Tag Archives: PS5

Greak Memories of Azur Review

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I have to say this is a game that I didn’t know about before it came out. It’s got a fun teamwork mechanic like the Trine games and makes for a pretty good adventure. After playing it, I’d definitely be hyped for a sequel. There were a lot of quality of life features contained within the map and gameplay as well. The only strike against the game is really just how short it is.

The title begins with the main character needing to find his brother and sister so they can all get off of a doomed country. The people of the kingdom are building a giant airship in order to escape but they will need some special artifacts before going. The three main characters will grab these before leaving but it won’t be easy. There are enemies around every corner after all and they are definitely not here to make friends.

Each character has a different gameplay style. The main character plays the way you would as if you were someone like Link from the Legend of Zelda. You have your sword and you slash away at the enemies. Then your sister has the ability to float and shoot energy blasts. Definitely a really handy power and in some ways she feels like the most powerful as a result. Finally the older brother can use a grapple hook to cross large distances and has a shield that can block any energy attack.

There are puzzles that you have to solve by using each character’s unique abilities. Digging, Grappling, Floating. The puzzles are handled pretty well and have a solid amount of variety to them. The game was never too overbearing in this way so I appreciated that. The combat is also good although it does get pretty easy once you figure out one simple thing. Touching enemies actually doesn’t damage you. I was trying to be super careful not to bump into any of the enemies while attacking and so I thought the game was very difficult for a minute there. There was just no way to time everything perfectly but since enemies don’t hurt, it quickly became a full 180.

The game becomes super easy by this point because you can run into enemies with reckless abandon. There is really no downside to doing so after all. So that was definitely surprising. This game is more about having fun than being a challenge which can be a nice change of pace. You get to just embrace your power here and the final dungeon is the only one that actually forces you to use a lot of teamwork among the 3 characters.

Part of the reason for this is that the final member of the trio doesn’t even show up until near the end of the game. The adventure is nearly over by the time that he joins so you would really need to pick up a sequel to get to play as him more. It is also worth noting that a lot of the trophies in the game are missable so you should be very careful before you embark on the last journey. There is no stage select or anything like that.

The trophies will definitely help for the replay value though. Getting them all will take some serious time since you will also have to beat the game in 3 hours. It’s definitely doable but will take some trial and error. There is also another one about beating the game while only saving 5 times or less. You could maybe do both of those trophies at the same time since not saving would definitely save you some time.

The graphics are definitely pretty good. The art style is certainly charming and everything is very bright and colorful. The soundtrack isn’t particularly memorable but it’s not bad either. So on the whole there are a lot of positives to be had here. The technical aspects hold up well. As for the quality of life features I mentioned, the maps are very clear. Each character with an important conversation will have a yellow exclamation point above them. The item menus are good and the save points are spread across the world very well. There aren’t large gaps where you cannot save or anything like that.

The story may not be the most interesting but I was glad to have one in general. There are also little cutscenes at different points in the game. There is plenty of room for a sequel as well so maybe we will see Greak return some day. This time the characters would probably be together from the start so you could have the teamwork levels start right away. I can easily see that making the game more difficult.

Switching between the characters is seamless and all in real time so you could make for some really fun battles that way. The A.I. helps out a little bit when you’re not playing as a character but they tend to be lackluster. The damage that the other characters take also sticks around so if you don’t switch back right away then you’ll get a game over. Each of the characters have their own health bars after all as opposed to a big shared one. You have to eat different fruits and use items to get the health back.

Overall, Greak is a pretty good game. It’s what I would call a basic Metroidvania. There is a little backtracking but for a 4 hour game there isn’t a lot of time to be going back and forth like that. As you can imagine, the game is really over before you even know it. That said, the game is not all that expensive. So you should check it out and think of it as a fun proof of concept game. Hopefully it gets a full length sequel at some point. In the meantime this works as a perfect example of a game that is pretty fun and isn’t trying to be super ambitious. It’s meant to pass a few hours by with tight gameplay and succeeds in that mission.

Overall 7/10

007 First Light Review

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This was a game that looked like a blast right from the start. In a way First Light was kind of like a successor to the old Uncharted franchise. Yes this would be about James Bond but there was more of a focus on the hand to hand combat than on the gun gameplay. Can’t really say I minded that all that much. After all I love the hand to hand gameplay. Throw in a compelling story and you really have a great title here.

