I will forever credit Ocarina of Time for really opening up my mind to different types of games and stories that I hadn't experienced yet as a kid. It completely changed my life as a gamer. This was my first time playing the 3DS version, probably my fifth time overall, and it was a really interesting experience. For much of the early game I kind of thought a lot about how the game held such little wonder for me at this point because of my intense familiarity with it, but by the end, I was right back to 1998, in awe of its accomplishments and building such a huge, varied world for the time. The game will always have some of my favorite dungeons, like the Spirit Temple, Forest Temple, and Water Temple, and the quality of life upgrades to item management, while difficult to master at first, were very appreciated by the end. It is still true that there is not a lot of time spent for me wondering what to do, but the target of wonder has changed from exploring the world itself and getting lost in it, to appreciation for the building of that world and how well it all still works today.

Reviewed on Tuesday, September 5th, 2023, 1:01pm.

This was a game that had the mood not been right, I would have probably kept putting it off. Knowing it was a big influence on, practically the namesake of, the Metroidvania genre, I expected it to be one of those experiences where you can see the skeleton (no pun intended) of a game style that will ultimately become very timeless and powerful, but that this particular game itself would not rise to the status that some of its descendants. Boy, was I wrong. This game was absolute fire from the very beginning. I love the atmosphere, the mechanics, the character, the design, all the ability-building and weapon combos, the music, my god the music, just everything about it. It became very evident about halfway through that this was going to be an all-time favorite, and it exceeded even those expectations. This is a game with so much endgame content that I loved so much, it could be the rare instance where I actually come back to it and try playing through it again as Richter, which, from what I've read, seems like an even better, or at least different experience.

Reviewed on Wednesday, August 16th, 2023, 9:21am.

By no means do I claim to be a gaming historian or an expert on the Zelda franchise, but in just piecing together my own history based on the games I've played in my life so far, and more specifically in my attempt at playing the franchise in chronological order on my Steam Deck, I believe that Link's Awakening is when The Legend of Zelda really found its footing as a franchise. The dungeon-palooza of Link to the Past is scaled way down in favor of overworld exploration and actual side characters to drive an intriguing, personal plot forward, which makes Koholint Island feel alive in a way that Hyrule hadn't before. The fun and distinct dungeons are still the real meat here, as they escalate in difficulty and even experiment with verticality and non-linearity, but it was a treat to take a breath between each one and know I actually had things to do that would give myself a more complete experience. Sure, there is a bit of nostalgia here for me that might be knocking this up a point or two, as I got the DX version on my Gameboy Color in between the two N64 titles, making it my second foray into the franchise, but it holds up just as well today. The Switch remaster only adds to the fun, giving it a totally fresh visual style while making great quality-of-life improvements.

Reviewed on Sunday, April 2nd, 2023, 6:53am.

This completely lived up to the hype. I was a bit intimidated going into the game, knowing how difficult it is considered, which it definitely was, but I hardly had a day where I didn't make great progress despite dying quite a bit. The art style is incredible and unique, the sound design and music are super atmospheric, the characters are all rich with personality and lore, and the world of Hallownest is endlessly rewarding to explore. I finished the main ending and look forward to coming back to this game, again and again, to tie up loose ends, do some more exploring, and continue to challenge myself with the extra boss battles. All things considered, I'm quite proud of how much I did complete in my first playthrough, getting 95% of the game done, only missing a few things here and there. I really enjoyed getting to learn each unique boss's patterns and attacks and eventually "git gud" enough to deliver the final blow each time, and each subsequent victory felt more rewarding than the last. I truly feel the game is a masterpiece and I look forward to watching countless hours of videos unpacking the lore.

Reviewed on Friday, February 17th, 2023, 5:51pm.

