Stats time!
Play Time 1h 1m
F-Zero X Stats and Records
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Excitebike 64 Stats and Records
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Play Time 1h 34m
Black Clover M: Rise of the Wizard King Stats and Records
Stats time!
Play Time 5h (Higher but the phone only tracks last 7 days)
Player Level: 9
Character Stats
Asta: SSR Level 60
Charlotte: SSR Level 60
Sally: SSR Level 1
Noelle: SR Level 40
Yuno: SR Level 40
Luck: SR Level 40
Sol: SR Level 1
Solid: SR Level 1
Alecdora: SR Level 1
Magna: SR Level 1
Shiren: SR Level 1
Heath: SR Level 1
Sister Theresa: SR Level 1
Mimosa: SR Level 1
Valtos: SR Level 1
Sekke: R Level 14
Klaus: R Leel 1
Baro: R Level 1
Catherine: R Level 1
Salim: R Level 1
Geork: R Level 1
Marx: R Level 1
Revchi: R Level 1
Neige: R Level 1
Gordon: R Level 1
Sister Lily: R Level 1
The Accountant Review
This review is of the TV-14 edited version of the film. All thoughts below should be addressed as such as a review of the unedited version would be more negative
I saw this film a little while ago and it’s definitely a solid action film all around. I remember the trailers and promotions for this one really well. The idea of an Accountant being the main character who is also a fighter and it was enough to get some eyebrows raised. Now granted, the film plays out a little differently than I expected since I was basically expecting accountant by day and Punisher by night but the route the movie goes is still solid.
The movie starts by introducing us to Christian who as a kid could not really handle any external stimulus. This would result in a lot of different episodes and panic attacks which gradually caused his mother to run off. His father did his best to train Christian and his brother Braxton even if his methods could be rather intense and tow the line of going too far. Well, it ended up working for Christian who is now an expert accountant who has been able to lead an ordinary life. He continues to train himself for stimulus every night using a custom setup at his house. His latest case is to find out if some money has been stolen by a huge company and this mystery goes back many years. An intern named Dana discovered this so she wants to help him out but he’s a solo act.
Is this guy hiding something though? Ray, the leader of the Treasury (Makes it sound like a big gang organization right?) hires a lady named Marybeth to find out the secret behind this accountant. He blackmails her so that if she refuses he will send her off to jail. That’s a pretty strong motivation so she’s all in but Christian appears to just be an alias that he uses and the guy has been the accountant for many powerful gangs and influential people across the globe. He always vanishes once the job is done and contacting him is next to impossible. Will she be able to pull this off?
Now the film is mainly focused on the two different plots, Christian’s and Marybeth’s. The latter is mostly a red herring in my opinion as you keep waiting for the two paths to connect. Of course they do to an extent but not as much as you would think. I feel like this was all leading up to a big sequel where you will have the payoff but even if we don’t get a sequel, I think this works pretty well. It’s a fun subversion as she continues to be one step behind him throughout the film as opposed to finally getting one over on him. Why is this a good thing? Well, it’d be a little cheesy if someone who just joined the force could track down the man that nobody has ever encountered yet. It would just be a little too fast, but give her a few years and that can of course change.
She’s a solid character through and through though. She also makes the right call in the end which I was glad about because for a bit there I was getting nervous. The “call” involves choosing to accept the help of a vigilante or not and yes while that can sound tricky, I think it’s clear that you have to say yes. You’re putting villains behind bars, it doesn’t matter where the intel is coming from. Meanwhile Ray was also a pretty solid character. He should probably tread lightly because he doesn’t want the Accountant for an enemy but I liked his drive. Replaying his backstory over and over was a bit much but I thought he pulled his weight really well in keeping the subplot interesting.
For the main plot, that’s where the meat and potatoes is. Christian makes for a really fun main character. He’s definitely been through a lot so it was nice to see him be in total control in the present. He has his system and knows how to protect himself. He’s also an expert fighter which is nice and balances out his serious side and comedic moments well. It also comes down to the fact that he’s just a nice guy in general. The film throws a whole lot of plot twists at you by the end and the best one involves the identity of the lady who works with him over the phone.
I thought that was a really nice touch and shows how he really helped improve a lot of other lives around him. It’s a twist that I absolutely did not see coming but works perfectly well when you see it there. That’s why it is such a good twist. Not every twist in the film lands though. One involves the identity of the main villain. So here’s the thing, it’s an unexpected twist which is cool but I think it was handled a bit too abruptly. No matter who the identity is, we know that this villain has been murdering a lot of people already. It’s hard to just let bygones be bygones.
