Recent reviews by Swag ☨ Jesus

Granblue Fantasy Relink – Steam Review

I went into Relink with tempered expectations, and came out very pleasantly surprised. This is a classic JRPG through and through. Classic anime tropes, escalating stakes, and a big cast of personalities, but it executes all of it with polish and sincerity.
If you’re the type who loves archetypal characters, epic boss fights, and typical anime-style storytelling, Relink is basically a love letter to that formula.

MINOR SPOILERS – Mentions of some bosses and broad story beats, but nothing detailed or specific.


The Bad – Where It Might Miss for Some

Story – Familiar, Not Revolutionary
This is where the game will divide people. Granblue Relink tells a very typical JRPG style story.
A large cast of diverse characters with different playstyles.
A kidnapped friend driving the main plot.
Escalating stakes that move from goblins and bandits → continental threats → literal gods.
A classic “start small, end epic” arc capped by a weightier third act.
If you go in expecting Nier Automata levels of philosophy or Final Fantasy Tactics depth, you’ll be disappointed. The beats are familiar, the tropes are obvious, and critics will call it “shallow” or “predictable.”
The story will absolutely miss for some. It’s shonen through and through. Predictable beats, familiar tropes, and no philosophical depth. If you can’t enjoy that framework, you’ll likely bounce off.
But here’s the thing: it executes that formula with excellence. The characters are written with charm, the pacing is strong, and the emotional moments land. It’s a perfect example of a shonen-style adventure done well.
So yeah, it’s “shonen-tier,” but if you allow yourself to enjoy it on those terms, it’s a blast. If you like classic anime tropes, archetypal characters, and straightforward-but-earnest storytelling, you’ll find the narrative extremely satisfying.


The Good – What I liked

Visuals & Presentation
I played in 4K with maxed settings, and this game is flat-out gorgeous. Relink nails that “2D anime brought into 3D space” aesthetic better than almost any game I’ve seen. Faces are proportioned naturally, expressions are dynamic, and every character feels alive. Attack animations change facial expressions mid-swing, and the constant flow of combat callouts and voice lines bring their personalities to the surface in the middle of battle.

Character Design & Art Style

The cast itself is massive and diverse, and each one feels distinct. On the surface they lean into familiar anime archetypes, but each has personality and backstory that gives them weight.
You’ve got your big armored greatsword guy (Berserk-style Guts energy).
A regal mage prince (Marth-like elegance).
Katana-wielding goat girls with DMC-Vergil flair.
Cute loli mages who get unexpectedly sadistic once their combos start flowing.
And it’s not just personality, their playstyles are just as varied. Every character has their own moveset, mechanics, and visual effects that look amazing and feel impactful to play. From fluid combo strings to massive team-up specials, everything is clean, flashy, and satisfying.
If you’ve got a favorite anime archetype, odds are Relink has a character who embodies it, and then gives them enough depth to keep you invested.

Combat – Deep, Flashy, and Customizable

One of Relink’s biggest strengths is its combat system.
You start with a large base cast and form a team around them. After the intro arcs, you begin unlocking more characters through recruit tickets that are earned from story progression and side quests. These tickets let you pick specific characters from a list (not random gacha), so you always have control over who joins your crew.
Throughout the story, the MC must stay in your party (though you don’t have to actively play them), while the other slots are free to customize. This lets you build your team to fit whatever style you prefer:
A dedicated healer mage who keeps you alive and stuns enemies.
A glass-cannon DPS while you hold aggro as a tank.
Or flip it and play the healer yourself while your team dishes out punishment.
The system is surprisingly flexible and allows for deep party synergy.
On top of that, every character plays differently. Their combos are flashy and satisfying, but they’re not just for show, skills provide real utility with buffs, debuffs, and combo extenders. Heavy weapons feel clunky and weighty (in a good way), while lighter characters are quick, flashy, and stylish.
The result is combat that manages to be fun, customizable, and mechanically rewarding. Whether you’re spamming massive supers, weaving intricate combos, or optimizing party synergies, the game makes you feel powerful without losing the need for strategy.