I have technically completed the main story, so I am going to go ahead and log it, but I don’t feel anywhere near being ready to put this down. As my first ‘roguelite’ game, I didn’t expect the mechanic of purposeful death to work so well for me. Each escape attempt, I felt like I not only learned something inside the story that drove me to keep trying, but also the rewards, both permanent and temporary, made every room I could push into feel worth it. It’s a game that also rewards many attempts with learning which Olympian boons you like, which work together, and what builds you can concoct with the boons you are given. This is how a game where essentially 4 levels and final boss fight can feel fresh over and over again. Each escape feels different with different weapons, aspects, mirror upgrades, and boons. One of my favorite games ever.

Reviewed on Wednesday, January 4th, 2023, 8:00am.

I had a very similar experience to Donkey Kong Country, where the quality of the game didn’t quite match my personal enjoyment of the game, simply due to frustration with my skill level. I would say there was no point in which I felt the game unfair or that it had too precise mechanics, this was simply a me problem. Still a great classic with incredible level diversity, character design, music, the whole shebang.

Reviewed on Saturday, December 31st, 2022, 12:00am.

A way better game than it has any right to be. They absolutely nailed the humor, the vibe, and the setting. It was pure nostalgia as a big South Park fan, where I felt for the first time like I was actually a kid in the town exploring. Sure, a lot of it is dumb humor that doesn't really work today, but it was a blast throughout. The actual gameplay and fighting mechanics brought a great dynamic to turn-based combat, as well.

Reviewed on Sunday, December 11th, 2022, 12:00am.

An all-time classic. The music and character design is top tier, and the soundtrack especially pushed the SNES console to the next level. I'll go to my grave with these songs in my head. I wish I were better at platformers, but I am working on it! This was a nice challenge.

Reviewed on Friday, December 9th, 2022, 12:00am.

Just wow. I could barely handle more than an hour at a time in this game because Rapture was so vivid as an environment. They tell the entire history of this world through the environment itself and those you encounter along the way, and just from a visual and aural perspective, it's unmatched. Not to mention the twist. Oh my, what a twist.

Reviewed on Tuesday, March 1st, 2022, 12:00am.

This playthrough felt a lot better than I remembered as a kid. I think coming at these Zelda games as an adult will be very rewarding, as I'm not simply chasing that feeling that Ocarina of Time gave me on Christmas morning in 1998. This game is beautiful in every way, and has maybe one of the greatest final Ganon fights I can remember.

Reviewed on Tuesday, February 1st, 2022, 12:00am.

What an awesome, mind-bending experience. I cannot say enough about the creative world-building and effective mind games that it plays as you go deeper into the "Bureau" and unlock its secrets. For such a closed-off world, you get to experience so much and the somewhat uniform physical setting is more than enough to play around in as you unlock more abilities and learn more secrets about the story. The way that you can weave each power into combat is seamless and so fun to utilize; it's like you control Scarlet Witch with a gun, and it actually feels that way too. I don't think at any point during my playthrough did I feel like the physics the game sets up get betrayed; basically anything you can imagine you can do is possible in combat, and that's incredibly fun and satisfying. I still have a ton of DLC to play, but felt like I reached the end of my playthrough with the main game content and it had a very satisfying conclusion, so I'm not sure I'll go back and explore the new sectors anytime soon, but that's not a knock on the game at all. I feel very pleased with the arc of the story and gameplay.

Reviewed on Thursday, September 21st, 2023, 2:41pm.

What an interesting and compelling experience. I really didn't read much about the element of choice within the game prior to playing, and though the game does explain it, I didn't really 'get' it at first. So, I became a ruthless killing machine. Playing the game this way proved to be very straightforward, pretty easy, and, ultimately rather hollow. Toward the end, some of the tonal choices and dialog really made me consider my choices throughout that I think was a really unique experience for playing a game. I decided then to go back and play it peacefully, and I am so glad that I did! It really opened up the game and showed that it was truly the way to play it. The characters experience growth and personalities emerge that weren't as present before. The world fills out with beautiful details and experiences, giving me side quests, reasons to explore anywhere but forward, and all but answers those questions that the 'neutral' playthrough had me pondering. I think without doing this second playthrough, the game would be very minor and forgettable, but I can't imagine this experience is one I will forget for quite some time.