While you could say that the villain is a vigilante like the Accountant to an extent, he’s certainly much more willing to cross the line at the drop of a hat. He’s an assassin for hire after all and while the victims we saw were other villains, he does murder them in rather intense ways and based on his reputation you are led to believe that he has quite the body count. All of this is just to say that you’re not really inclined to root for him in the present no matter what happened in the past. I actually liked him a whole lot in his past scenes but for the present it’s going to take some time.
Meanwhile Dana is a decent character although I don’t think she brought much to the movie beyond trying to squeeze some Hollywood romance in there. Christian works well as a solo act all the way through and they didn’t have a whole lot of banter or enough of a dynamic to make the extra character worth it. If she returns in the sequel you could probably do something with her but it did feel like this was probably it for her character. Her arc is concluded after all so the sequel would likely introduce some new characters.
The film doesn’t actually have a lot of action but the fights that we do get are pretty solid. Again that’s where the film tricked me a little because I was expecting a ton of fight scenes but really we just had the climax and a brief fight in the past. The choreography was on point though and the story is engaging enough where you’re invested all the way through anyway. The film can be sad, funny, serious, etc. It has a whole lot of range here and makes for a very complete film.
What seals the deal on this one being solid is the ending. A film like this could have absolutely destroyed itself with the wrong ending but it leaves a lot of room for a sequel and is satisfying for all of the characters. A whole lot of world building was accomplished here as well which is impressive for a stand alone title. It probably needs to sell me a little more on how Christian managed to stay alive for so long in such a brutal business but you could partially chalk that up to luck or him never really being in a position where someone wants him silenced. We do see some of the specifics on how he stays safe like a moving base and all buttttt I’m just a little skeptical.
Overall, The Accountant is a pretty good movie. The soundtrack may be a little forgettable but the writing is good and I liked the premise a whole lot. It really does throw a unique element into the mix (Being an accountant) and really rides that all the way through to the end. That will also prevent this film from just being forgotten because no matter how many other thrillers come out, it’s unlikely that they would end up copying that part of the plot. Even if they did, it would squarely be known as the copycat which just makes this one get brought up yet again. I’d recommend checking this film out for sure.
Overall 7/10
Going My Way Review
Time for another festive film as we get closer to Christmas. This one has a solid message and a good character cast but ends up being held back just a little bit by not having enough fun. I think the movie ends up spreading itself a bit too thin with such a large cast and so at times you just wish they would stick to one story beat for a little longer instead of all the jumping around. It makes the film start to get a little boring at times but ultimately it sticks the landing well enough.
The movie starts off with a new guy entering the neighborhood. He is to work at the local church under Father Fitzgibbon but doesn’t have the best first impression as he gets framed for a ball crashing through the window and then gets yelled at by an annoying neighbor. Still, Chuck is eager to help the church out even if it seems like Fitzgibbon is ready to throw him away. What Chuck hasn’t let him in on is that he’s actually the head honcho now as he was sent to save the church. He just doesn’t want to embarrass Fitzgibbon so Chuck pretends that he works for him. It’s definitely a nice thing to do even if it does mean that his mission will be a little more difficult now. Can he save everyone?
I would really describe this film as Chuck going around town and trying to solve everyone’s problems. You have the kids getting into a lot of trouble all the time, a girl who is trying to be an aspiring talent and a guy and his father who completely disagree on everything. That’s just for starters. As the new guy on the block Chuck doesn’t have a ton of credibility yet so he will need to quickly show them why they should listen to him and get their lives back on track. All while trying not to but heads with Fitzgibbon too much.
With his debates with the older pastor, I do think Chuck could have explained himself a little more at times. Like when he walked into their first meeting in pajamas. It’s played off as a comical moment but I do think Fitzgibbon was justified in feeling like Chuck wasn’t taking this seriously. That’s absolutely how it appeared at least since he doesn’t have the privilege of seeing the events as we did. Then you have Chuck having fun golfing and such. He would really appear to not be serious at all initially.