The game is essentially an origin story for James Bond as we start the game with him being a soldier. After one mission goes haywire, Bond ends up joining M16 and trains to become a numbered agent. Along the way he will have to deal with powerful rival agents and an information leak that could end the civilized world. Fortunately Bond is ready for all of this. He’s never been the kind of guy to shy away from a fight after all.

Bond is one of those characters that I don’t generally like. I feel like he tends to lose far too quickly in most films and gets outsmarted all the time. He’s also way too girl crazy and this comes at the expense of the mission. While those traits still exist in this game, they are certainly not played nearly as much as in the movies. Bond is much more focused here for the most part even if he still makes time for a few one night stands every now and again. That keeps him from being a great character but at least he came a lot closer here than he ever did in the movies.

The game is fairly long so you won’t beat the campaign too quickly. It’s certainly not 20 hours but is easily in the double digits and I was satisfied with the campaign. There are 10 main chapters here and there are a lot of collectibles and extra dialogue options in each level. Unfortunately the simulator mode is online only which is a shame since that part is supposed to be a whole lot of fun. I guess I will work on playing through that during a free PSN weekend or something like that.

For the gameplay, the action part has you focusing on lots of punches and grabs. Grabs are completely broken in this game. They go through any attack and you can trap enemies in unescapable combos. They only don’t work on bosses who are immune to physical attacks and you must use the environment against them. Not a problem, there are always a lot of things to throw everywhere. You also have your gadgets which can short change any fight. Each gadget can one shot the opponent standing in your way.

I think the goal was to make sure that the game is accessible to everyone and for that reason it is a little bit on the easier side. Tere are times you will die though. I definitely died in quite a few of the shootouts which are the toughest part s of the game. The stealth and hand to hand parts though? You will breeze through those.

For the stealth there isn’t much of a punishment to failing thanks to the bluff mechanics that are around. Just back up and start again or use one of your gadgets to stun the guy and walk past him. Likewise for the punching parts, if they manage to land a blow on you then you can just run away. Your health regenerates really quickly so you can go back to full health and then fight again. So if you really want a challenge then you should probably start on hard mode.

I gotta say that I approved of these mechanics though. It’s going to be hard going back to normal stealth after this since all of the bluffing just feels so satisfying. Additionally you feel the impact from every punch. The combat is super satisfying all the way around. I really don’t have anything bad to say about the gameplay. It is always consistently top tier and you have a whole lot of freedom to attack the levels in any way that you want to. I certainly have a lot of fun with freedom like that.

If I had any kind of nitpick with the game it could be that at times the story could move a bit slowly. I really enjoyed the intro, the climax, and a lot of stuff in between but then sometimes things would go a bit slowly. Walking through the villain HQ in the arctic for example was a bit on the slow side as you must maintain your cover and can’t just go in blasting. I know why we had to be subtle but I just wanted to get on with it. If anything I wish that the final part could have been longer since having to play as Bond without any gadgets or special powers was fun. It lets you see just how strong he still is even without any kind of backup like that.

I’m betting that the sequels will only continue to add new gameplay styles and gadgets to the mix so I’m sure things will only get better from here. Of course with a different game studio coming in that may not be as much of a guarantee as I was thinking. Either way I have high hopes though. This is definitely the kind of game that you should play right away. The story is still very good even if I thought it had some pacing issues. The villains also end up being quite memorable. The best boss fight in the game is pretty early on though where you have to take on two assassins at once. That was a great fight, wish we could have gotten more like that. Later on the bosses are all immune to physical attacks like I mentioned before so they are a bit more gimmicky than the usual battles.

Overall, The term “AAA” may have taken some shots over the years but this is exactly the kind of game that you would think of for this acronym. First Light feels like a game that had a lot of development time put into it and this was not wasted. Every part of the game is treated with a lot of care and dedication. The gameplay is smooth and every technical element is accounted for. There may have been one or two times where the game crashed but it auto saves constantly so you don’t lose much progress. All of the classic quality of life features are in this game as well which is another credit to its favor.

Overall 8/10

Hollow Knight: Silksong Review

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It hasn’t been super long since I played Hollow Knight so I was definitely ready to check this one out. Silksong is known as being even more difficult than Hollow Knight so I was really excited for that. There was a patch though so the gap has definitely been reduced. On the whole I think it is safe to say that Silksong may be a little more difficult….maybe. Honestly it was really close. The final boss is definitely easier though.