Reviewed on Saturday, August 19th, 2023, 7:10pm.

What a beautiful game! It was especially great because the gameplay itself really hooked me, the precise platforming, fast pace, great atmosphere, and music, but the more the character and story unfolded, the more special the game became. Through the first three chapters I was comparing it to Super Meat Boy, but with some of the later chapter mechanics and the character progression, it ended up standing in a league of its own. Each chapter really stands on its own while meshing together very cohesively, a fact that is very apparent during the final summit, where you're going through a bit of a chapter "gauntlet" to beat the game. I really enjoyed its characterization of anxiety/depression and how it really preaches acceptance of oneself.

Reviewed on Monday, January 30th, 2023, 12:31pm.

This game would be great if only for the stunning visual aesthetic and beautiful music, but it also happens to be very fun and challenging. I appreciated that the save system makes dying a little bit more forgiveable (especially important because I did so nearly 1000 times). It made the game very easy to pick up and play and feel like I was making good progress despite a lot of failure throughout. Can't wait to try the sequel.

Reviewed on Thursday, December 22nd, 2022, 12:00am.

Super clever concept and perfect execution. I loved the lighthearted vibe of the game and how they worked a nicely contained story into the environment. The Milkman Conspiracy was one of the most fun video game experiences in recent memory.

Reviewed on Saturday, November 26th, 2022, 12:00am.

I am very glad I finally stopped putting off playing this one. For whatever reason I didn't expect the acclaim it's gotten over the years to have held up this long, and for a while into the playthrough I found it to be a fun and challenging puzzle experience, with obviously a very unique take on the genre, but the game completely flips that on its head by the end. I was getting ready to put the game down for the night as I thought I was at a clear stopping point, when suddenly I'm in an escape situation in totally different environment as the tension ratchets up with each passing step. I loved this game, and look forward to playing the sequel.

Reviewed on Thursday, September 7th, 2023, 8:16am.

For how much I loved the vibe and atmosphere of this game, I wished just as much that I had a little bit more of an understanding of the lore that surrounds it. The items, characters, bosses, purpose, etc all are shrouded in mystery for me, and I'm not sure if that's because they kept it purposely vague and mysterious, or if it just went over my head. Either way, I still really loved Blasphemous and look forward to playing the sequel. I didn't mind the relatively basic traversal, where you don't gain any new movement abilities and unlock new areas through back doors and switches, but I am interested to see how they expand on everything. I am definitely hooked on the world they've got going and the absolute metal-ness of it.

Reviewed on Tuesday, September 5th, 2023, 1:08pm.

I cannot imagine playing another GTA-styled expansive mission-oriented game where I cannot freely swing and fly above the buildings to get wherever I am going. The freedom of movement and power portrayal is so unbelievably satisfying that the somewhat grindy way these types of games can feel to me at times was completely absent. I had no problem going from one end of New York City to the other, solving crimes, snapping pics of monuments, grabbing backpacks, and doing it all over again because it was so fun to do. The story was engrossing and progressed in a way that kept me interested till the very end. The only gripe I might have is the absolute chaos in act 3 made any of the side-quest items kind of impossible to do, so once I got to that point, it was a quick succession of main story missions to complete the game, which means to do some of the side quest stuff you have to go back and complete it after beating the game, which kind of fell off my radar after a bit. I might go back to finish that stuff later though, maybe when I feel like playing the DLC.

Reviewed on Tuesday, September 5th, 2023, 12:53pm.

