It's one of those games that's really stuck with me. One of those games that was almost perfect. One of those games that deserved more. Jade Empire is special. It's a rather unique game with an uncommon setting. The story and world are brilliant*. I liked the companions a lot. The fighting mechanics are more akin to a brawler combined with light RPG than KOTOR or Dragon Age - there's so many styles to gain as you progress. The music is also really great. Why the *? That's because it's brilliant to a point. I'm not aware of the development cycle for the game, but it feels unfinished, like time ran out. I was fully expecting a certain outcome given the general themes of side quests throughout the adventure, but when you reach what's expected to be the finale, you get a twist and the last arc begins. Am I sour my expectations were subverted? Not at all, I just felt like the game would've made more logical sense to end in a similar way to what I'd envisioned, but instead it continued with something very middling and ended with something less than a bang. The journey was far better than the destination. Missed potential is a common thread through the game when you reflect on it, honestly. You get access to a transport akin to the Ebon Hawk from KOTOR but no locations to really visit with it. You hear a lot about the main city of the game, but really (due to the limitations of the target platform if I had to assume; the Xbox) it feels even smaller than Taris. The ending is similarly lacking, with text screens being all of the send off you get for you and your companions. The plethora of styles is also a little more limited than I'd like, and once you invest in two or three staples, it's hard to justify swapping absolutely everything out. The gems could've also been a bit more interesting than mere stat boosts. It's definitely worth a play for Bioware fans or if it looks interesting to you, but if you're like me, you'll definitely lament over what could've been.
I'm not going to sit and rehash everything that's been said over the years about Fallout 4. The story? Bad. The quests? Bad. The factions? Bad. The dialogue system? Bad. The "RPG mechanics"? Bad. The shooting is serviceable and some of the environments are nice, and Far Harbor is the peak of Mt Mediocrity in this very lackluster entry of the series. If you've played it before you know what you're in for. I'll just add my experience from when I played through in case you've never touched it before; when I started the game I was having fun. This was during the curated opening experience with the scripted sequences and impressive set pieces. Sure, the power armor part was a bit much, but I was taking it all in good fun until I decided to wander off between a gap in quests. I stumbled into a set of ruins where a feral ghoul started climbing down a building in the distance with a bunch of mannequins around, then more came as I started shooting. Great piece to get you on edge. However, when I reached the police station with the Brotherhood about five hours in, I realized something; it wasn't going to get any better. I'd seen pretty much everything the game had to offer. All of the main tricks were already on the table. From there my enjoyment declined session after session until I just pushed for the end, like with Skyrim. And yes, I'm reviewing this based on the experience as it comes, not as it can be made with user created mods.
I'm not going to call Larva Mortus a hidden gem, but here's how I see it; if you enjoyed semi-jank Flash games from yesteryear that executed a limited gameplay loop rather well, this'll be a fun era callback for you. The story is... Well, not that important. Get a few things from over the world to assemble something to stop something. It's not very compelling so I didn't pay attention to it. You fight ghouls and werewolves and stuff. That's all that matters. Gameplay is where this one shines. It's sort of a twin stick shooter with a handful of weapons and enemies where you traverse a randomly generated dungeon floor similar to Binding of Issac. However, here, you can swap weapons at will and enemies are a little cheaper, like leaving a damaging cloud after they die. It has a levelling system too, which allows you to invest points into a few simple stats like health or speed for a more tangible feeling of progress between generated levels. That's about it. Shoot monsters, move between rectangle rooms, pick up ammo or new weapons and repeat. Graphically, which is why I specifically call this a callback to Flash games, Larve Mortus rather weak. A lot of the sprites are simple and nothing really blew me away or stuck out. You'll also get some clashing styles, like with the 3D renders in the weapon room or random monster faces that pop up to "jumpscare" you in the loosest sense in certain rooms. The particles were decent enough though, so there was that. I just don't feel like there's a ton to say here. If you think a simple execution on a twin stick arena traversal concept sounds like fun for an hour or two, you can do far worse than the mindless fun of Larva Mortus. If you have a nostalgia for Flash games you'd wile away the hours with you'll probably like the game a lot more just as I did. If you're looking for something with a larger scope, plot, complex enemies or levels? Give this a miss.