The game centers around Hornet, who is abruptly kidnapped from her land and taken to the mysterious Citadel. She wants out of this place and intends to slaughter everyone in her way. If anyone surrenders then that is fine but most of these creatures just want to fight it out anyway. Fortunately Hornet is no stranger to combat and I just love how aggressive she is throughout the whole game.

It’s a major reason why this one beats the first Hollow Knight for me. Hornet just has such great dialogue throughout the game and that adds so much depth to the title. The plot feels a lot more detailed as a result and she even has her own rival to deal with. A lot of the characters like to talk very vaguely like in the first game but Hornet just throws in a few threats and they cease all of that foolishness.

As for the gameplay, special attacks are much less of a thing than in the first game. You are instead using a bunch of loadouts based on your crest. There are around 8-9 different styles to use. I unlocked most of them by the end but mostly stuck to the power crest the whole time. It’s a bit slower but the downwards slash covers such a wide area. I was able to use that to successfully trounce just about every boss. The only time I had to switch was in the final rival battle where the Beast Crest carried me to victory. Each crest has its pros and cons so it will all depend on your battle style.

For example, the beast crest does not allow you to heal but you can use a primal attack that drains your opponent’s health while you fight. So it’s really risky but you do deal a ton of damage. That was key against the rival because I just couldn’t dodge her attacks consistently so trading blows was my best chance there. You also have a lot of accessories that you unlock throughout the game but they tend to be a whole lot weaker than the Hollow Knight ones. Aside from the map and collecting beads along the way, the rest of them don’t tend to do much.

I would have liked some stronger items to really incentivize you while walking through the map but I guess they didn’t want the game to get too easy. As it is, there is still a good amount of variety as you play through the game with your gear. Some abilities also tend to be huge game changers like when you get the double jump. Of course I got that after beating the final boss so it sure felt pretty late in the game.

There is a good amount of replay value to be had here as beating the game is just the stat. You will unlock a third act when you go down the true ending path which adds new bosses and such. Considering that the game was $20, this is really a steal. It’s just hard to beat that kind of a deal. The main campaign took me around 20 hours and getting the Platinum would likely be at least another 20-30.

The bosses are also well crafted. They’re all very different so one boss that might be super difficult for me might be easy for you and vice versa. It just depends a lot on your fighting style. In general I would say the best thing to do is fight slow and methodically look for counter strikes. That’s not generally how I play games but in this game it makes sense because their attacks deal a ton of damage. Just eating one attack will significantly set you back so you don’t want that to happen.

Go slow and you’ll eventually win. If I have a small nitpick it is that there should have been a few more quick travel points. Based on where you want to go, there will be times where you have to cross a long distance on foot and it’s a journey that you will have already done many times before. So you don’t really want to do it yet again. Not a big deal overall but you do start to feel the repetition a little bit by the end. Just one or two more train stops could have solved that issue.

As for the graphics, the game looks great like you would expect. The characters are really striking and the special effects are on point. I like the mini cutscenes that play every now and again as well. These are all small things that helped to pass the first game. This was really a worthy sequel. The soundtrack is a bit more on the forgettable side though so that’s one thing that this game does not have in its favor.

Overall, Silksong is definitely a game that I would recommend. It’s a great game with a whole lot of content and it was all crafted very carefully. there is a lot of replay value here and I will definitely be hyped when they announce the next big title. I know everyone is hyped for the Sea of Sorrow expansion in the meantime though. I’m sure that will be great as well but nothing beats a whole new game. Perhaps a crossover where you play as both characters or something like that. If you haven’t played the game yet and are worried about the difficulty, I would advise you to play it anyway. The difficulty level is high but it’s always in a air way. When you die to an attack, it is one that you definitely had the opportunity to dodge.

Overall 8/10

Poppy Playtime Chapter 5 Review

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It’s time to return to Poppy Playtime! I think the biggest mandela effect here is that it’s Poppy Playtime vs Poppy’s Playtime. I dunno I’m used to the latter version but apparently it’s never been like that. The adventure continues on here as the lead is still stuck in this facility with no way out. This place sure was huge and it looks like the journey to the end is going to get a bit longer for him. If you thought that the villains were out of cards, think again!

The game picks up where the last one left off with Huggy Wuggy about to finish you off for good. There is no escape, no way out. Only death awaits but fortunately it turns out that there was a door behind you so you escape with that. At this point it’s hard to say if there is anyone left to save so you just have to get out of the facility but there appear to be more creatures across every corner. Additionally we learn a bit more about the origins of these creatures.