Combat & Difficulty

I played on Hard Mode from the start, and I highly recommend it. Normal mode lets you enjoy the story, but Hard mode is where you feel the combat system come alive. Every boss fight demands attention to mechanics, dodges, and proper skill usage, which makes the victories incredibly satisfying. If you want the full Relink experience, play on Hard.

Spectacle & Boss Battles

This is where Relink shines the brightest. The game nails escalation and spectacle. Starting from small skirmishes with goblins, scaling into frost wolf spirits, armored wraiths, and fire dragons, before unleashing full-blown cinematic encounters that rival the best in the genre.
The variety is insane:
Classic Fantasy Battles: Epic wolf spirits, elemental dragons, sword-wielding phantoms.
Gimmick Bosses (in a good way):
Airship vs. Airship combat, raining cannon fire while you leap between decks.
Hacking into an enemy mech to pilot it against another mech. Basically “Armored Core lite.”
A Shadow of the Colossus-style fight where you climb a continent-sized monster while dodging massive AoE attacks.
Possessing a giant dragon spirit to duel another dragon, turning the battlefield into a kaiju showdown.
Every encounter feels different and every escalation feels earned. By the time you’re fighting gods and world-ending threats, the game has already primed you for spectacle, and then it still manages to outdo itself.

Music

The soundtrack is fantastic across the board, but the final battle theme is the standout—an over-the-top metal anthem with shredding guitar solos, epic lyrics, choirs, and full orchestra. It’s pure peak “anime final boss” energy.


Final Thoughts – Should You Play It?

Granblue Fantasy Relink is not trying to be groundbreaking. It’s not redefining the JRPG genre. What it is—is a sincere, polished, character-driven adventure that embraces its anime roots and executes them with heart.
If you’re looking for a deep, philosophical narrative, this isn’t it. But if you love shonen-style storytelling, archetypal characters, and classic JRPG escalation done right, you’ll love this game.

Gameplay: 8.5/10 – Fun, flashy, occasionally repetitive.
Graphics: 9/10 – Gorgeous, anime brought to life.
Story: 8/10 – Familiar beats, executed perfectly.
Characters: 9/10 – Distinct, charming, fun to play.
Music: 9/10 – Bombastic and emotional.
Replayability: 7/10 – Strong, but some repetition sets in.

Final Score: 8.5/10
Relink doesn’t reinvent the JRPG, it perfects it. The quintessential shonen adventure: earnest, spectacular, and impossible to put down.

Good game so far, haven't had any performance issues yet at all.

Gunplay is very tight and the movement feels really good. Love the art style direction as well.

Love the new update and the changes to the planet management/galactic trade.

Going to write a more in depth review on these systems later.

GG Robocraft, was a very fun game and i enjoyed it immensely.

RIP Robocraft and Freejam.

I’ve been playing Monster Hunter for a long time—since Tri, to be exact. I’ve played every single entry since then, from 3 to 4U, Generations to GenU, World/Iceborne, Rise/Sunbreak, and now Wilds. I love this series, flaws and all, and I’ve seen what makes each game great (and where they stumble).

At the time of writing this, I have 60 hours in Wilds. I’ve completed the main story (Low Rank) and have moved on to High Rank, where the real game begins.

Let’s get into it.

The Bad – What Holds It Back
As much as I love Wilds, there are a few issues I can’t ignore.

Performance Issues
This is easily my biggest gripe. I’m running an i7-13700F and an RX 6800 XT, playing in 4K at high settings, and while I can mostly hit 60 FPS, frequent dips to 40 FPS and occasional crashes (especially when using 16x AF) make the game feel poorly optimized. I’ve had to lower my settings to 8x AF just to get the game to run more consistently.

For a game that looks this good, I expected some performance strain, but Wilds desperately needs better optimization and stability improvements.