Now Fitz does get to see Chuck doing a lot of good as the film goes on. I just think he was actually rather reasonable in his reactions. Fitz absolutely means well even if he can be a little old fashioned and once the two start teaming up things go a lot better. That’s where the heart of the film comes in as it’s about keeping an open mind and trying new things. Sometimes you do need a new approach to an old problem, particularly if the current tactics weren’t working. A lot of people were in quite the predicament under Fitzgibbon’s leadership and while it’s not like he was directly responsible for that, he would not have been able to solve the situations without Chuck.
Meanwhile while Chuck doesn’t communicate enough, he is good at his job. He takes some risks and ultimately bonds with the people really quickly. You need to be very personable when you’re working at a Church after all since you won’t convert any hearts if nobody likes you. His friend Timmy maybe goes a bit too far in how laidback he is though. You don’t really see him doing much work at all but hey I suppose we can’t see what he’s doing off camera. You should be able to have a job where you can relax and have a good time so long as you are still doing your work when it comes time to produce. The ending of the film has a cliffhanger that could have made for an interesting dynamic even if it may have been like a bit of a retread.
So the main plot is solid, but like I said the film can get a little uneventful sometimes with the other plots. For example the romance plot with Carol and Ted. Basically they end up getting married real quick and really rub it in Ted’s father’s face. You’re supposed to be rooting for them but they did come across as a bit rude there even if it was meant to be in good fun. He ultimately has no choice but to accept it since they’re married but then Ted is heading off to the army so they are going to be separated for a while as is. It’s a happy ending as they at least made the relationship official which is good but you just don’t really care about what is going on in this plot. We could have used that for more screentime comparing how the two pastors handle things differently in church.
Give us more scenes with the actual sermons and trying to raise money instead. As it is we already had the romance plot of sorts with the main character running into a lady that he used to be involved with back in the day. Of course he has turned from all such things now but it’s nice that they still have a friendship going. In a way this film does feel like a combination of a lot of experiences that you could picture really happening at the Church but at the same time it maybe goes a little too realistically at times so the film doesn’t have that hook.
Overall, The film plays it fairly safe and I have no significant issues with it. It’s probably not a film that I would ever really feel the need to rewatch but the writing is good and the character cast is solid on the whole so you could do a lot worse. It’s a good film, I just feel like it could have been a very good film. Throw in a little more humor and let us see more of the debates between the lead and Fitz. Based on the premise that’s more or less what I was expecting but it felt like there just weren’t as many of those scenes as I thought there would be.
Overall 6/10
Christmas at the Drive-In Review
It’s time for our next wholesome Christmas adventure! This time we’re bringing in the Drive-In theater to the mix which is a fun little element to make this one more unique. Ultimately it succeeds on all of the classic Christmas elements you would want to see here. Definitely no real negatives to say about this film and so you’ll have a fun time from start to finish.
The film starts off by introducing us to Sadie who was a very impressive lawyer back in the day but she has decided to hang up her career in order to move back home and become a teacher. She is quite fulfilled in this role but then runs into her ex-boyfriend Holden. There’s a lot of history between these two as Holden stood her up on their last date and so their relationship fell apart. It’s been many years but the reunion is not under happy circumstances as Holden wants to destroy the Drive-In theater. Sadie is resolved to save it though and so the town is giving her until Christmas to prove that it can still be a hit. If not, then it will be destroyed to pave the way for new jobs. As Holden technically owns the Drive-In, he is forced to assist her as a good faith effort but his heart’s not really in it. Can Sadie pull this off?
Now as soon as they said Holden and Sadie used to be together you knew that things were going to get a little dicey for them. Holden’s excuse is that he saw Sadie cheating on him back in the day so that’s why he didn’t approach her and so the two of them are still single to this day. You can probably guess what kinds of misunderstandings are going on here. You’d think both characters would be a little too busy following their interests for romance at this late time but hey that’s how it goes I suppose.
I was glad that the film brought in more of an emphasis on baking and showing off different Christmas snacks because I’ve missed that from some of the recent movies that I’ve seen. The sugar cookies looked like fun as well as the chocolate drink. It’s definitely the time of the year to eat as much as you can and just have a good time with it. The Christmas decorations and backgrounds are also handled really well. The town looks like it would be a fun place to hang out and the Drive-In looks nice. Now that’s not really something I’d be all that tempted to do because being in a car just feels a bit too confining, I’d probably prefer to stand outside and watch but with the cold temperatures outside the average civilian would probably need the heater.
