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Games 16-20:
16.
Box Boy + Box Girl | Sep 5 |
12:00hrs |
rating: 2.5/5
Create rows of boxes to get through the puzzles.
- GAMEPLAY: In many ways the game design is ingenious. Very clever concepts and it feels good just to play and improve your strategy to reach S rank on the levels.
- AUDIOVISUALLY: The black/white style is (was?) unique, but it gets repetitive quickly, and the same goes for the music.
- STORY/PRESENTATION: The whole approach is just too sterile for my tastes, it looks and feels like Brain Age, when these gameplay ideas could have been used for an awesome (metroidvania?) adventure instead.
- MULTIPLAYER: There's an entire 2 player co-op story mode, and although way too easy, it's still fun.
I loved the original for 3DS, but this sequel didn't quite capture me. Felt like I had already played most of it, and although there's a LOT of content, it was just never exciting. Cute/relaxing at most.
17.
Mario Maker 2 | Sep 18 |
90:00hrs |
rating: 3/5
Mario Maker again, this time with slopes!
- GAMEPLAY: It's really great, and it's addicting to work on your level and get everything just the way you like it.
- AUDIOVISUALLY: Each style looks as it should, although I would have liked more game styles, and the possibility to mix them! Music is a bit limited, would have liked to choose from a long list.
- STORY/PRESENTATION: There's a "story mode" this time, but it's quite boring and simple. I finished building the castle, but struggled to get through all the Nintendo-built levels.
- MULTIPLAYER: The big disappointment of the year. Multiplayer was supposed to be the big new addition to the game, but it's nearly worthless. Have to download the levels before playing local co-op, there's no local VS at all, and there's no online VS or co-op with friends. This honestly sucks!
Despite putting so many hours into it, I can't help but being extremely disappointed. Like, how can an indie game like Duck Game have more in-depth multiplayer and a more detailed level editor than a Nintendo flagship game?!
18.
Yoshi's Island | Sep 19 |
7:51hrs |
rating: 4/5
I super loved this one back in the days, and although my first impression this time wasn't great, it grew on me. Specifically the enemy design is amazing, as you never know what creature will show up next and what they will do. Even goombas have a surprising twist.
- GAMEPLAY: Really tight and snappy, and there's a good amount of challenge too. Bosses are wonderfully creative. The levels are mostly too maze-like for my tastes though, and I often feel like I just want to get done with them. Worst parts are the luck-based minigames that are just annoying.
- AUDIOVISUALLY: The graphics don't look "hand-drawn" the same way it used to, but there are still a lot of effects and detailed animation that are nice to look at. The music gets totally stuck in your brain.
- STORY/PRESENTATION: I would have preferred a proper world map, but it's a very coherent and unique presentation that still holds up.
- MULTIPLAYER: You can play the minigames against a friend, but it's not something that stays fun for more than a couple of minutes.
At first I just ran through the levels, thinking there's no way I'll collect all the red coins and flowers, but as I got deeper into the game, I got more and more invested in clearing the levels 100%. Had an itch to go back and unlock the extra levels in the end, but decided that seeing the end credits was enough this time.
19.
Super Mario World | Sep 20 |
3:45hrs |
rating: 5/5
Although Yoshi's Island certainly beats it in some areas (enemy creativity, length, challenge), I've realized just now that this one still beats it handily when it comes to pure fun!
- GAMEPLAY: Snappier than Mario Maker, and I have to say it feels super good. Mario's got so many moves especially thanks to Yoshi and the cape. Only bad thing I have to say is that it's often too tempting to just fly over entire levels. The game is too easy.
- AUDIOVISUALLY: It's really quite vanilla. Memorable and classic, but not impressive.
- STORY/PRESENTATION: Story is the regular one, but the world building and map is unparalleled! Almost every level has one or two secret exits that take you to new levels and entire new worlds. I can't think of a single other game in existence that rewards exploration like this one.
- MULTIPLAYER: You can take turns to play, which is okay I guess, but I've never gotten into it. The NSMB series beats it in this department.
Maybe it's nostalgia, but this is THE game for me. Perfect controls, tons of secrets and alternate paths, fun every time from the very first moment, and I don't want to put away the controller until I've finished every level.
20.
Celeste DLC: Farewell | Sep 24 |
12:01hrs |
rating: 4/5
I hate DLC (finish the game before you release it, and put new stuff in a sequel!!), but Celeste is an all-time favorite, so I'm pretending that this is a separate game.
- GAMEPLAY: Tight as always, and the new additions (mostly just the Jellyfish and the wavedash) are fun. My problem is that it's way more puzzle-based than the main game. Rather than simply putting your platforming skills to the test, there's now a ton of trial and error to figure out what to do, where to throw the jellyfish, where to bounce, and it often has to be very specific. I didn't like it as much.
- AUDIOVISUALLY: It probably has more visual flare going on than the main game, but the constant purple gets tiresome after 10 hours. The music didn't grab me, but at least isn't annoying despite having the same loops go on for half an hour each.
- STORY/PRESENTATION: You kind of forget why you're doing all these challenges, but there is a story.
- MULTIPLAYER: None.
The difficulty level continues where the main game ended, and it's tough to get into when it's been a year. It's still fun and satisfying, but more tedious and it felt way too endless without any chapter breaks. Still oh, so satisfying when it's over 9:38hrs later. The destination is nicer than the journey!
And then I had to replay it to see how it held up. Still a few frustrating parts, but much more fun! Finished in 2:23hrs. This game is special.
Next up:
Fire Emblem
Captain Toad
Link's Awakening
A bunch of other things