Multiplayer System (Party/Lobby/Link System)
This has been a long-running issue in Monster Hunter, and Wilds hasn’t improved it. The multiplayer setup is frustratingly complicated.

If you want to see your friends and do quests together, you need to be in both the same lobby AND the same link party.
This isolates you from the larger player base, meaning you can’t enjoy both a friend group and the massive lobbies of other hunters at the same time.
It’s an overly convoluted system that makes jumping into hunts with friends harder than it should be.

The Story – Kind Of a Problem
I love how the Hunter is personified in this game. For once, we actually feel like the badass veteran that was specifically called in for an impossible task. There are multiple hero moments that really make you feel like a legend, and those moments are fantastic.

However, I wish the story revolved more around us. While the Hunter gets the big fights and standoffs, much of the story focuses on other characters instead. A lot of the major plot-driving moments are handled by NPCs, with the Hunter mostly standing in the background until it’s time for the next hunt.

It’s not a bad story by any means, but I would have preferred more involvement for the Hunter rather than just being the silent badass who shows up for the big moments.

The Good – What Makes It Great
Now, onto what I love.

Low Rank as Story Mode, High Rank as “The Real Game”
One of the best design choices was keeping the story contained within Low Rank. Once you hit High Rank, the game fully opens up, shifting the focus from cinematic storytelling to pure hunting.

I also love how cutscenes aren’t just static breaks anymore—you can gather loot, ride your Seikret, and interact with the world while dialogue plays out. It keeps the pacing fluid and makes the story feel more immersive.

Gameplay – Classic Monster Hunter, Better Than Ever
This is Monster Hunter at its best.

Combat feels tight, fluid, and impactful—as it should. I play Charge Blade, and the combos feel clean, punchy, and rewarding.
The small tweaks to Axe mode encourage more morph play, which I love.
The fights feel epic, and monster movesets are incredibly well-designed.
Seikrets – A Perfect Addition
I liked the Palamutes in Rise, but Seikrets are next-level. They feel like their own unique feature, well-integrated into the game. And the fact that you can bring both a Seikret and a Palico is just perfect.

Cooking & Gathering – Actually Fun
The portable cooking system is one of my favorite new features. It’s fun, encourages gathering and ingredient hunting, and makes food buffs feel more immersive rather than just clicking a menu option.

Customization – The Best in the Series
Wilds has the best character customization in Monster Hunter history—by far.

Armor textures and details are stunning
Weapons are unique, intricate, and visually incredible
Dyeing options and individual armor piece customization are top-tier
Facial customization is ridiculously deep—you can adjust everything from hair length to bone structure
Palico and Seikret customization is solid (Seikrets a little less so, but still good)
This game lets you craft a Hunter that truly feels like yours.

Multiplayer – When It Works, It’s Fantastic
Despite the party system issues, when Wilds’ multiplayer works, it’s the best the series has ever had.

You can seamlessly transition from open-world hunts to responding to an SOS flare
You can join a random hunt, help someone out, then go back to your own
Lobbies feel alive, with 20+ players coexisting in the same space
It’s a huge step forward in online play—just held back by the frustrating party system.

The Cast – Strong Characters
Alma is great.
Gemma is great.
Olivia is great.
Fabius is awesome.
Rove is awesome.
The Hunter is based.
Werner needs antidepressants, but he’s cool, I guess.

Anyone I didn’t mention, I didn’t like, and I don’t feel like going into it.

I do wish the story focused more on the Hunter, but the lore itself is fantastic, touching on concepts introduced four games ago—and I’m excited to see where the Title Updates take it.

Visuals & Music – Absolute Masterpieces
Straight up, this game looks and sounds incredible.

The models, textures, and environments are insane
The sound effects and orchestral score are next-level
Monster designs, armor sets, and weapons are all unique and stunning
The only downside? I just wish it was optimized well enough so I could see it in full 60 FPS glory.

