COGconnected
HomepageCOGconnected's Reviews
Season: A Letter to the Future is a delightful snapshot of a world on the precipice of a devastating event. Due to this, there is a somber atmosphere that resides throughout your trip. Recording scenarios through your camera, audio device, and journal builds further understanding of the narrative; however, these three components don’t evolve which makes the gameplay quite repetitive. Although each encounter is distinct and their story is well told, the conclusion stumbles. Despite that, fans of narrative-driven titles should hitch a ride on this unique trip.
Forspoken is ambitious, and there are hints of a winning formula.
If this review feels shorter than usual, that’s for a good reason. A talented roguelite enthusiast can see the end credits in around an hour. The initial weapon selection is refreshing, yes. I also love the color palette used throughout the game. But beyond that, this is a bog standard roguelite. Random assortments of enemies attack with increasing ferocity. The bosses require practice and experimentation to master. Your success is determined by repetition and fortuitous reward drops at the end of every stage. Honestly, the short runtime might be an upside, depending on what you’re looking for. Roguelite players may find Lone Ruin rather disappointing. On the other hand, if you’re looking for a short, arcade-style experience, maybe give this game a shot.
One Piece Odyssey is first and foremost made for longtime followers of the manga and anime. That said, there is enough backstory and information to keep the casual gamer engaged. One Piece Odyssey is a robust, well-made JRPG that’s faithful to the core audience but fun for almost any turn-based action fan. Aside from the somewhat annoying, patchwork pacing and occasionally repetitive backtracking, One Piece Odyssey’s combat and oddball characters are fun to spend time with.
While Engage didn’t win me over with its story, the mechanics are a different matter. I’m pleased that level grinding is being sidestepped in such a clever manner, though I still miss it. I loved how intense the battles are, every single time. Even with the Time Crystal, the stakes feel terribly high. Sure, the narrative feels more cliché than I’m used to. I wish it wasn’t a good vs evil fetch quest. But the character bonds still tell a compelling tale all on their own. And though I didn’t love the side content this time around, I’m still happy there’s so much of it available. Overall, Fire Emblem Engage is an excellent entry in the franchise. You won’t want to miss this one.
If you loved playing MH: World you will most definitely fall in love with MH: Rise, too. All the great stuff you know and love is still in Rise with some smaller tweaks and additions. I had a good time and it was worth waiting for the graphically improved version. My only gripes are that Rise is too easy compared to World (especially the story), yet High-Rank defense missions are imbalanced for solo players, and it doesn’t look as graphically pleasing as World.
Persona 4 Golden is not a perfect game. Some of the choices made during social links come off as a little questionable for international audiences. And the graphics are nearly as dated as Persona 3 Portable’s. However, it’s still an iconic game that brought the JRPG formula firmly into the modern day. It’s not my favorite Persona game, but I can firmly recommend it to just about anyone. If you have a Switch, now’s your excuse to play Persona 4 Golden.
However, this is a double-edged blade. A game about depression, starring depressed characters, is an acquired taste compared to other titles in the series. At the same time, Persona 3 Portable has more bite than either of its successors. All in all, I would recommend Persona 3 Portable to anyone interested in an old and troubled classic. But Atlus, please add the animated cutscenes back for the next remake.
I loved Vengeful Guardian: Moonrider, but it won’t be for everyone. It’s a must-play for 2D action platform veterans. Especially those that value speedrunning. The 80s inspirations hit all the right nostalgia buttons for me. It might look a little generic on the surface, but anyone who gives Vengeful Guardian: Moonrider their time, will find a tight action platformer, with lots of unique nuance. If you’re at all curious, don’t hesitate to pick it up.
If you are patient and OK with playing a slower-paced game, Maskmaker is definitely worth a look.
Paper Cut Mansion is a fun, if simplified, roguelite that benefits from a charming art style. The game opens with a warning that the adventure is themed around horror but it’s really hard to be scared of violent paper cutouts. Getting around each floor of the house can be a little disorienting because there is no map or landmarks to get your bearings. That confusion wears away the longer you play, however. There are a lot of familiar modular elements that become more noticeable with each playthrough. With its procedurally generated level design, a staggering number of endings, and creative artistic spark, Paper Cut Mansion is fun and can be enjoyed in short bursts.
Sports Story pales in comparison to its predecessor. The plot fails to capture the whimsy which engulfs the original. While I understand Sidebar Games’ decision to go large with its narrative, in doing so, it removes the simplicity which makes Golf Story so unforgettable. Although it expands its gameplay with a number of new sporting activities, the success of these varies. Combining this with the volume of performance issues and bugs means this swing is a whiff rather than a hit.
It probably sounds frustrating. And it is. I walked away a few times in disgust. But as is clear from the tone of this review, I always came back. That counts more than anything else. That’s the most important thing. I liked spending time in Ixion’s world, in Ixion’s story. I like space disaster stories. Eventually, I was happy to bump myself down to the ‘story’ difficulty, because I didn’t want to miss out. I like looking at it, and I like listening to it. I plan to return to Ixion, to once again embrace sweet failure.
At first glance, this game seems like everything I love in a retro RPG. There’s a unique combat and progression system, detailed pixel art, and a fascinating narrative. But most of my biggest issues are in these same areas. The graphics for this release are ill-suited to modern TVs. Progression is obtuse and murky. And the combat quickly wears out its welcome. If you missed out on this game when it first dropped, you’re in luck! It’s been perfectly preserved. But if you’re going in blind, you may be somewhat disappointed with Valkyrie Profile: Lenneth.
Joey Drew Studios has created a memorable nightmare world of maniacal ‘toons and the dark side of creativity. While its combat and mechanics don’t reach the same level as its setting and narrative, Bendy and the Dark Revival is a must-play for fans of the first game, and an effective introduction to a singular franchise for everyone else.
High on Life has a particular vibe, one that rewards patient exploration and persistence. The dialogue is a lot to handle, yes. And not every weapon is a winner. The wrong Gatlian can leave you both overwhelmed and unimpressed. But the look, the sound of this game is truly remarkable. This is an alien world that’s crammed full of curious details. The visuals are delicious, the soundtrack is mostly bangers, and the boss fights are well-crafted. Whatever problems I had with the pacing were (mostly) wiped away by that final challenge. It turns out a little spectacle goes a long way. If you can handle Justin Roiland’s unique sense of humor, you’ll want to check out High on Life.
Coming back to Grime many months after its release, I’m still impressed with the game’s art, combat, and its smart variations on the Soulslike genre. The new, generous, free DLC adds a significant amount of excellent content and rewards the player community for its commitment to the game. As it was when it released, Grime is still one of the best recent Soulslikes and the Colors of Rot only makes it better
Lil Gator Game suffers from some minor frame rate drops and the music was a bit out of place. But, the overall package was pretty good. I’d recommend Lil Gator Game to young gamers – assuming they have willing parents who can help them read the objectives. I’d also recommend this to gamers looking for a chill, relaxing Legend of Zelda style game to tide them over until Tears of the Kingdom launches next year.
In a landscape littered with copycat games, Blacktail’s originality make it a winner. Set aside the game’s mechanically frustrating and probably unnecessary boss battles. Blacktail’s world, characters and narrative are easily worth the very reasonable price of admission.
Fans of old school 2D JRPGs, who would like something made today that resembles the great Super Nintendo and PS1 classics, need to play Chained Echoes. It’s a wonderful game. It’s more ambitious than the common indie throwback JRPG, but has many of their modernizations. Every single element of Chained Echoes is full of loving attention to detail. Hopefully Chained Echoes is a success and we can see future projects from its creator. I’ve already ordered a physical copy.