Recent reviews by Regulus

I finally got an allotted time to play through a JRPG. I have a lot on my list, but I opted to play Lacrimosa of Dana, and I must say I couldn't be happier that I chose it.

I was curious to see how Ys had evolved since Origin, and Felghana. I went in with similar expectations of just having a nice smooth, great paced adventure. I've always found Ys' story to be kinda "there" to drive you forward between fun combat and challenging bosses. I definitely wasn't expecting it when Lacrimosa of Dana blindsided me with one of the most enjoyable stories I've experience in a JRPG. The way it comes in, and executes is really engaging. It's not necessarily perfect though, as there were a few "anime" tropes that I felt like were kind of stuffed in, which felt bad/unnecessary when it happened. That being said these were a few single moments in an otherwise amazingly executed story.

The characters, and world you get to explore, and learn about are so interesting. I found myself talking to literally every character, every chance I got. I was very happy I did this, as you really get to understand how a story unfolds from so many perspectives. This leads on to one of my favorite things about Lacrimosa of Dana: as Dana, so many stories of side characters are "implied". The only way you really get to experience their story is by talking to them, and filling in the blanks. This is before we even get into some of the main characters. Dana might be one of my favorite video game characters written.

It's really hard to go into detail as to why Dana, and this world is so great without bringing any spoilers. All I will say is if you play this, and have the time, talk to side characters as Dana. They really bring with world to life, and makes the experience so much better.

I will note that coming from Origin and Felghana, that the general combat is quite similar in terms of pacing, and feels very smooth, but the bosses in Lacrimosa in Dana aren't as interesting in a gameplay sense. It's mostly "smack the boss until they die".

That being said, I likely won't be forgetting about this game any time soon, and I highly recommend it if you have a decent chunk of time.

It's hard for me to say what this game would be like as a first experience in the current day. I can highly recommend it for anyone who enjoyed the original though. This keeps very faithful to the original in just about every way with the exception of it being 3D(obviously).

The original game was pretty ahead of it's time with many aspects like the class system (at least by JRPG standards). This made the game really pop, however nowadays these things may not be seen as very unique. If it is your first time jumping into any version of this game it might seem a bit "generic", but either way it's still very well done.

The game looks, feels, and plays very well. The soundtrack was even better than i remember it (with every track being redone). However if you loved the old snes/fam sound, then there is an option to use the old OST... very happy to see that as an option.

Even though it's tough for me to make a call on people who are new to Trials of Mana(Seiken Densetsu 3), I still think most people would have an enjoyable time with it. For returning players, you will almost definitely love the game.

Oh ya... unless your a masochist for cheesy nonsense.. don't do English voices.

I love this game.

After completing CrossCode I decided to let it sit for a while before posting a review. After many months I can happily conclude that this was one of the enjoyable, if not THE most enjoyable indie games I have played to date. This game may not to speak to everyone the same way, but it did almost everything I look for in a game extremely well.

When I first started, I was a bit skeptical of the rather.. "cliche" MMO setting. I also felt that character's accents seemed a bit unnecessary and forced at the start, but as the game went on it started to feel much more natural, and the MMO setting turned out to be more original than I had previously thought. The story was actually quite endearing, and was nice to follow. The world is complex, but it progresses in a simple manner. Overall it's quite fitting for the style of game. One of my biggest fears when playing an indie Story-based RPG is the length, as with smaller budgets tend to come rather short games. This one impressed me quite a bit. It's length is just about perfect from my perspective.

Deciding between controller and Keyboard/mouse was one of the hardest decisions in this game. It actually bugged me quite a bit. If using a controller; movement is a lot easier. If using keyboard/mouse; aiming is a lot easier. I ended up opting for controller, as I found not getting hit was much more important than landing hits (not to mention platforming can become quite a challenge at parts)

The puzzles in this game were actually... quite amazing. If you ever played Link to the Past or old Zelda games when you were a kid, and enjoyed those puzzles... these are Zelda puzzles on steroids. A lot of them are quite often rather mind-bending, and extremely well thought-out. They are really satisfying to complete, and integrate a lot of very interesting mechanics. HUGE props to the devs for the puzzles.

I hit sections in the game where I figured I was under geared, as the enemies just tore me apart. I soon after just found out I was trash, and had to practice and get better. Having a progression that pushes the player to actually play better as opposed to grinding/getting EXP and stats to win is a HUGE plus for me. It made getting through the game that much more satisfying.

Bosses were crazy awesome as well. Some were very difficult, some were very fun. Basically every boss was a different experience, and are all very memorable (even side quest bosses who you would think are generally insignificant).

The Soundtrack was cool and fit the game, but there wasn't much that really popped out to me.. which is kind of a shame as I usually really look forward to a game's soundtrack blowing me outta the water at the right moments. Still though.. it was by no means bad.

There is also quite a bit of end-game content to cover now with the Arena and New Game +. The game is really what you make of it from there.

At the end of the day... buy this game if you enjoy RPGs, Story, or puzzles. Liking one of those three is enough to enjoy this game.

Note: I have actually played this game through and through with a different copy of the game

There are many problems I had with this game:

It is in almost every way worse than Pirates Curse.

