all the platinum trophies I will earn that I will not put on my main account so they get some respect. I'm sure younger gamers could take the time to finish the DLCs for these games, but I'm not in that group of patient, stubborn individuals. 😠On 12/23/2023 at 11:52 AM, Cassylvania said: And what happens when I do? I end up playing a bunch of games I only bought because I saw they were on sale and had a fleeting interest in them.  Yeah, I made mistakes like that myself. Two accounts ago I bought Color Slayer because they said it was an easy platinum. IT WASN'T. Same with Rogue Cube. Seriously, I know a top-stick shooter fan would love to platinum Rogue Cube, but I am not that fan. I get frustrated as hell when I die in a game, that's why I can not bring myself to play Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix anymore. The farthest I got in Critcial Mode was Roxas, and then he wiped the floor with my a$$ over and over with the first attack. (Of course, I didn't realize that you have to use Reflect the instant the battle starts or you die. I'm not willing to test that when there are more interesting games to play.) On 12/23/2023 at 11:52 AM, Cassylvania said: We have wondrous monsters to slay. Let us go, let us march forward, and let us TAKE DOWN THE GREATEST BEASTS SONY HAS TO OFFER. Hear hear, Cassy... and I'll be Orda who will grab your hand and drag you to those beasts if you ever get tempted to buy stuff on sale, as long as you drag me to do the games that I promised I would buy for my secondary account in the Platinum Difficulty Challenge. 😜 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Together_Comic Posted January 1 Share Posted January 1 On 12/18/2023 at 8:31 PM, Cassylvania said: #6 - Deliver Us the Moon  Absolutely fantastic game. I have nothing else to say. You have zero excuse not to play this. It's a sub-10 hour platinum, I don't think there are any missable trophies, and it's super easy. Take the 2-3 minutes it'd usually take you to read one of my reviews and go download it. Consider that my Christmas gift to you.  A gift you have to pay for, but maybe you can still get it free on PS+ Extra.  So I started this game today on this recommendation, and I have to say that I definitely agree with this recommendation.  I can't think of the last time that I finished a game and was like yeah, I'm ready to play the sequel now (though I will probably hold off a bit).  Thanks for the recommendation. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Cassylvania Posted January 4 Author Popular Post Share Posted January 4 (edited) On 12/31/2023 at 7:19 PM, Together_Comic said: So I started this game today on this recommendation, and I have to say that I definitely agree with this recommendation.  I can't think of the last time that I finished a game and was like yeah, I'm ready to play the sequel now (though I will probably hold off a bit).  Thanks for the recommendation.  Glad to hear it! That game was one of my main reasons for the whole previous rant/New Year's resolution. It occurred to me at the end of the year that I could've been playing, say, the sequel to that game (which I did pick up in the recent sale), instead of...you know, trash. Not that I played a lot of trash in 2023, but when I know a game is going to be good, why take chances on something else?  We'll still seek out some hidden gems this year. I just want to make sure I'm at least getting around to the games that have a solid backing. Deliver Us The Moon was one of them.  Anyway, I obviously failed at getting two platinums done last week. I didn't even get one. And my Wordle streak finally ended at 547 straight victories.  Everything changed when the Fire Nation attacked the calendar flipped. Arise, my first platinum of the year! ARISE!  Platinum #409 - Arise  We're kicking things off this year with a game I didn't finish in 2023. Hopefully this sets a precedent. *ahem, dramatic voice* From the publishers of Everdream Valley (oh no)... with a subtitle that is as pointless as they come ("A simple story")... we have a colorful 3D platformer about a dying man's journey to the afterlife. Join...I dunno, he doesn't have a name...some guy as he relives the ups and downs of his life. Experience the magic of love for the first time and the inevitable heartbreak that comes with loss. But is this a game that will get a rise out of you, or is this just a simple pass? (Oh, yeah. I still have it.)  In Arise, you... dang, I already explained the plot. Damn my need to wax poetically when the situation calls for it. Anyway, you play as some dude as his corpse burns. It's not a spoiler. It's literally how the game begins. We're going to call the guy Olaf because I got strong Nordic feels from the game, but I'm pretty sure the developers are Spanish. (In fact, their whole team was. I know because I actually sat through the credits. They were short enough. And I have to say -- as probably the only person to watch the credits, why are Tony Soprano and Marty McFly listed? Did they think I wasn't going to notice that? I see you, Piccolo Studios.)  