Chapter 5 brings in the main gloves from the first 3 games but changes out a few of the ones from game 4 for new controls. You now have a steam hand that can be used to overload doors and push objects as well as an elemental hand that can control the powers of fire and ice. It allows the game to have fun with more puzzle variations outside of the usual hand movements. As a result this is the first time I’ve completed the game without needing to use my grabbers over 200-300 times and got that bonus trophy. So that was pretty neat.

As always there is going to be a big mix of chase scenes and puzzles. The chases tend to be my favorite as they can get legitimately difficult and force you to really memorize the map. The toughest part is always transitioning from crouching to running. I tend to get eaten a few times during the chases but the check points are spaced well so retrying isn’t a big problem. At most I can say it would be nice not to have to sit through the quotes every time you die but that’s a staple of the series.

Most deaths are also spaced after an unskippable cutscene so you don’t have to wait too long. The only exception is during a tense game of green light/red light. Although it’s not like I died a ton of times so maybe there are other tricky death points. As for the puzzles, they are consistently better than other games. Puzzles can be really hit or miss for me but most of these felt rather balanced. There are maybe a few that are super unclear but most of them you can brute force your way out of when needed.

This may be the darkest game in some respects. It’s hard to say though, maybe that should be the earlier part with the hour of joy. You get to see a lot more of what the kids and toys had to go through here. While it is done stylistically with the toys, the whole intro is pretty disturbing with the outimals. The game uses your imagination as the scare factor here which is how it can keep to a T rating. So you are given enough tools to picture what happened without seeing anything. The better your imagination, the darker it gets. All in all, nothing too crazy but the game does want to really remind you how tough things are.

We don’t have the kid in your ear trying to tell you that everything will be okay this time after all of the twists in the 4th game. So this time you have a little guy here as your moral support but he wanders off for most of the game anyway. As a result the game is a little quieter even with the various audio tapes around. This was nearly the first game where I got all of the audio tapes on my first playthrough but unfortunately I missed one which held me back. I saw the VCR and everything but could not find the tape.

The graphics have definitely improved from the last game. I would say without a doubt that this is the best looking out of the Poppy games. They’ve done a great job with the colors and designs. I would also say that the sound effects are nice and eerie for the game. There isn’t much of a soundtrack here but I’ll give it a bit of a pass given the horror vibes of the game. Not a full pass mind you since horror games should still have great music but at least I understand where it’s coming from.

The game is fairly short like most Poppy titles but does last for 5 hours which I believe does make it the longest game in the series. It’s a bit easier than some of the earlier parts but still has enough difficulty where I would expect you to lose several times during the playthrough. There is an extra trophy in it for you if you can beat the game without dying though. Getting the platinum would be very difficult in this game because of how specific the trophies are. You would need to complete the game under a certain time limit and without dying. Given the constant auto saves, it’s a bit tough to get around that but there is probably some trick to it.

Every game has a big boss and of course this one is no different. She has a fairly strong powerset even if her design isn’t quite as scary as most of the previous enemies. They’re going for more of a crazy angle with her. I’d say she leaves more of an impression than the crazy doctor from a while back and even beats Doughy but is not on the level of Huggy Wuggy or Catnap. Those bosses are definitely all time threats.

Overall, I definitely recommend checking Poppy out. There are a few glitches that will cause you to have to restart the game but that’s normal for while it is new. A patch will probably fix this. Just try not to go too fast, the glitches tend to happen if you do something before the game is ready for it. This especially happens during one of the flashbacks where you have to pick some toys up. You never lose too much progress though. As we get closer to the end, we’ll see what the main character can do to finally get a win here. He is probably going to need a full on hand gun at this point. The game ends on a pretty weak cliffhanger but I’m sure there will be a lot of fun theories to come out of this. Either way I will definitely be there once episode 6 is out.

Overall 6/10

Pragmata Review

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Pragmata is one of those games that I was hyped for right away. By all accounts it looked to be some kind of a backdoor Mega Man spinoff even if nobody would admit it. Even after playing through the game it feels that way and it technically goes out of its way to not appear to be a Mega Man game. Maybe one day we’ll get the crossover but either way this is a great title.

