In conclusion, Yohane the Parhelion: BLAZE in the DEEPBLUE is fun, but it fails to stick the landing totally. Several mechanics felt disjointed. For every crafting system that I lauded, there’s a hiccup to balance it out. Nitpick or not, the slight delay to melee is annoying. I’m known for my kamikaze ways, and I’m invigorated by panicked kills, but I can’t do that here. I did enjoy the homage to a renowned indie gem, though.
NIS Classics Collection Vol. 3 continues revisiting the vault, but this time, it fails to grab hold of a pair of winners.
Despite the issues, LEGO 2K Drive is a promising beginning to a potential sub-franchise from 2K. There are great ideas that enamor me, thanks to how comforting they are. I hope that if the plan is to do another, the developers don’t try to toss in genres that don’t work here haphazardly. I hope they concentrate on going quickly and create side-quests that make sense for a car.
Story of Seasons: A Wonderful Life likely deserves the praise it received back in 2004, but in 2023, bad decisions prevent history from repeating. Fortunately, a patch or two can address the bulk of my qualms. While I’m bewildered by the price increase, I reckon putting it on par with its former edition will bring the fun factor to its former self.
The potential is tantalizingly close to being realized. I still suggest buying but with the asterisk of a discount. I mean, I sunk 50+ hours because I do like it, but it’s just so forgettable.
Still, as a package, this title is stellar. The music is superb. I love that it’s emulating the look and feel of a Game Boy title, and the writing is delightful. I don’t think the roguelike angle meshes with the JRPG one seamlessly, but that’s on me. When the narrative is important, having to rehash plot beats is tiring. Regardless, I still recommend In Stars and Time, but not if you’re like me.
The Legend of Legacy has ideas that I fully support, but the execution has it firmly sitting in the mildly above average category. The major deterrent is the absence of a storyline. It’s the definition of loose, and no amount of exercise will help it tighten.
Deadcraft is an amalgamation of inspirations coming together to create something distinct. And you know what, the various fascinating ideas and mechanics are enough to assure there’s fun. What ends up bogging down the session are odd decisions.
Super Bullet Break is on the cusp of being a silly, addictive good time. I was having a blast when I had to decide the optimal strategies to advance without taking maximum harm. That excitement flushes down the drain when I’m effortlessly slaughtered with one hit.
Idol Manager is a riveting hidden gem buried underneath piss poor performance. The way mechanics actively attempt to sabotage each other is quite the head-scratcher, too.
As is, the available activities are slim, and I reckon that it won’t take long before monotony sets in. I did enjoy the Career, but the Rogue elements turned me right off. When I realized my progress had been lost, yet upgrades were still recognized, I stopped playing and got straight to writing. My motivation was tapped out. Unfortunately, I can’t recommend buying at full price in its current state. The value isn’t there to justify $60, but if you find it half off or so, do it.
There being now waypoints in the sidequests brought the score down considerably. If I’m relegated to just stomping around like a chicken with its head cut off, trying to find whoever I’m looking for, it’s boring. I have to wonder why more effort wasn’t put towards modernizing Akiba’s Trip: Undead and Undressed, and making it the true definitive edition.
Neptunia X Senran Kagura is flawed but meets all my expectations. The combat, while fun, is only so when there’s plenty of monsters in an area. It’s for that reason that I can’t help but wonder if a Musou title, much like the main Senran Kagura games, wouldn’t have been better. Then again, with Tamsoft as a developer, I suppose the vision was capturing that Oneechanbara fun. Due to odd choices, such as having skills and dodging tied to stamina, it severely hampers the fast action and undermines that goal.
Astria Ascending has the ingredients to produce a delicious JRPG dish but fumbles doing so. A chief reason for this is the balancing, and if rectified, I have no doubt it would solve a lot of problems.
What I suspect will become the biggest hurdle to conquer, though, is the subject matter being alienating. In no universe are people not going to criticize groping an unconscious woman – it’s revolting. Even if it didn’t include such a heinous act, the crashes are the perfect deterrent. Seven Pirates H is the equivalent of being egregiously creepy on main. Compared to others in the Genkai Tokki series, it’s also the weakest. I don’t recommend it.
Greatness is so close, but until a few patches fix the blunders, it will never meet the standards it could. The inspiration it takes from Slime Rancher proves hurtful, too. Alchemic Cutie fails to emulate it, making me want to jump to the better choice.
While I wholeheartedly recommend the game, I warn everyone to stay away from the Nintendo Switch port until the issues are ironed out. As for me, I’m seeking out the Playstation 5 version as I’m legitimately curious about the ending.
Metal Max Xeno Reborn is unsatisfying. It tries to reinvent itself from its original release but ends up retreading the same systems, only now with shinier paint. My hopes were high when I came into it but with each minute spent playing, it all plummeted. It got to the point that I’d dread having to continue.
Soccer Story has an idea worth fleshing out but is let down by appalling stability. The gameplay loop has fun moments, but unintuitive buttons fight against that, keeping it from excelling. The football notion has me smitten, and I felt nostalgic for my childhood due to a specific quest with goal lines constructed by adjacent objects. The caveat here is that it desperately needs tweaks and reworked controls.
In conclusion, Loop 8: Summer of Gods is dreadful. It pains me to say, but it’s easy to suggest against purchasing it. Plenty of bad decisions contribute to sucking the fun from this romp and relegating it to becoming a chore. I wanted to like it, given the pedigree, and when I found out it combined my most beloved genres, I was giddy. Unfortunately, the finished product is a big failure.