Recent reviews by KatonRyu

Aside from being adorable, it's also just a really fun game to play. The environments are cluttered, like you'd expect from the aesthetic, but it's always pretty clear where you need to go, and generally the solutions to the puzzles are fairly obvious, yet still entertaining to pull off.

Personally, I preferred the straight-up puzzle and platforming sections over the more action-heavy ones, because part of the games strength is in its looks, and when you're sprinting along to avoid enemies that becomes a bit hard. Still, the more action-oriented sections are well done, and even when sprinting it's generally easy to see where you're supposed to go.

Aside from the gameplay, there are a lot of very cute interactions you can do with the world that makes it feel more alive, which really adds to the atmosphere.

All in all, I would very much recommend this game.

Not quite as good as DS3, but still worth playing.

Obviously, with a game I was as hyped for as this one it was inevitable that it wouldn't quite live up to that hype, so take what I say with a grain of salt.

To start with the positive aspects, the open world looks gorgeous. From Software has always been good at creating vistas that were both beautiful and inviting, because you knew that at some point, you'd probably be visiting whatever you saw in the distance. That skill translates very well into the open world design of this game, with plenty of sheer cliffs from which you can plan the rest of your journey.

Exploration itself is both fun and rewarding. You'll likely find quite a bit of upgrade and crafting material if you go on a random casual stroll, and there are even open world optional bosses to take on, which generally give some nice loot. Sure, you might occasionally get killed when what you thought was a group of basic enemies turned out to be a trap ending with you getting mauled by a five meter tall bear, but that's just par for the course and keeps things interesting. Additionally, there are plenty of Sites of Grace along the way to allow for easy recovery of health and healing items, and the addition of healing replenishment by beating groups of enemies or certain non-aggressive mobs means that long exploration hikes are very viable.

Mechanically, the game feels very similar to DS3, and in my opinion that's a good thing. Everything feels responsive and aside from a few minor stutters in the open world, my RTX 2070 can handle the game at high settings very well. The minor changes in the controls are easy to work into your muscle memory, and the new mechanics, like horse riding and mounted combat, feel very natural. Fighting open world bosses from horseback is also great fun.

There are negative aspects as well, however, and they shouldn't be overlooked. If you're familiar with the Dark Souls games, then you'll be quite aware of the tendencies From Software has when designing levels, and because of that you'll rarely be surprised. You'll have pretty good ideas of where any fake walls or ambushes are, and many set pieces from the Souls games make an appearance here as well. The same holds true for the bosses, which can feel rather familiar to experienced players.

On the subject of bosses, I'm sad to say that it's probably the weakest part of the game for me thus far. The open world bosses are fun, but some are fairly repetitive. The main bosses (by which I mean 'bosses that grant an achievement upon defeat') are a bit of a mixed bag. Of the five I've faced so far, two were really not fun at all. These bosses have a large health pool, many fast combos, quick recovery after attacks, and they can sometimes perform multiple attacks at once. This leads to a very frustrating and drawn-out fight where all you can do is dodge, without ever getting a good chance to punish any attacks. I'm all for a challenge, but where the bosses in DS3 were tough but fair, these can just feel cheap, such as when a boss summons magic and then leaps behind you in an attack, almost ensuring you take the hit because at least one attack will be coming from off-screen, and the bosses all do a lot of damage with every attack. Worse, getting hit once might spell your doom, as the quick attacks from the boss will make it very difficult to find a window to heal.

The trouble with the bosses is also seen elsewhere on the map. Of course, some balance issues are inherent to open world games; you can easily roam into an area that is too high-level for you, and get smeared across the wall before you can say "Oh crap". But here, even the area you're supposed to be in feels off. Even leveling properly and upgrading my weapons I still do hardly any damage to certain regular enemies, while they can two- or three-shot me. It's still doable, but it doesn't feel comfortable because you keep getting the feeling you're in the wrong place.

On the whole, then, there isn't much in the way of originality and the game feels too unbalanced both in boss fights and when it comes to regular enemies. Opening up the map took away the streamlined, natural progression of the Souls games, and I feel it's to the game's detriment. For those who have experience, things will feel both too easy and too hard, which is a very odd combination, and to me at least it feels like From is a bit out of ideas for games like this.

Despite this, I would still say that Elden Ring is a good game and very much worth playing for anyone who likes the Souls games, because there is enough in there of what made those games so much fun.

It's a great, fast-paced shooter that is of a more tactical bent than its predecessor. Whether or not you'll like this game or Doom 2016 better will depend on your personal preference, but the combat mechanics have definitely been expanded upon.

The weapons and the variety of ways they can be used make for great combat, and with the new Dash ability it's become even faster-paced than the previous game.

One thing I definitely don't like as much is the increased focus on platforming. While the path is usually fairly easy to see, there are moments where you have to locate your next jumping target in mid-air, and while the game is fairly forgiving in that regard I just don't really like platforming. I play Doom to shoot demons, not to swing from bars and hang on walls.

Ultimately, while I prefer the simplicity of Doom 2016 over the complexity in Eternal, I still very much recommend this game, since the combat is still visceral, fast-paced, and very satisfying.

For an early access game, I think it holds up really well. The voice acting is awesome, the animations get a little choppy at times but it's nothing too serious IMO, and the setting stays very true to the series.

I can't wait to see the game develop further, but I will have the audacity to ask one thing: Will bots ever be considered as part of the game? The simple fact of the matter is that I really don't like playing with actual people, so thus far I've simply been playing private games without anyone joining.

See, with team games I hate to let my team down...but I also hate if teammates ruin things for me. The 'pressure' of that sort of takes away from the fun of the game, so I much prefer playing alone.

That minor thing out of the way, though, I love what we have so far, and I can't wait to see more.