The game begins with a group of people heading onto a space station but unfortunately something weird is going on. The A.I. may have gone rogue as everyone is murdered except for the main player. He runs into a kid, the Pragmata. She is his only chance at surviving this encounter but this guy doesn’t really trust robots. Can he get past that and team up with her? The stakes are high so there is really no time for any in-fighting or anything like that.

Naturally the horror element here is in the fact that there is no escape. There is no easy way to get back to Earth. In fact the whole game is about trying to get to the center of the station so that they can use the escape pods. Unfortunately the whole place has been shut down and there are killer androids everywhere so getting past them is definitely not going to be easy.

The gameplay is a 3D shooter but mixed in with a bit of puzzle gameplay. Technically these are “hacking” components where you shut down an enemy’s defenses in order to do more damage. This is really mandatory because your shots will practically bounce off otherwise. Fortunately the hacking gameplay is quite a lot of fun so I really enjoyed just blasting away at everyone. It really encourages you to learn how to do two things at once. If you are not a multi tasker then this will be very tough.

As the game goes on you will unlock a ton of different weapons as well as enhancements to the hacking program. Each level gives you more clearance on the spaceship which unlocks more things. You can then use your new abilities to go back to old areas and get more collectibles. It’s almost like a vania in that regard except for the fact that you never need to go back. It is purely optional.

The gameplay and navigation are so smooth that I did have fun going back and getting things though. I got almost all of the collectibles and beat every training exercise. The main campaign is very short so I wanted to make sure that I got my money out of this. Also it just helps when the game flows well. If going back and forth meant having to sit through a lot of loading screens or something like that then I wouldn’t have bothered.

Also the collectibles and such really do improve your overall abilities so there is a big incentive to getting them. The final boss is actually very tricky so I was glad that my stats were all heavily boosted. Then when you beat the game there is a little post game content in the form of a new room with some challenges in there. That was pretty cool. This isn’t the kind of game where I’m aiming to get the Platinum anytime soon but it was still cool to see.

The graphics are really good here. The level of detail is impressive and so this is a AAA PS5 title all the way. The robot designs are super good throughout and I also liked the NYC based level. You will always have a lot to look at here and the hacking successful effects are always satisfying. The soundtrack is less memorable. We do get an emotional track at the end but for the most part this is one of those quiet type of games. They probably figured that hard rock music would mess with the tone but I can’t agree with that. I’d have loved to have more intense music.

We also got a pretty intense main villain here towards the end. The first one was decent but not super interesting so I was glad at the switch. It made the stakes a lot more personal and all. I also enjoyed the main character and the kid because they were locked in from the start. No petty grumblings or drama, they were just trying to survive here. It’s one of those things that feels more realistic than if they had been fighting because this really wouldn’t be the time for it. You like to think that in a life or death situation everyone would be focused and working together so the game is hopeful in that way.

My only piece of advice gameplay wise is to buy the module that lets you see where all collectibles are in a level. I got this as soon as I could and it really makes a good difference. After that I would focus on upgrading my main weapons and for the gold orbs, upgrading the gun. I figure those are things that you will be using constantly anyway. I’m always partial to increasing attack power in general because win or lose, the fights will go quicker. It just forces me to get better at dodging and blocking.

Overall, Pragmata is definitely a game that you should buy. Yes, the length is short which is a blow against the game but everything else about it is absolutely top tier. The story is really great and the title has every quality of life feature you can think of. It is a very satisfying game to complete from start to finish and that helps the length to not bother you quite as much Just have fun exploring the levels and don’t rush to the end. There are plenty of collectibles to grab and little story discs that explain the surrounding context. I also feel like this game is just helpful in general for multi tasking. It can be harder than it sounds to be shooting, aiming, and hacking at the same time. If we ever get a sequel to this title, I’ll definitely be there!

Overall 8/10

The Phantom Review

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This is one of those games that didn’t make a ton of waves when it came out but it centers around one of the original superheroes out there. The Phantom basically predates any of the big heroes that you’ve heard about. So it’s cool to play a game based on this guy. The gameplay’s fun enough and I like the overall presentation but what hurts the title is the short length. You can complete the game in a little over an hour. There are only 5 stages in the game, which total to 14 levels. Most levels aren’t very long either so yeah that’s why this goes by quickly.

The story begins with the Phantom’s son being stolen by a gang. He does not take this well at all to the point where his wife is really worried about the nonstop rage that she is seeing. The Phantom intends to save his son at any cost and may want to destroy these villains in order to prove a point. Will he be able to calm down in time and can his son really be saved?