The writing is on point here. While the story may be somewhat predictable, I always say that it’s all about the execution. Just because you know how a story will end doesn’t mean that it’s bad. You shouldn’t always try to subvert everyone’s expectations after all as sometimes the expected ending is the right one to go with. The pacing is good and the film really goes by quickly. The main cast is also quite small here. You have the main two of course who do a good job. Holden may not have been very enthusiastic at first but he’s a good guy and gradually started putting in more and more of an effort. He even spent a ton of money on this project which was impressive.
Sadie of course was doing her best from the start and it’s great that she was looking out for the town the whole time. Losing the drive-in would have been rough even if granted, I think the town would have ultimately been okay. She also does her best to help someone in fighting a legal battle. I appreciated Kendra as a solid antagonist who sympathized with Holden’s plight but had the highest obligation to her shareholders. She was going to get a profit out of this no matter what and that’s the attitude you have to have when you’re in charge. It’s nothing personal after all, just business.
Then you have Bobby who was another antagonist. I mean from his perspective Holden is the trailer since the two had long since signed the contract. That said, he does play a dirty trick in bribing the council so the guy ultimately does not have the moral high ground at all. He really should have kept to playing fair all the way til the end. It’s always good to have a true antagonist to spice things up though so that was fun. He was an entertaining character all the way through to the end.
At the end of the day this film spreads a good message about friendship and uniting the people with a common cause. You don’t really see this kind of experience as much in the big city but in a small town where everyone knows each other you like to think that everyone would have each other’s back for a situation like this.
Overall, This was a pretty fun film. As always what I like to see in a Christmas film is a solid message and good vibes all throughout. The ending should always leave you feeling happy and fulfilled which this movie pulls off. You definitely feel good watching it and it properly captures the Christmas spirit. I would definitely recommend checking it out and having a good time with this film. It should get you in the mood to celebrate as we are getting very close to the end of the year right now!
Overall 7/10
A Very Merry Toy Store Review
The poster’s a bit of a missed opportunity here if you ask me. The plot involves the two toy store owners reluctantly teaming up and while we all know how it will end, I feel like the poster should at least be playing up the battle a little bit right? Try and trick the audience into thinking that this will be the next big fight. That would have made a lot more sense if you ask me. Ah well, you can’t win them all but the film itself is still very solid.
The movie starts with introducing us to Connie and Will who both own fairly successful toy stores. There is a lot of bad blood between them, mainly from Connie’s side. The reason for this is due to a long family grudge when Will’s ancestor ended up making his own store right down the block from Connie’s after a dispute involving the name. Connie never forgave Will for this so she goes for as many cheap shots as possible. Well, one day Roy moves into town and he’s the owner of a massive corporate toy shop. He’s here to completely change the game and upset the hierarchy of the toy environment. He has a massive amount of money to throw around so Connie and Will may have to team up to stop him. Will even that be enough though?
I always love the classic team up trope. It’s one of the greatest in the business particularly when it’s very reluctant and you have the hero and villain bickering the whole time. Granted there isn’t really a villain from the duo although Connie comes the closest. Throughout the film you never get the vibe that Will actually dislikes her while Connie clearly has nothing but contempt for the guy. He’s always trying to help while Connie keeps on throwing insults and trying to make the whole thing harder on both of them. It takes her an extremely long time to get past this as she really took the family grudge personally while Randy was mainly pretty cool about it the whole time.
He also tended to get the best lines so he was a really fun character all the way through. I liked the Looney Tunes references and the guy was always game for any plan. He was just really enthusiastic and had a ton of energy. Now granted he does fold to corporate rather quick but in the end it’s a fairly practical move once the tide was turning. Meanwhile Connie could be really stubborn but she still pulled her own weight and did good. The reluctant team up doesn’t work as well if both people are excited about it so by being the debbie downer she helped to keep things in perspective and offer a contrast the whole time.
This film also had a fairly large cast for this kind of Christmas adventure. Usually you don’t expect a lot of characters, just the main 2, the boyfriend who loses out at the start and then the villain. Here we have quite a few side characters, some who could have been cut out to be honest. For example we have a subplot about a guy named Joe who gets a crush on Pam so he lies to her about needing to learn the piano and they hit it off. It’s a plot that doesn’t really add anything to the film except another romance so this could have really been cut out.
Then we have a whole subplot about someone stealing items from the toy store and the heroes are trying to find out who this is. The plot ultimately plays a role by the ending but the thief could have really been cut out. In fact I would argue the thief was probably the weakest character here as her motivations weren’t all that solid and that plot got old real quickly. It just didn’t really work.
