Recent reviews by Jesse

Throughout Death Stranding, it truly felt like just about everything you experience comes of as purposeful, meticulous, and intentional. Every tone, mechanic, and moment throughout it feels special. It doesn't scream, "Damn! This is one of the best games I've ever played!" but that's exactly what I ended up feeling walking away from it. One of the most gripping experiences I've ever played on every level.

The gameplay, often labeled a walking simulator, may feel like an accurate description, but its intentional. Every step feels deliberate, from the phenomenal soundtrack by Ludvig Forssell and the guest music from the likes of Low Roar or Silent Poets that swells at just the right moments to the mechanics of balancing Sam’s cargo, which turn traversal into a meditative challenge. The tone sets the stage for a world where every decision, from navigating a rocky cliff to placing a ladder, carries weight. Climbing a treacherous mountain brought a rush of satisfaction, each struggle a testament to the game’s intentional design that rewards perseverance.

I had seen things about "strand" being a genre prior to playing through this, and I was skeptical, but it shines through in its connectivity. When you’re lost or struggling, the sight of a player made sign, ladder, or zipline feels like a lifeline. These remnants of others journeys aren’t random, they’re deliberate acts of kindness, proof that someone else faced the same challenge and left a solution for you. This mechanic, paired with the game’s somber yet uplifting tone, creates a profound sense of community. Every rope placed, every bridge built, feels like a gift to future travelers, making everything you build or do feel just as special.

From the eerie music to the mechanics that make every step a choice, Death Stranding is a game where intention feels like everything. It’s not just about reaching the destination, it’s about feeling the weight of every moment along the way.

Giving it another shot because its on PC, why not? But I already played it on PS5 and was immensely disappointed.

I've struggled to pin down my thoughts on Death Stranding 2, much like I did with the first game, though for different reasons. My initial attempts at writing this review veered into overly critical territory, not because I disliked the game, but because the original felt so purposeful, like every element was meticulously crafted to deliver something unique. By contrast, this one feels like it's searching for that same sense of intention, leaving me with mixed feelings about its execution.

The story in Death Stranding 2 remains as weird as its predecessor, throwing you into a world of cryptic concepts like tar-based travel. The frequent cold open ideas or plot elements is interesting, but it lacks the original’s sense of purpose. It leans heavily on familiar beats, recycling themes and plot twists that feel predictable, as if the game is just a reimaging of the original. The pacing, much like the first, drags in the middle, with sparse objectives and side content that feels more like a chore than anything.

Gameplay improvements, particularly in stealth and combat, have been praised by many, but they feel disconnected from what made the original so special. In the first game, my the best parts were unconventional routes across rugged terrain, stumbling and improvising as I hauled cargo up mountains often avoiding groups of enemies entirely. That sense of purposeful struggle defined the experience. In the sequel, the focus on new weapons, stealth mechanics, and combat skills feels like an attempt to broaden the gameplay, but it comes off as extraneous. Enemy encounters, especially with tanky enemies that shrug off bullets or late-game enemies that negate stealth options, feel like they’re forcing action into a game that should thrive on its traversal. These additions lack the intention that made the original’s mechanics so cohesive.

The world itself is visually stunning, with diverse environments that capture the same beauty as the first game. Yet, the traversal mechanics feel largely unchanged, with only one new vehicle adding a bit of undesired convenience to later areas. The game introduces multiple fast-travel options, but they’re poorly integrated, feeling like an afterthought considering how many there are without meaningful differences. This lack of evolution in traversal leaves the world feeling expansive but not always engaging.

One area where the game shines is its UI. The interface is a massive improvement, streamlining cargo management and menu navigation in a way that feels intuitive. Unlike the original, where menus were a frequent frustration, the UI feels here like a deliberate effort to respect the player’s time, making every interaction smooth and efficient.

You'll see a lot of reviews that paint the picture that this game captures all of the best elements of the first, while "an improvement to the original in every way" but I think that's just because its improved in a lot of the "game" sort of ways. I think overall, regardless of how pretentious this sounds, as an experience it is lesser.

In the end, this review might sound harsher than I mean it to. Death Stranding 2 is still an alright game, with a mostly captivating world, good music, and characters that sometimes left a lasting impact. But where the original felt like every choice was made with purpose, the sequel often feels like it’s grasping for that same clarity. The rail-roaded combat, repetitive story beats, and undercooked traversal additions make it a less cohesive or interesting experience. BUT, I think there's not a bad chance that if you weren't able to click with the first, you might end up liking this one a lot more.

I initially left a negative review, as although I thought this game was incredible, the amount of bugs and chunkiness I'd experienced throughout my first playthrough were incredibly frustrating. Since then, I've completed my first playthrough, along with a second playthrough on hardcore with all negative perks, and I don't have much to say about this game other than its incredible.

To that end, I think personally I'll have to look at this game like a Bethesda title (even though its better than any Bethesda title by a LARGE margin) as although I mostly enjoyed my time, the glitches were incredibly frustrating, and I even had a soft lock that forced me to wait for an update at one point.

With all that said, if thats something you're willing to overlook, and as the game hopefully gets better with the upcoming updates, I can't help but recommend that anyone play this game. Its easily one of the best RPG experiences I've ever had, and with that being my all-time favorite genre, its definitely one of my favorite games of all time.

peak

edit: I beat it and its still peak

still the worst mainline persona game

world better

Anything for the Company.

third time buying this game

on god bro this game got me bricked tf up

I received this as a gift from a friend.

It really frustrates me when people include jargon like "style over substance" when reviewing games, but I honestly can't think of a single better way to describe Rhythm Doctor than exactly that: style over substance.

Rhythm Doctor is undeniably an interesting, and somewhat enjoyable, game. But my already limited enjoyment of the game ended pretty quickly after I realized the game used obscuring your vision as a primary form of difficulty. As someone whose played more than their fair share of rhythm games, obscuring the players vision has to be BY FAR my least favorite thing that said games use to make maps difficult.

I'll be the first to admit that my rhythm sense is definitely below average, and that undoubtedly plays a large part in my ability to play and enjoy games like this (it is a RHYTHM game after all!) but the game goes out of it's way to make it incredibly difficult to try and work around said lack of rhythm.

And again, I'll be the first to admit that this game has plenty of style. While I'm not a fan of the window minimizing itself and flying around the screen, it's definitely a visual wonder and something I'd like to see other (non rhythm) games try out. That along with the wonderfully fitting pixel art style almost makes it worth head-butting with the lack-luster, and at times infuriating, gameplay.

Before anyone says anything about being able to turn off the windows movement and such, not only does that nullify the one thing that the game does have going for it, it doesn't really do much for the game obscuring your vision, as it does so in plenty of other ways. While I do realize that many of my complaints are addressable, I have to say that those same fixes completely ruin what makes this game stand out in a sea of rhythm games coming out day after day.

All in all, while this game does a wonderful job at setting itself apart with it's wonderful visuals and doing something I've never seen any other program on my computer do, it doesn't change the fact that I enjoyed the game more when playing with my eyes closed counting to the beat out loud. Clearly thats a shame considering just how much of this review that I've spent raving about how good the game looks. And that's not to say the this is a bad game: if what I've mentioned in this review doesn't sound like it would bother you, I really do recommend that you try it out. Otherwise, though, you probably should steer clear of this one.