So, Olaf is dead and you're basically playing through a series of levels that are intended to represent an important time in his life. I believe there are ten of them. Just to give you guys an example, the first stage has you playing as Olaf as he relives the early part of his childhood. You're always playing as old (dead) Olaf, but you can get a good feel for the period of time in his life, his general state of mind, and the events that are transpiring through the music, scenery, and collectible/visual "memories" in each level. The memories are probably the best representation of this because each one shows a simple drawing that makes it very clear what is happening. For example, you see little Olaf sitting alone on the grass while the other kids are playing. Before we go on, I just want to say THIS is how collectibles should be done in video games. We can argue semantics and about whether or not they should be missable until the cows come home, but actually incorporating lore into your collectibles does so much for basic storytelling. It's very impressive to me if you can capture the essence of a moment and all the emotions and implications that come with it with a crude drawing. I could show you any of the memories in this game and you'd instantly know what is happening and how the characters are feeling.  Now, obviously, the plot here isn't very deep. I think most of us who live to be as old as Olaf would have more than ten life experiences to relive, but they're mainly just trying to hit the major ones. And each level is probably the culmination of several weeks, months, or even years of his life. You'll probably have a good idea of where the story is going from the very beginning. I don't think there were too many surprises along the way. But there are enough key milestones that are hit that I'm sure anybody who has lived for any period of time can relate to at least some of the events Olaf goes through. That's all I'm going to say about the story.  Where this game excels -- because, if you can't tell already, I clearly liked this -- is in the audio and visual department. I knew that going in. (Like I said, taking less risks this year.) But it really hits you here. The highs FEEL like highs. The lows feel like lows. This is probably a recommendation simply from that alone. I hate using words like "striking" in my reviews because that's what developers want to call their games when they want to sound pompous, but I think it applies here. Even moreso because of the way it incorporates music and sound into its visuals. Play it and you'll see.  But what I want to talk is the gameplay. I have minor complaints here. The controls are slippery at times. The jumping is a little whack. Because this is a 3D platformer, you sometimes have to jump at angles that aren't easy to judge. It's not uncommon to mistime a jump or to land in an awkward way that either causes Olaf to miss the platform, fall to his death, or just die because fall damage is real even in the afterlife. (Seriously, he'll die from much shorter drops than you'd expect, depending on the level and terrain.) There's no combat here. You could say there's puzzle-solving, but it's very basic. You're mostly looking at a precision platformer, but not an overly frustrating one.  There's also the game's main gimmick, which I haven't discussed. You can control time. You use the left joystick to control Olaf and the right joystick to control time (left for rewind and right for fast forward). You can also pause time with either right trigger button. How this affects the game depends on the level, but you can kinda think of each level as an almost "frozen" moment in Olaf's life, where you have the ability to control the events (e.g. seasons, falling objects, rotating platforms because this is a platformer, etc.) that are happening. To give you another example, I'll go back to the first level. You are essentially island-hopping. By fast-forwarding time, you can cause the water level to rise, while rewinding time causes it to recede. In later levels, you might need to pause time (or to hold down the pause button while slowly moving time forward or backward) in order to traverse obstacles. And, I have to say... this is a really cool gimmick. Let me explain why.  It's actually cooler than I make it sound because every level is unique in the way it uses this concept, AND -- AND, GUYS -- it actually fits into the overall theme of the game. THAT is what makes this game special. It's not only the audios and visuals that match the tone of the story. The highs in his life feel light and bouncy. The lows are frustrating. The hardest sections of this game are the ones where Olaf is going through difficult times. It's a simple enough thing, but it makes sense that you should be feeling what Olaf is feeling. It's also neat (but harder to explain without spoiling more of the plot) how the theme is each level matches the story. So... for example... the first couple levels take place mostly during spring. That's a good place to set someone's childhood. From there, you can probably infer what the later years are going to be like. But even the imagery that is used, the way that the gimmick changes just a little in each level to keep things fresh... It's so good, guys.  