Then we have the comic relief character Randy who can barely think straight. The poor guy was racking up Ls the entire film but at least I appreciate that he was rather confident. He would always blame everything on everyone else which is impressive. Randy’s not the kind of guy who will end up taking responsibility for anything and that’s probably sounding like the most back handed complement ever but it makes the jokes work a bit better. When you have a character who is dumb as bricks it will either be really funny or really cringe. This ended up being more on the funny side.
We can’t forget about our villain Roy though. Now here was a really fun villain who kept the heroes on their toes the whole time. I loved how smug he was throughout and I felt like he won the verbal battles constantly. The heroes would try to get one step ahead of him and he would always counter. He used every dirty trick in the book and for the most part you just had no clue how anybody was going to stop him. That’s the kind of villain you need. He really helped elevate the whole experience and in part it’s also because he was treated seriously the whole time. He wasn’t some comic relief villain to be mopped up by the heroes or some random who never stood a chance. No, this guy was a big CEO of a major company and he acted the part.
His best scene was probably when he was in the board room as everyone was telling him what a great position the company was in. He was clearly on cloud 9 at that moment because he had flat out won. He had beaten the odds and that was it. Now naturally you can guess that things would ultimately not go very well but the film was a very satisfying watch. The writing was good and the character cast was very solid. You really can’t go wrong with this title.
Overall, This is one of the stronger Christmas films that I’ve watched. I really enjoyed all of the banter and fighting going on. The film may have been a little overstuffed at times as these subplots took time away from the main battles that you wanted to see but it still succeeded more often than not. The Toy Stores made for a good backdrop and it was fun to see each side keep trying to outdo each other whether it was in handing out free pancakes or hiring a professional singer. Both sides just did not want to lose and you need to have that energy in order to come out on top.
Overall 7/10
The Great Rupert Review
The Great Rupert is a fun film even if Rupert himself doesn’t appear as much as you would expect him too. He’s certainly a big part of the plot with how much influence he has the whole time but at the same time you just were expecting him to do more. Still, it’s a quality film with fun characters who may make a ton of mistakes but never harsh the vibe that the movie is going for.
The movie starts off with an old man having to let go of his pet squirrel for a while. Rupert may have been a true show stopper with his dancing abilities but it was time to go their separate ways. Rupert ends up crashing at the home of a stingy landlord named Frank. Well, Frank’s family have a decent amount of money but never get to spend it. Even when Frank ends up striking it rich with an investment that he made, he insists on storing all of his money at the house instead of the bank. He is making a clean $1500 a week now but what he doesn’t know is that Rupert is throwing the money down to the new tenants, Louie and his family. Louie has been poor for a while but now he can use this money to invest in a bunch of people and spread the wealth. Is he perhaps spreading himself too thin though?
All right so lets jump into the positives. I like Louie’s can do attitude the whole time. No matter how bad things get, the guy always has a smile and a lot of energy. He clearly enjoys life a whole lot and will always do his best to help others. He can sometimes pull a fast one on people like when making a deal for the Christmas tree but he always ends up helping others to balance the scales. He’s the kind of guy you could easily become friends with although on the flip side, he’s very irresponsible. The fact that he used up all of the money the family had on more than one occasion is inexcusable.
There is a fine line between helping a bunch of people out and just letting them take advantage of you. By not having enough money to support his family I have to say that he fell into the latter. You must always have some money on hand for your family because if not then you have let them down. There’s just no way around it. Likewise his wife should have done better in holding onto that money as well. She believed that it came from her praying to God so wouldn’t you want to make sure it was all properly used and not wasted? That would be blasphemy of the highest order at all and yet she was willing to keep on asking for more and more money. It felt rather shameless even if the whole family was in on it.
Rosalinda was my least favorite member of the family though. The money seemed to go to her head in a very bad way where it’s like she got corrupted right away. The film surprisingly didn’t play this angle up very much but even Pete mentions how she’s different now. She starts flirting with a producer and manipulates him so that she can get Pete’s song on the radio but in the meantime her plan is basically to date this guy. Poor Pete has to take a back seat without any explanation as to what’s going on. She ends up being really lucky that he’s still interested by the end. I didn’t think that plot was handled very well at all.
Pete ends up looking really bad as well with how much he takes the whole film. He should have been standing up for himself and everything instead of just watching and feeling sorry for himself. He sticks up for her by getting fired but even then while it’s supposed to be a great moment, it didn’t feel earned. It’s not even like the guy spreading rumors was being all that drastic.