This game had a story, set of characters, setting, atmosphere, and music that I will never forget. Getting to know Stella and her friends and family through this medium was very special and deeply affecting; every single emotional moment landed for me, and I teared up multiple times throughout, most especially when saying goodbye to Stella herself. However, the gameplay itself got to feel like a bit of a grind by the end, and I don’t see many ways to organically play it to make it feel like less of one. It became mostly checklist-filling and repeating processes often, and by the very endgame when I only had a couple of passengers, I was filling the time until the next quest checkpoint arose. Also, and I'm not sure there is really a solution for this other than a complete overhaul, the islands ultimately left a lot to be desired. I understand the need to give the map a lot of space and places to land, but so many of these areas felt desolate, even the ones that were supposed to be the more bustling ones. These are the only reasons that it’s not a full-on 10 out of 10, perfect game, all-time favorite. Even still, those emotional moments will be with me always.

Reviewed on Sunday, March 26th, 2023, 12:12pm.

I think it’s becoming very evident in the wake of Breath of the Wild is how much the aspect of overworld exploration plays into my enjoyment of a Zelda game. So with this game, which is essentially hopping from one dungeon to the next, I found myself wanting a slightly different experience than what is offered. It’s not necessarily a knock on the quality of the game, as even by today’s standards the graphics and dungeon design are top notch, with the latter being particularly impressive, but it definitely wore on my as I was entering my thirteenth dungeon to fight Ganon. I do appreciate the game for what it introduced to the series, as puzzle-solving in dungeons is so fun for me, but it definitely has a few of the same hang ups as the first game: tough 2D combat and maneuverability combined with massive damage hits from enemies left me frustrated at times, and I was often feeling very in the dark on what to do next as the clues just weren’t laid out very well. I think this is really where the franchise starts to take shape, though, and that’s so exciting and wonderful.

Reviewed on Tuesday, January 17th, 2023, 9:39pm.

I really enjoyed this game overall. The storyline and the way it unfolds with choice-based mechanics all taking place in my character’s head, and how tackling certain things at certain times only makes sense with the necessary skills. I didn’t utilize the thought cabinet nearly enough, given the fact that I was using my skill points to upgrade abilities throughout. One thing against the game, and really this is probably more against me, is that the propulsion to solve the mystery and advance the main story had my eyes glossing over some of the historical and political context of Revachol. Especially after long stretches of playing and needing to feel a sense of accomplishment, I would breeze through a lot of dialogue without actually reading it if I didn’t feel it pertained directly to the case. That shouldn’t be a knock on the game, because it is great world-building, but there might have been a way to make it flow better?

Reviewed on Monday, December 26th, 2022, 12:00am.

Great arcade-style game, and got out just before it overstayed its welcome. The final battle with Ares was very cool, reminded me of a big, silly Kaiju fight in a movie. I really enjoyed the Pandora's Temple dungeon as well.

Reviewed on Saturday, December 3rd, 2022, 12:00am.

Nice quick game with some challenges throughout that really made me think. I thought the art style was very nice as well.

Reviewed on Saturday, November 12th, 2022, 12:00am.

By the end of this game, I was a little worn down by all of the backtracking, and I felt it was a little overkill to put a quest at the end that basically required you to fully backtrack almost the whole map. Having said that, it's a great game and a masterclass in atmosphere and perspective. I loved the final boss battle.

Reviewed on Friday, November 11th, 2022, 12:00am.

A fun little adventure with a great atmosphere. The gameplay mechanic definitely got a little old after a while, but the tone and how cute it was throughout made it very enjoyable throughout.

Reviewed on Monday, October 23rd, 2023, 10:36am.

When I first started playing this game, I was not having a great time because of the point and click style not translating greatly to the Steam Deck, but eventually I got the hang of everything and I think the actual playing experience wasn't hampered too much by technology changes. I found the game to be fun and engaging, of course very entertaining and humorous, and actually somewhat difficult. Some of the solutions to problems I don't think I would have come to in a million years on my own, and I am not sure if that's a lack of gaming intuition on my part or just a lack of hand-holding in gaming back then, but I never found any of those difficult solutions to be less than clever, so probably the former. I really enjoyed the graphics, the characters, and of course the settings.

Reviewed on Monday, August 21st, 2023, 7:13am.