Easy recommendation here, but but but... don't think you're getting off easy just because it's a 10-12 hour platinum, with essentially no missable trophies since you can replay every level. This follows in the footsteps of the likes of Unravel, giving you stuff like "beat this level without dying" and "don't let the spooky guys touch you" (always good advice). I think every stage has three trophies: one for beating it, one for finding all the collectibles, and one for doing some sort of challenge. Sometimes that challenge is simple, but others are more difficult... mostly the ones that involve not dying or not touching the spooky stuff. But that's OK. You know why? Because it means you get to enjoy a great game AND get yourself a respectable platinum. It's like a win-win. Take your double platinum, guys. You deserve it.  Hey, I'm not always overly critical in my reviews. I give credit where credit is due. Outside of some minor hiccups with the camera and controls, this is a very solid indie title, and maybe the best that does the whole playing-as-a-dead-character thing. I'd have to think about that. Everdream Valley stumbled down the stairs with roller skates on its feet and a bucket over its head so Arise could fly. I think we're off to a pretty good start this year with this one. Edited January 20 by Cassylvania 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ProfSeajay7 Posted January 4 Share Posted January 4 This sounds like an interesting game, Cassy. As for me... I'm trying to knock down both versions of LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga. Yeah, 90 levels of pure torture and then another 90 to get all the LEGO bricks. But I decided to do it to show that it is possible despite how f'king long these LEGO games are. (I already platted LEGO Jurassic World and LEGO Harry Potter, both titles). Â Also planning on deleting my old FFXIV account and reinstating a new one on my second account which has all the platinums I earn for games where I won't finish the DLC trophies, just because. I am growing old and I remembered you saying how you redid accounts and I want to stop this habit of starting over NOW. So that's why there are two accounts - one for the 100% account of games that I can 100% and one for having fun. (Not to say that I won't be having fun platinuming on my first account, I plan to pop a ton of platinums in the summer by doing a Platinum Rain Day challenge. ) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super_Mep Posted January 5 Share Posted January 5 @ProfSeajay7 You'll never want to see a Lego ever again if you do both versions back to back. 😅 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ProfSeajay7 Posted January 5 Share Posted January 5 4 hours ago, Super_Mep said: @ProfSeajay7 You'll never want to see a Lego ever again if you do both versions back to back. 😅  Yeah, I sort of shot myself in the foot. Luckily, I was only alternating between versions for the story modes. Now that I've gotten all 45 levels in both versions done, I can focus on one version at a time. Also, I've already started LEGO Harry Potter Years 5-7 on the Vita for the Kaledioscope challenge. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Cassylvania Posted January 9 Author Popular Post Share Posted January 9 We got ourselves the second plat of the year, guys. Didn't take long to drop a "Where do you find these games, C-dawg!?" on you.  Platinum #410 - Gylt  Well, the game may be obscure, but you are likely familiar with Tequila Works' other titles: Rime and The Sexy Brutale. That's why this game was less of a risk than you might think. Anyway, I can't pronounce the title, let alone come up with a clever intro using it, so let's just get straight into this one.  Gylt (Guilt? Jilt?) is a... hm. I'd call it a stealth horror puzzle game. The closest comparison I can think of is Yomawari. It doesn't have the same shock value as that, but it's just as unsettling. That kinda came as a surprise to me because I went into this game almost completely blind. (It's the usual case of someone mentioned it as a hidden gem in some video, I saw it on sale, and I decided to knock it out since it's allegedly short.) Had I known the genre, I probably would've waited until fall.  The setting of the game is the scariest thing you can think of. That's right -- a school. You play as Sally, a young girl searching for her missing cousin, Emily. Without spoiling too much, let's just say school isn't how you remember it. There are a lot of unholy creatures in this world and Sally isn't exactly equipped to fight them. For the most part, you're going to be crouch-walking and trying not to wet your pants when an enemy patrol wanders by.  