While Pete’s investment later on ends up paying off, I wouldn’t even say he was in the right there. Frank usually would have been right when he told his son that this was a very foolish move to make. Being lucky or being right in the end doesn’t suddenly mean that you made the correct decision after all. Like things ended really badly for Frank but that was just bad luck. It doesn’t mean that hiding his money was the wrong play. He is certainly too stingy though. There’s not much point to having a lot of money if you decide to never use it until you get old. Like why even bother by that point? You’ll be so old that you can’t do all of the fun stuff you could have when you were young.
So yeah even from the review you can see how I haven’t really talked about Rupert at all. He’s the vehicle for getting the funds transferred but otherwise doesn’t really do anything. I do think the effects for him were pretty good though and the scenes were always fun. I’d probably have just renamed the movie though since the focus was really on the main characters. Ultimately the pacing was really quick and the writing was good so I really did have a good time with this one. The ending may not have been ultra happy in some respects like losing the house but the final seconds make up for this with a ton of good news coming in. I can’t recall any other film where there were so many positive twists in the last seconds like that. So it definitely helped perk up the ending quite a bit.
Overall, The Great Rupert is a really fun film. In some respects you could say it’s a fairly basic title without many twists and turns but that works well as a slice of life. Ultimately for a film like this you need a solid cast and this movie delivers all the way. I can’t say I was really familiar with the film before watching it so if like me you didn’t know about it, I’d definitely say to check it out. It’s a fun story and the fantasy of one day waking up to a bunch of money is always a fun one. Hopefully you wouldn’t squander it the way that Louie did though. When you get money like that, the first step is figuring out how to make it grow or at the very least hanging onto it!
Overall 7/10
Yoshi’s Story Review
Yoshi is one of those characters who has gotten his share of video games but not as many as you probably would have expected. It’s a shame because there’s a ton of potential for more adventures with him and they just don’t happen a whole lot. Either way I can safely say that this is an all right game but one that ends wayyyyyy too fast and loses some points there. They did some interesting things with the gameplay and tried to stand out but it ultimately just didn’t work as well as it could have.
The general plot is basically that Yoshi and his buddies are having fun and getting into lots of trouble. They wander across different areas and have their jollies but at the end of the day it’s always a tricky situation. You can definitely appreciate the wholesomeness of the adventure all the way through but it’s over so fast. I want to say the game probably isn’t even 2 hours long. There are 6 levels here and each one is fairly short as you just have to collect a lot of fruits. Once you have enough fruit then the level ends abruptly. Otherwise you can technically keep looping in the level as it won’t end until you eat the fruit. I didn’t realize this during the first level so I was speeding along but once you know the objective then it gets easier.
The final boss is reasonably tough though as you learn what you need to do in order to beat him. Make no mistake though, as a whole this game is fairly easy and not one that is likely to give you a big challenge or anything like that. You’re playing this for the fun visuals and gameplay. The 2D platforming is similar to Mario but different at the same time as you can of course eat your enemies which is a bit different and you can glide using Yoshi’s fancy boots. That helps to really make things a bit different as well. Even the objective of eating the fruits is unique.
You’ll have a fun time playing through the game which is why it’s a shame that it’s not longer. You can easily picture playing through 20+ levels with this style and the game would get progressively harder as you go. I am curious what would happen if you lose enough times for all Yoshis to be captured though. Would it be a game over where you start back from level 1 or would they be saved? Ultimately I never got to find that out but if you lose enough times then you may be able to pull that off.
The graphics aren’t bad here. The animation style isn’t really my thing so it hasn’t aged as well as it could have but I still wouldn’t call it bad or anything like that. The soundtrack is also a bit on the forgettable side although the Yoshi song that plays after every level is fun. They can really sing and you aren’t likely to forget the tune after you have heard it. That’s how intense it gets.
There isn’t much in the way of replay value though. No extra zones that I could see and there weren’t any collectibles in the levels anyway. Maybe there is some kind of bonus content hidden in the game but it really looks like one of those games that’s one and done. You complete it and then that’s the end of the road. Nothing wrong with a game like that of course but that’s why I can’t wholeheartedly recommend this one the way that I would like to.