It’s not like this is a super deep story or anything like that but I was just glad to have one with some story updates after each stage. The game is fully voice acted which is always a good thing and it adds to the intensity of the game. The way the cutscenes are advanced is a little odd though as you have to click X to go forward every few lines but the icon used is the same as for the skip button so it was always very nerve racking. I don’t see why they didn’t just push everything forward automatically.

So as 2D beat em up you’re going to be familiar with the drill here. You punch and kick at the enemies until they all go down. At that point you can continue and then fight the next batch of fighters. Rinse and repeat until you have made it to the very end of the stage. The only exceptions here are when you have a boat/car level and have to blast away at your enemies. Coming up with a second gameplay style was probably not easy so I can appreciate that level of effort.

I don’t think the gameplay was play tested too much though because you have way too much hit stun on all of your attacks. What that means is you can infinite combo every character in the game. Yes, that includes all bosses including the final boss. That’s a bit rough because then they never stand a chance. For that reason the bosses have a checkpoint system so if you do too much damage in one combo, the damage eventually stops at 0 for him to summon some enemies and rest up.

It doesn’t make the bosses more difficult, this only serves to drag them out more. I suppose that will just have to be good enough this time around and the game is still super short so clearly this didn’t make it too long or anything like that. The gameplay is smooth though. It may not be balanced but it does play well. Then you also have the Phantom yelling out his catch phrase every time you use the super attack. He has maybe 3 stock lines so you will be hearing those quite a lot. They work really well though. It’s the right amount of cheesy and campy if you ask me.

After you beat the game, there is technically some replay value by playing arcade mode or doing story mode on hard difficulty. There is no platinum trophy in the game this time though so you will have to settle for just getting the normal 100% completion clear here. Still not bad of course, that will be a feather in your cap but I admit that I would have liked seeing the Platinum on display. I probably would have beaten had mode right away if that had been the case.

In terms of gameplay hints, I will just say in the boat levels you don’t want to spam the gun. You actually do run out of ammo and then you might not have enough bullets when it is time to fire the gun. So shoot strategically and wait for an opening. Then when you have the opening, that is your time to pounce. In the normal levels, shooting is actually not recommended. It does less damage than your hand to hand combat and it knocks the opponents to the ground after 2 hits so they get their temporary invincibility back again. It just makes the fights longer and you’re better off powering up your super move to use instead.

Overall, 2D retro beat em ups are really in right now. It feels like everybody is getting in on this genre. Typically games in this genre are going to be short but the key is in putting a lot of bonus content for multiple runs. Maybe you have some different modes or something like that. This one desperately needed some more content and then I think everyone would have looked on it a whole lot more favorably. It is still a fun game though and that gives it enough of a nod to stay in the green. If you can get this game for cheap then you should do it. It’s not every day that you get to play as the Phantom after all! You may even be surprised at how big a fan of him you are.

Overall 6/10

Final Fantasy VIII Remastered Review

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It’s time for another legendary Final Fantasy adventure. This one really switches up the mechanics quite a lot. I have to admit that going into it I didn’t know a whole lot about the gameplay. I kind of just assumed it was the same ole style as the others but in this case it was actually quite different. Leveling up isn’t particularly necessary here and is in fact discouraged for parts of the game. I tend to be a heavy farming guy though so that would be a real change of pace. Give me an RPG and I’ll usually give you a few hours of fighting every minion that I can.

The game follows a group called SeeD, who are soldiers with a mysterious purpose. Squall has always been extremely talented but he’s not the most personable fellow. He does the job but isn’t here to make friends. He does share a nice dance with a new girl who shows up though and it turns out that she is with a resistance faction. This is going to get Squall into a lot of trouble right? Well, the whole group is in trouble as he starts to find out about the secret bosses behind the organization and that their purpose may be rather nefarious as well. Additionally, he’s having these strange dreams of being someone else in the past. What can it all mean?

Final Fantasy VIII does a great job of reminding you how weird the franchise could be back in the day. Final Fantasy is part of what popularized the trope of RPGs having incredibly convoluted plots with tons of twists that would shock the normal audience. This game fits quite in with that as we have time travel, abilities that let you transcend time, and there are a ton of twists. The story is definitely great and the ending really seals the deal in a good way. If you haven’t checked this one out yet then you should get on that.