The only thing Sally brings to this monster fight is a flashlight, which is both more and less useful than you might expect. It can help you see in the dark, sure...but it also makes it easier for enemies to spot you. You can use the flashlight to kill enemies, which would be great, but this is a trophy website and the developers decided there should be a pacifist run trophy. So, forget that. Your main use for the flashlight will be for solving puzzles. as Sally can essentially focus the beam to emit a powerful source of light (once you have the proper upgrade) that can activate panels or destroy objects blocking her path. You do get one other item you can equip, but it's later in the game and it's still mainly for solving puzzles. Other than that...um, Sally can duck, run very short distances, and throw soda cans to distract enemies, provided there's a vending machine nearby.  In some ways, this game could be considered a Metroidvania. It's similar to...say, Resident Evil 2, where everything takes place in a confined area, and you're going for room to room in search of items and keys to allow you to access other areas. It's mostly linear, but in the guise of an open world map. Kinda neat because it means you can always backtrack to previous areas to pick up any collectibles you missed.  When it comes to horror games, I like to judge the scariness factor. This one is a bit higher than I probably would have guessed, had I watched reviews or read a synopsis on the game's plot. The actual theme here is bullying, which seems a bit tame considering the horrible monstrosities Sally has to contend with. But...to a kid, I guess, bullying IS scary. I can sympathize with that. Still, probably not a game you want your kids playing. It always seems a bit weird to me when a game doesn't seem to understand its audience. There's something off about a game where creepy, life-sized dolls are trying to murder you, while "poop head" is scribbled all over the walls.  There are at least a couple jump scares in the game. Most of the tension comes from the environments. The audio is particularly good at making you feel uneasy, so definitely play this one with the sound on. Lights off too, guys. I put up blackout curtains just to ensure I could play this properly during the day.  I will say that most horror games tend to start out strong and then become less impactful as time goes on, once you understand enemy patterns, enemy AI, and what you can and can't do to escape various situations. Here, one of the weaknesses is there are only four enemy types. (Even that might be generous because three of the enemies are essentially the same. The only mechanical difference is how they move and what attacks they perform when they spot you.) And being spotted...is kinda janky. I dunno. You're probably going to get the impression that being spotted = instant death, but it's not. The enemy just shrieks and chases you. Their attacks are actually kinda weak. You can sometimes damage boost your way through an area. The only time you're really going to die is when you get surrounded or when you get boxed in, which is what ends up happening most of the time because many of the areas in the game are very tight corridors. You really need to make note of where the nearest vent is, or at least find a table or platform you can duck under or climb, because the enemies are too dumb to do either of those.  But I don't want to make it sound like the gameplay is lacking. There are bosses you'll have to contend with. You're obviously limited on how you can fight, so it's usually either a stealth sequence or a lure-the-enemy-into-the-trap kind of thing. You're also one step behind Emily the entire time, so there's some good pacing here and you could reasonably grind the whole game out in one sitting if you wanted to. The trophy guide says 3 hours to platinum and a 1/10 in difficulty, but we know that's a lie. I'd at least double, maybe even triple, that.  I guess I should probably say something about the graphics too. They're OK. I actually like the cutscenes, which are hand-drawn still frames, pieced together to form a choppy animation. Some people would call that lazy, but I think it works here because it makes the characters more expressive. The in-game graphics are dark and grimy. Kinda reminds me of Lost in Random, which isn't a bad thing. It's a stylistic choice and probably not the worst thing they could have gone with.  VA work is great. Indie games have really been improving in this department. It's refreshing to hear kids that actually sound like kids. Even AAA titles fail at that.  Could say more about the story, but I think I've rambled enough. Let's get to whether or not I'd recommend this game.  I would. In fact, I enjoyed this game almost as much as Arise. You gotta be a little more careful with the missable trophies, but I don't think a second playthrough would kill you. And I think there's a good lesson here for the kiddies, which is nice. I think this would be a good game to play through on a dreary night. You'll get a few hours out of it, get some chills to make it worth your time, and you'll have another guilt-free platinum. Or should I say... Gylt-free?  I almost spilled Coke out my nose making that joke.  Hey, we're two for two this year. Let's keep the streak alive. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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