Recent reviews by Mesolimbic

Overall an enjoyable, nostalgic feeling title being held back by a few hard-to-ignore issues. However, it still achieves the goals it is aiming for.

The good:
Exploration, vibes, story, RPG elements, theme, feel, sfx, music. I believe it is best to experience all of this blind, so I won't really say much else beyond that.

The issues:
The combat was way too easy and can be avoided completely. You can pretty much just run past any enemy or cheese them with ranged or by simply backing up after every hit. This ultimately made progression feel pointless. There are many ways to build your character, but there was no satisfaction from upgrading your weapon or gaining new spells due to the combat being essentially optional. There is so much loot in this game but most of it is just consumables which really harms the exploration (which itself is really good, there are a lot of secrets and side paths/quests). Most of the other issues are more minor, such as clunkiness and a few small bugs. The pros outweigh the cons regardless.

I'm hoping to see a sequel with the issues improved upon!

DUSK manages to pull off such unique contrasts in an enjoyable manner:
- Nostalgic, yet novel in some ways
- Terrifying, yet sometimes goofy
- Simple, yet unpredictable

It is easily one of the best modernized retro-style shooters out there - from the weapons, to the movement, to the level designs. The entire way through all 3 episodes was a wild ride. If you ever crave something similar to the original Quake, this should definitely fulfill that craving (there are many subtle and not so subtle nods).

The Dopefish lives!

Overall a solid A-tier metroidvania being held back by a few weaknesses. Here is a general categorical breakdown and some thoughts after hitting 100%:

Exploration/World
The world of Engardin is absolutely massive and arguably has one of the biggest interconnected maps in the genre. The exploration quickly becomes extremely non-linear after the first few hours of the game. You’ll come across many moments where it is possible to wander into much more dangerous later game areas. At the same time, you’ll run into many ability-gated paths that you’ll need to return to (there is a marker system for the map to make this easier). There is also a town that serves as a main hub which is decent overall, but missing a bit of value in the late game.

Each area strongly has its own unique vibe with distinct themes, different monsters, hazards, and bosses. Within all of them there are countless secrets and treasures, some that are pretty well hidden. One major strength in the game is not just how much loot there is, but the variety of the loot itself. You can find new weapons, armor, currency, upgrades, abilities, etc all just from exploring. It helps keep things fresh overall.

Systems/Combat
Pretty decent for the most part. The XP-based leveling system serves as a core foundation and grants skillpoints for misc. upgrades. There is a bit of depth in terms of buildcrafting, which incorporates multiple weapon equips (two melee and one spell) along with 3 armor & accessory slots which increase or decrease a variety of stats. If you’re into min-maxing, there is plenty of opportunity. This all combines with a skilltree which is.. not the best but could be worse. You get a lot of freedom with what to use your skillpoints on, but it is mostly just passive stat bonus upgrades and a confusing format. However, the fun weapon skills make up for this.

The combat itself became really enjoyable as the game progressed. It doesn’t stray far from the familiar health & mana bar system along with an allotted number of heals that recharge at a checkpoint (some soulslike influence sprinkled into parts this game). There are five different weapon types, two of which can be equipped at once. Each weapon type has a variety of attacks that can be done with it, which allows for a ton of possibilities for creating combos. In some moments it honestly felt like playing Smash Bros, in a good way. The monsters and bosses all had a unique variety of movesets as well up until the endgame, and there were a ton of them overall. If I had a main complaint with combat would be that some boss hitboxes and animations were a bit questionable/annoying.

Graphical & Audio Presentation
While the graphics themselves aren’t revolutionary, the art direction is what shined, especially within the presentation of each of the areas. The sheer number of different themes is impressive, especially when most of them have beautiful vistas. I felt the animations were hit or miss, but in most cases were pretty solid.
One specific thing I personally felt was strong was the visual transition between some of the areas in the game. In many cases there was a distinct “blending” effect as you go from one to the other (there are no loading screens except when fast traveling).

The music was pleasant all throughout, with mostly orchestral vibes that appropriately matched the area or event. There are plenty of catchy tracks, although the boss music could’ve been more hype. The in-game sounds I felt were pretty average.

Difficulty
Afterimage isn’t too difficult for a majority of the game as long as you’re killing enemies to level up as you progress. Toward the end things ramp up a bit and there are definitely some challenging bosses. But the flexibility with how to tackle them really comes in handy and changing my build is what got me through the tougher bosses. Platforming was never really too difficult, and most of the slightly challenging platforming sections are optional side paths that lead to treasure.

Things that need improvement
The story was a bit of a mess, to say the least. Some elements were easy to understand while other parts didn’t make much sense at all. The bulk of the story comes in lore fragments and toward the end where there are multiple endings and special chapter-based post story (which is improperly referred to as NG+). Vague storytelling can be good in some cases, but I feel the execution here was not great.

Another recurring issue was the English localization, which contributed to making the story even harder to grasp. However, the localization problems were most noticeable in quite a few instances where certain descriptions of items and skills were either misleading, or completely inaccurate. By no means is this game breaking, but it was definitely an annoying hindrance from time to time.