So what about the gameplay then? Well, it’s an active turn based combat system similar to Final Fantasy XIII. When it’s your turn you have to move quickly because the opponent’s turn gauge is still loading up. This is one of the toughest things because you have a whole lot of options and you have to go through them quickly. We’re talking attacks, magic, summons, draws, etc. Now what are draws? Well they’re a big point of emphasis in this game.

You can basically drain an enemy’s magic to use as your own. Sometimes they will even have a secret summon hidden among the options. The tricky thing is that it can feel like a waste of a turn at times. You can stockpile magic which helps with the grind though. See, your summon can be equipped and then you add magic onto your connection which increases your stat.

You can equip magic to each stat based on if your summon has them unlocked. Then if you have 100 of that magic spell, it will greatly increase your stats. That means you probably don’t want to be using that magic a whole lot though. It’s really hard to keep track of all this though and if you don’t draw enough, you’ll actually lose out on some summons which is rough. By the end of the game I got most of them but still missed around 4 or so which means that my stats were permanently nerfed.

When battling enemies you earn EXP for yourself and for your summons. You can then have the summons learn new abilities through AP which you then connect onto yourself. It’s a whole lot of things to remember and you can only equip 2-3 abilities at a time out of dozens. So choose carefully. Also make sure you actually add magic/summons as options on your menu or you will wind up in battle with only the ability to attack.

Several times I went into battle without the ability to use magic because I forgot to re-equip it after getting into battle. I wish those settings would save even when removing your summons but eventually you’ll just be reminded to check. You can level up your weapon by getting a bunch of items and finding a magazine to learn the recipe from but I never ended up getting the hang of that. So I beat the game with the default weapons. That meant attacking was basically useless for the whole game so I relied exclusively on magic and summons.

There’s also a whole card game built into Final Fantasy and this is how you learn a lot of strong magics. I probably should have played the game much more but in the end that’s why I had to grind hard on an island to get magic. I lost my first card game and never ended up going back into it. You later gain the ability to turn opposing monsters into cards but I never got to try that.

Then the cherry on top is that the enemies scale with you but they do so at a higher rate. So if you are level 5 then your opponent will be level 5. You will have the advantage though because you started out stronger. However, if you are level 20 and your opponent is level 20, now they have the advantage because they gain stats much quicker than you do. So there’s a lot to consider here and getting too strong can be an issue. Apparently they stop scaling around level 60 so you could eventually just power level to a point where they can’t stop you. The summon abilities are what you are really supposed to lean on though.

It goes against my usual strategies but I adapted. You can see how the game is really complicated and in depth with all of these mechanics though. It makes for a pretty intense experience. I’m not in fan of some of the mechanics to be honest. I like my RPG experience to be a bit simpler. In general I feel like going too far into the weeds can make a game feel a bit more like homework than just letting you have a blast. The game is still great overall and I had my fun but the gameplay does lag a bit behind the others.

The remastered version does have two good quality of life features though like being able to turn off random encounters as well as speeding up the game 2X. Certainly great when you have to run around the world looking for a spell or the next destination. There is also an option to just make the game much easier by multiplying your attacks but I didn’t use that one since it is going a step too far. Without the double speed though, the gameplay might have felt a bit tedious at times with how long the combat animations are.

When it comes to the graphics, the Final Fantasy games never disappoint. This one certainly doesn’t either with a lot of great effects the whole time and attention to detail. It was always a real treat to see the fully animated cutscenes that would come up from time to time as the game flexed its CG. The soundtrack is also pretty good. Perhaps not quite as noteworthy as some of its rivals but I liked the final boss theme and there was also a really good tension theme. That one had a whole lot of replay value to it.

In terms of value, the story will take you around 30 hours. There is also a ton of other things to do in the game like beating all of the card fighters so by the end you’re probably looking more at 50 hours or so. If you go too far then you won’t be able to tackle the side content so you should always have a backup save at the ready. There are plenty of areas to get soft locked. Either way you’re getting a ton of value here, especially since you can sometimes get the game for under $10 when it is on sale.

Overall, I would definitely recommend picking this game up. You should really take time to actually learn the gameplay style though. You can cruise through a lot of the game like I did by playing it normally but then when you get stuck it will hurt a lot more than if you had already gotten the fundamentals down. I really had to change my whole approach near the end and even then I barely won. Had I been defeated by the final boss’ last phase that would have been a real setback. You always do expect that the game will end with a bang though and it did not disappoint. I look forward to seeing how Final Fantasy IX goes.

Overall 8/10