Machinarium is immediately captivating simply by virtue of its unique and beautiful art style, creating a world both cute and grimy, kind of reminiscent of WALL-E in tone, where you control a small robot in a big world that contains quite a good deal of badness to contend with. The gameplay delivers as well, a simple point-and-click puzzle adventure where you try to piece together what happened to your character as well as reunite him with his girlfriend. The puzzles and puzzles-within-puzzles are challenging but also once you start to "think" like the game, become quite fun to piece together. If I had any complaints, they would be that I feel like only just when I started to really get into the mind of the developers on how their puzzles were constructed, the game was over. There were also a few challenges that seemed a little bit of a stretch to remember -- a key acquired much later for a seemingly inconsequential cabinet you might have forgotten about comes to mind. Really fun game, though! I will play more by this developer as it seems they're similar in style and substance.

Reviewed on Monday, August 14th, 2023, 11:55am.

This was a really fun, (mostly) laid-back 3D platform collectathon game that really brought me back to the glory days of the Nintendo 64 with titles like Super Mario 64, Donkey Kong 64, and Banjo-Kazooie. I think the game does a really good job of not being completely derivative by not only giving each world its own very unique identity as well as the characters within, but also by making the gameplay itself vary in fun ways from mission to mission. It's not purely "go find a time piece and jump into it;" I found things like fulfilling the Snatcher's contractual obligations and making a movie with birds delightful and different enough to keep me guessing and not feeling fatigued.

Reviewed on Monday, August 14th, 2023, 11:48am.

Fun little game! It only took a few hours and I beat it in one sitting, which is both a good and a bad thing. I really enjoyed all the mechanics and by the time I feel like I got good at it and used to it, the game was over! I understand why it’s so short, but I do think this gets raised a point or two with some more length/challenging puzzle areas.

Reviewed on Sunday, February 19th, 2023, 4:14pm.

Very fun, funny game. Some of the puzzles were a little bit unclear in their directions, which kind of threw me off at times and made me solve them in more attempts than I would have liked.

Reviewed on Sunday, December 18th, 2022, 12:00am.

I have played many of the 3D Zelda titles, and this marks the embarking on a fresh journey through the franchise chronologically. Unfortunately, a lot of the elements of Zelda that I enjoy the most, chief among them guided exploration through solving puzzles and reading clues, were missing here. It's great for what it started, but as a standalone game, it was a little underwhelming. Surprisingly difficult, too!

Reviewed on Friday, December 9th, 2022, 12:00am.

Just when I was about done with all of the similar stealth rooms and beat 'em up sequences, the game threw in some nice curveballs. In particular the sewer sequence with Croc comes to mind. The final boss battle with Joker was one of the worst I can remember, though. Really built up to a dud of an ending. The atmosphere is fantastic throughout.

Reviewed on Friday, November 18th, 2022, 12:00am.

This game felt kind of minor to me, and I'm glad it was relatively short because for the most part, it didn't hook me. The atmosphere was super creepy, which was cool, but really until the very end sequences, I felt somewhat hindered by the control of the main character feeling plodding and limited. There was a fair amount of tension throughout that kept things interesting and moving forward, and the enemy design was super gnarly to look at. Just something about the gameplay itself I didn't find all that fun. Can't put my finger on it, but I think a lot of it can be boiled down to the control of the main character was really slow and limited.

Reviewed on Thursday, September 21st, 2023, 2:45pm.

Despite what I would consider a major glaring flaw in that there's no choice but to play multiplayer and the progress you make could be through no act of your own (which happened a couple of times to me), the game did end up moving me through its stunning imagery and really nice climactic and cinematic gameplay. By the end I was definitely hooked and found it to be an overall enjoyable experience. However, it really doesn't sit right with me that I didn't get to fully explore because of the pressures of being propelled forward by outside forces. A cool idea for multiplayer, but one I feel should be optional.

Reviewed on Wednesday, August 16th, 2023, 4:09pm.