Final Thoughts – Should You Play It?
Despite its performance issues and clunky party system, Monster Hunter Wilds is one of the best entries in the series. The combat is refined, the world is beautiful, the customization is unparalleled, and the gameplay loop is as addictive as ever.

If you’re a long-time Monster Hunter fan, you’re going to love it.
If you’re new to the series, it’s a fantastic entry point—but be prepared for some technical frustrations.

Final Score:
Gameplay: ★★★★★ (10/10) – Classic Monster Hunter perfection, refined further
Graphics: ★★★★★ (10/10) – Stunning, but dragged down by poor optimization
Performance: ★★☆☆☆ (4/10) – Needs serious optimization and stability fixes
Multiplayer: ★★★☆☆ (7/10) – Fantastic when it works, but the setup is frustrating
Story: ★★★★☆ (8/10) – Great lore, amazing hero moments, but too much NPC focus
Customization: ★★★★★ (10/10) – The best in the series

Final Score: 8.5/10
A phenomenal Monster Hunter game—held back by technical issues but still an absolute must-play.

Weed Shop 3 - Steam Review

If you're a fan of shop simulation games, love seeing numbers go up, and enjoy long-term progression with tons of things to manage, Weed Shop 3 is a must-play. This game lets you start with a small shop and, through production, customer interaction, and expansion, grow into a full-scale weed empire. It’s fun, addicting, and packed with mechanics that keep you engaged for hours.

Pros :

Long-Term Progression : If you enjoy grinding and building up something over time, this game delivers. There’s always something to do—whether it’s upgrading your shop, expanding production, managing street sales, or participating in mini-games.
Variety of Gameplay Styles : Selling directly to customers, investing in automated production, handling mobile orders, rolling and packaging, farming, and even engaging in wild mini-games. Even after 130+ hours, there are still mechanics you might not have explored.
Relaxing, Addictive, and Mind-Numbing (in a Good Way) : If you’re looking for a stress-free game where you can throw on a movie or podcast while running a fully automated empire, this is perfect. It scratches the itch of repetition and satisfying incremental growth.
The Ultimate "Watch Numbers Get Bigger" Game : If you love games like 4X strategies, shop sims, or factory management games, you’ll love watching your profits, production, and reputation steadily climb.
Great Shop Sim Mechanics : Fully customizable shop layout, integrated in-game smart TVs for streaming or displaying custom images, and a well-developed customer system with bartering, reputation, and sales management.

Cons :

Slow Early Game : The initial grind can feel stretched, and some players might find it drags before things pick up. However, if you love the long-term grind, this isn’t really a downside.
The Graphics Are Rough (But It Works) : The game leans into a “stock asset” or “so bad it’s good” aesthetic, which fits the goofy tone but may turn off some players. If visuals are a big deal for you, this might be a sticking point.
Performance Demands : This game can be surprisingly beefy on higher settings. If you want good performance with high lighting settings, you’ll need decent hardware. Also, load times on an HDD are rough, so an SSD is highly recommended.

Final Thoughts :
Weed Shop 3 is an addictive, fun, and perfectly goofy shop sim that delivers a deeply satisfying gameplay loop. The cons are minor and may even be pros depending on your tastes. If you enjoy long-term shop management, grinding for profits, and watching numbers skyrocket, this game is for you.

Gameplay: 9/10
Graphics: 5/10
Fun Factor: 10/10
Story: N/A
Replayability: 7/10
Final Score: 8/10

(Review Coming)

Fix the bot problem

I dont often review games, only a handful, but i really do recommend this game to any ARPG fans who are looking for something new.

No Micro-Transactions to gain unfair advantages (just cosmetics).
Fun and fleshed out class identity.
Lots of character customization, variety in play styles, and tons of skill customization.
Very fun and "punchy" combat, you can really feel the power behind your character, which is nice.

Bad launch though, rough server issues and frequent DCs, but its been over a week since ive had any issues like this.

A fun and simple to understand turn based card/board game, with a lot of hidden complexities to it.

Very fun, definitely worth a try.