Overall, Yoshi’s Island has a high level of quality put into the levels and gameplay. That much is absolutely clear while playing it but I have to imagine that the team had a very short development time window. That would explain why it’s just so short. It feels like a game that is basically unfinished and so when you can play it for free like through the Switch Online it is a good bargain but I have to imagine that I would have been pretty disappointed if I had bought the game at full price. It wouldn’t last the evening, let along a full weekend. Yoshi’s definitely had better games in the present that I would much sooner recommend over this one.
Overall 5/10
Black Clover M: Rise of the Wizard King Review
Okay it’s time to jump into the latest mobile adventure! This game got a ton of hype when it was announced. I feel like we had to wait months and months over in America for it, but this was definitely worth the wait. It’s a very ambitious title and one that should last you for a very long time. In a way the fact that it is so ambitious is why I didn’t last very long though. It’s the kind of game you would want to sit down and play for hours but you will have to dedicate a whole lot of time to it and I wasn’t prepared to do that just yet. I played all of the available levels but I won’t be sticking around for the next few years of updates.
The game covers a good chunk of the Black Clover manga and it’ll be interesting to see when it passes the anime. I suspect it will be a very long time since the game is very detailed so far so it covers the content rather slowly. Usually this only gets more and more noticeable as the game goes on to buy even more time. Even titles like Pokemon Go do this by holding onto the Pokemon and only releasing a few at a time. So yeah don’t expect this to go all the way to the end any time soon but the more content the better right? Black Clover fans can rest easy knowing that everything will be adapted here.
The gameplay is your classic turn based combat title. You have several attacks to choose form and you can use synergy to attack with combo moves. The gameplay is fairly simple and it’s also customizable so you can turn attack animations off to save time or have the computer play automatically for you. Of course the drawback there is that the AI is intentionally not very good so they will often make a whole lot of mistakes. It’s the price to be paid for convenience I suppose. You will get the hang of the game very quickly although mastering it is another story entirely.
See this is where the game gets a little too fancy. There are so many things to customize that it’s hard to know where to start. Characters have their gear to equip, attacks to level up, attacks to equip and leave on the bench, character ranks you have to use in order to get further level ups, bond ratings you have to improve, food, stats for the pyramid, etc. It just keeps on going and the UI gets very cramped very quickly. I think this could have absolutely been presented in a much clearer way to avoid all of the clicking. You’ll be clicking around through the menus constantly and it gets really distracting after a while. Particularly when you keep on getting collectibles and EXP at a high rate so you have to enter again and again and again.
There needs to be some shortcuts and such to make this faster. Fire Emblem Heroes for example still has the cleanest menus for a busy game like this. I was never confused or clicking on the wrong icon. Dragon Ball Legendz was another good one. I think Clover’s devs need to take some time to make the menus more polished. It’s great that they want to have so much content and for the people who take the game very seriously there will be a whole lot of depth to the gameplay. It’s just overwhelming for the casual gamer. I wouldn’t even call myself casual and it was a whole lot to take in.
I can already see how the game is poised to make a ton off of micro transactions with so many ways to make your characters stronger. If you want to style on your friends and beat people up then just pay some money and you can immediately get stronger. It’s that kind of game but that’s really all gatcha titles to an extent. So you can absolutely still play this as a freemium player and have access to all of the tools and items. It will just take you a little longer of course.
The graphics here are definitely impressive from start to finish. The game’s animations are very faithful to the anime and make good use of the CG character models. You won’t find much better looking graphics on the mobile and especially with the sheer number of cutscenes that are here. It almost feels like a full remake of the anime just with CG. The soundtrack is also very good. There are a good amount of tracks in the game although it would have been awesome if they could have grabbed the anime’s openings and ost in general. The cutscenes here don’t hit quite as hard without those.
It also goes without saying that as a mobile game there is a near infinite amount of replay value here. You could play this for years and likely not get to the end of the gameplay. That’s just how much content there is here and it’s an area where mobile does tend to dominate the competition. Gatcha games can only succeed for as long as they can churn out more and more content with the developers are quite aware of.
Overall, I do think this is a great game. It’s clear that a ton of time and resources was put into it. It could seamlessly make the jump over to consoles to be honest as there are so many cutscenes and such a big cast of characters. In a way that’s why it’s hard to do as a mobile title though because those games I am typically just playing a bit here and there with the exception of Pokemon Go which was made to be an outdoors experience. So I absolutely recommend this game but definitely treat it like a full console experience and you’ll be all set.
Overall 8/10
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