>The game is incredibly short, and even though it looks promising with the many collectibles; they are all just gathered later for the main story line. There is no game outside exactly where the developers intended you to go.
>The soundtrack is just all around weaker (in my opinion)
>The difficulty is basically non-existant. It's on baby more by default.
>The game lacks the endearing humor that much of Pirates Curse could capture
>The levels are short and it all feels alot less like a "world" than Pirate's Curse.

The only good thing I can really say about this game is that the 3D backgrounds are cool and gave me a neat feeling of nostalgia.

Overall: If you want to play a Shantae game, play Pirate's Curse. Infact, I'd go so far as to say play any of the other Shantae games. I think this is the weakest game in the series, and only play it if you have found yourself to be a big fan of the previous games.

Let's start with the most important thing that I see alot of people overlook. If you play and beat your first run. DO NOT STOP. I won't say why for the sake of spoilers, but if the real experience ended there, the game would be very mediocre.

NieR: Automata had a story that takes you by storm. When you are truly done... you will know. I approached this game with an expectation of a typical action hack 'n' slash game, and by the first ending, there was a few neat twists. The twists were really nothing to write home about. I was about to dismiss the game as "alright", but I decided to push through because there seems to be alot of craze about "different endings". I feel that's a little bit of the wrong term. It's not so much as "different endings" as playthroughs that expand what you know and make the world as truly fascinating as it is.

The soundtrack is fantastic, almost every single zone, town or boss has a theme that really sticks with you. It is definetly not a forgettable sound track. Infact, the soundtrack was something that really convinced me to try this game in the first place.

The visuals are also phenominal, though I can only imagine how much greater it would be if some people didn't run into resolution issues (which aren't gamebreaking by any means, just a small damper). I'm not sure how common these issues are however =/.

Overall this game is an emotional roller coaster. I was thinking about how beautiful the whole story was for days after. It took me a long time to soak in every bit I could from the characters and their developement. It is possibly one of my favourite stories presented by a video game ever. Yoko Taro, you are something else pal.


(I hear there are issues, but I want to state that some of my system specs were actually below the Minimum:

Processor: i5-4690K
Graphics: GeoForce GTX 960

Despite me having pretty ♥♥♥♥♥♥ specs, i actually ran this game flawlessly with consistant 60fps during gamplay. I did run into a few issues involving resolution, but like I said before: it was by no means game-breaking.

^ I'm no techy so I have no idea how relevant that is...)

Top tier game. You'll get your ass kicked, you'll kick ass and jive to it all. It's the kind of game where no matter how many times you die, you will want to just give it "one more shot". If you play through the game I recommend playing through with the original soundtrack before swapping it out with your custom music (if you intend to do so). The original soundtrack isn't something you want to miss out on and will definetly set the mood for how the game should be viewed... There is alot of replay value. A great game to just hop into, play for a bit, or play for extended periods of time.

I'm having a bad time.

This game is an outstanding platformer. It accomplished everything I look for in a platformer to a tee. Every skill you learn throughout the game has freeform purpose and can be used in any scenario that you see fit, and can even help in many combat scenarios. There is such a mixture of true platorming and creativity, and it makes for a game that always keeps you interested and wanting more. Some of the mechanics they used were extremely unique and fun to partake in, as it is very hard to find mechanics in platormers that work, while maintaining a fluent feel to it. (may sound confusing, but you'll understand when you play it).

It's got tha beats,
It's got tha gr4phics,
It's got tha feels,
It's got tha tight controls,
but it's a lil short...

Get this shiz if it ever goes on sale for sure.

Trails in the Sky is quite an investment of time (as expected from an average RPG), and it fails to disappoint. The game has surprisingly jivey beats and boppity boops that you will never get tired of. The battle system is very similar to that of Grandia which an extremely good battle system for a JRPG and in my opinion is very underused. Like Grandia, the game doesn't feature a random battle system, but if you arent quick to avoid an enemy, then you may find yourself in combat at a disadvantage. The CP meter makes for a very diverse battle system all while keeping it simple and enjoyable. The Slot and Quartz system also makes for a huge variety in character customization to fit your playstyle perfectly. MOST characters in this game are very unique, and play their roles superbly whether it is comic relief, or intense.

Even though this game is great, it does have it's drawbacks. The two main characters at times can be cliche and bland (as the game progresses they do manage to grow on you, so it's not awful). The game also doesn't have too much in terms of replayability, so if you get it I suggest doing all the sidequests and getting the most of the game on the first run through.

Ys Origin showed an extremely unique graphic and art style which was extremely foreign to me when I first started the game. Upon the first few swings of my axe, I knew I was in for an amazing experience. This game's controls and combat system flow so fluently that every kill drew me further and further into the game. Even on Normal Difficulty this game showed the absolute perfect challenge... Hard as ♥♥♥♥. Only on one occassion did I ever beat a boss on the first attempt. Unlike most games where a death to a difficult boss would be frustrating; I never wanted to quit, as every death got me more pumped up than the last.

The smooth flow of the game wasn't everything. This games soundtrack took me by storm, as I am a sucker for a game's soundtrack. One amazing song after another... This game never grew dull even for a second. The fact that i have written over 20 words about this game should explain just how much I enjoyed it because I hate reading... and writing... and typing.....

Basically what I'm trying to say is this game is ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ awesome, and now has a place in my list of favourite games. :D