Branching off this, one thing Afterimage needs to improve on are the quests and giving the player some sense of goal or direction in general. By no means do I think it should have hand-holding levels of guidance, but there should have at least been some type of vague hints or clues on the general objectives for quests. While the non-linear exploration was still superb, everything felt disjointed in terms of figuring out the overall goals during quests. It mostly comes down to hoping you are heading in the right direction.

The remaining flaws in Afterimage mostly come in the form of minor quality of life issues and occasional lack of polish. The main example of this I can give is the UI/UX which sometimes lacks sensible descriptions and layouts. This is especially noticeable within the skilltree, which could use a major organizational overhaul.

In the end, a lovely experience
There is probably plenty more I could add, but this review is getting pretty lengthy now (if I think of anything significant I forgot to mention, I will add it in).
The pros outweigh the cons in this game by far. If you’re seeking a longer, cozy metroidvania to escape into, Afterimage is a great option.

I meant to review this when I played through on release 9 months ago, but I had to wait for my heart rate to slow down.

For real though, this game is purely high-octane surges of dopamine and makes you feel godly. As someone who normally hates repetition, Neon White is one of the few games that makes replaying levels for better times a truly enjoyable experience. The entire concept is fresh & executed immaculately. It definitely got robbed of the awards it was nominated for.

I look forward to returning and reclaiming my spot in the top 200.

First ever review. The warm feelings this game gave me have spurred me to write one, so this will probably come off as me simping for it. I will try to highlight some key components of what the game has to offer, without going into too much deep detail. If you're on the fence about getting it, allow me to push you over that fence (onto the side where you buy the game). You don't need to play the first to enjoy this piece of art!

It's unconventional to jump into music as the first topic, but it is absolutely worth talking about before getting into any other topics:

The Music
There are plenty of reasons Octopath's OST is unanimously loved and praised by everyone who plays. This soundtrack is a huge part of what gives the game its life, emotion, and charm. The compositions and instrumentation are immaculate for the substantial 131 tracks within it. Yasunori Nishiki goes so far above and beyond many other composers in crafting countless songs to perfectly match what is happening in the game. Many of the towns and overworld locations not only have one version of a song, but also have an entire second arrangement of that same song if it is nighttime, each aligning with the vibe concisely.

Like its predecessor, each of the 8 protagonists have their own theme that perfectly fits their personality and their story. These themes are also meticulously crafted to seamlessly transition into the game’s multiple, heart-pumping boss battle tracks. The hype behind each and every battle theme in this game cannot be understated.
For those who loved the music in the first game, this one takes it even further. Nishiki-san absolutely deserves awards for this OST when the time comes later this year.

Gameplay
Octopath 2’s core gameplay follows the same format as the first game, but improves upon it in many ways. Examples of this include the day-night cycle in the overworld and new additions to the already genius turn-based battle mechanics such as latent power. There are multiple quality of life improvements added such as being able to use path actions easier and increase the speed of battles. For those who have not played the first, you will feel a comforting nostalgia in the classic JRPG gameplay cycle of exploring, turn-based combat, buildcrafting, and quests.

Being driven by 8 different stories throughout most of the game allows a truly non-linear experience where you’re able to tackle things in whatever order you please. Depending on your pacing and how much side content you plan to do, expect anywhere between 60-100 hours of content to enjoy.

World & Exploration
The continent of Solistia was a gem to explore. You are open to go nearly anywhere from the start, but higher level areas will encourage certain directions over others in the earlier portions of the game (similar format to OT1). Each of the 8 biomes and towns within them have their own unique vibes and tales, and you will constantly be going back & forth between them as you progress each story. Off the beaten trails you will also find many hidden treasures, caves, mini-dungeons and more. Even within each of the villages, towns, and cities you will discover interesting little places with unique side quests and NPCs to interact with. Taking your time to explore this game never feels like a chore, and often ends up being rewarding.

Story
In most cases, the main stories within Octopath 2 are a major step up from the first. A key notable difference is how each character has a different format for how their stories unfold, some of which have branching paths that you can tackle in any order. The chapters themselves still do follow a similar format to OT1, but have enough variation to still feel fresh each time. I found some stories were stronger than others, but they each have their own charm. Though I admit many moments are a bit cheesy and hard to take seriously, but that is pretty common of JRPGs as a whole. A new addition are “crossed paths” side stories between different pairs of 2 characters. The execution wasn’t perfect, but still a huge step in the right direction based off some common criticisms of OT1.

Without spoiling too much, the game’s 8 stories do manage to converge towards the end in some interesting ways. Overall the many stories range from wholesome to tragic and it will ultimately come down to personal taste on which you may enjoy. Oh and the voice acting is great in most cases.

Graphics
Easily the best use of 2D-HD graphics I’ve seen. The character sprites, animations, lighting, and FX have been improved from OT1’s already beautiful aesthetic without taking away its unique identity.

Minor feedback on improvements
The main way I could see the game being improved is by doubling down & adding more things along the lines of world changes after quests such as the Wellgrove department store being added after Partitio Chapter 3. Or more abundance of side challenges like The Five-Tiered Tower. Also, a bit more endgame content would be nice. Once you’re overpowered from levels and items, it can get a tad too easy in the end. Finally, just a bit more story interconnectivity would’ve been nice (maybe some mid game quests that are similar to the combined final quest.)

But all in all they could add these as improvements in Octopath 3.
(In other words, please make an Octopath 3, Square Enix).