I absolutely love this game, but it's not for everyone. It's a challenging game with procedurally generated levels and perma-death. You play this when you're in the mood for a challenge, rather than one that you just relax with. One tiny, little mistake is all it takes to end your game. It forces you to slow down enough so you don't just dive face-first into spikes. But if you go too slowly, a ghost appears. The ghost is invincible and will kill you instantly, so you also have to go fast enough to avoid that. The more you play, the better you get at making the snap decisions required. One other thing that happened to me was that I learned to let go of my completionist habits. Usually, when I play a game, I like to do every single thing I possibly can. That does not work in this game. You could grab every single gold, kill every single enemy and explore every single corner, but it's usually not worth the risk. Exploring everything and grabbing all the money can take too long. Dealing with enemies can result in you getting hurt. Frustration, death and rage-quitting become familiar experiences. I've had my moments where I have to take a break from the game for a day or two, then I come back to it, reinvigorated. Sometimes, though, you die in a way that just makes you laugh. Hit by a boomerang guy into a carnivorous plant? Hit by a spider into spikes? Stabbed in the back by a spike trap as you admire your new cape? As the saying goes, "Losing is fun!" The game might be overly difficult, but at least you can sometimes laugh at how badly things went. Over time, bit by bit, I got better and better and started making it to the final area. The first couple times I got to the final boss, I choked and lost. After all that, though, defeating the final boss for the first time was so satisfying. I definitely would not recommend this game to just anyone, but I've been having a blast playing this game.
I wanted to like this game, but I can't bring myself to go any further. The story is basic and unassuming. Monsters, magical MacGuffins, hero saves the world. You go to different islands, explore dungeons and collect abilities. The game is obviously inspired by the Legend of Zelda series. For what it's trying to be, the idea of the game is great. The problem is that the main character is SLOW. He doesn't walk or run. He trudges. This leads to two big, persistent problems: 1. It takes forever to get anywhere. Because it takes so long, it becomes boring and frustrating. 2. It shatters my immersion. I look at the main character, and I don't feel like I'm him. I feel like I'm dragging him. That's frustrating in its own way. More importantly, since I don't identify with him in-game, that leaves me with no sympathy for him. You have a dash ability, but you have to use it by pressing a button. On top of that, you have a stamina bar that quickly empties, then you have to wait for it to fill back up. Also, you can't control yourself as well while dashing. You move faster, but only when you remember to press the button, only sometimes, and the controls are even worse! It just makes moving in this game even more frustrating. It could've been a fun, simple experience, but the boredom and tedium of literally just walking in this game got to be too much to handle.
I knew this game existed when I was younger, and I wanted to play it. I finally got around to playing it. Sadly, it does not live up to expectations. Jazz moves at a ridiculous speed, and the controls are slippery. The camera doesn't help. When you're running, enemies show up out of nowhere. There's not a lot of space on the screen, so you have less than a second to react. I have no control over him. There is a slowdown mode, which you have to turn on at the beginning of every level. It gives you more time to react, with the side-effect of making the game sluggish and tedious. Fast or slow, this game gives me a headache. Level design is frustrating. The first few levels were straight-forward. Keep moving right, and you'll find the exit. Or at least, there's a logical path to follow. Before long, you're thrown into labyrinthine mazes. In the level where I gave up, I went around in circles three or four times before I found out how to proceed. It's confusing and frustrating. I wanted to give this game a chance. An obvious Sonic clone that's cheeky about it, putting a gun in the main character's hands. Varied worlds that are bright and colorful. A goofy story about an evil turtle or something. It's clear a lot of love went into this game. The cheeky goofiness is charming, but the gameplay gives me such a headache, I have to pass.
I love how the game combines platforming with puzzle elements. If you complete a level without taking any damage, you get a bonus. You start asking yourself: how can I finish these levels without taking damage? It involves moving around in a certain order or using power-ups in specific ways. This game challenged my reflexes as much as it challenged my intellect. That said, it can be unforgiving. One simple mistake is all it takes to cost you that bonus. And it was easy to mess up. It was frustrating and stressful. Granted, I'm a completionist, so this is my own fault. If I had cared less about the points, I would've had a less stressful experience. Eventually, I did give up on getting those bonuses. It wasn't worth the frustration. This is the type of game you play for a challenge, not for fun. And that challenge is intense. There were some minor annoyances. They weren't as bad as the difficulty and stress. Elevators are slow. If you miss them, you have to wait for them to come back to you. Usually, it's not even for a time-based challenge. The elevators are slow, so you have to wait. That was boring. Sometimes, you need to drop down, but you can't see where you're landing. Leaps of faith are unsatisfying, even when you succeed. I enjoyed this game. It was challenging, sometimes harshly so. But it was satisfying working out the levels in my head.
I enjoyed this game from beginning to end. You are transformed into a pig in the beginning. As you progress, you gain more animal forms as well as more equipment. You can switch between these different forms and equipment as the situation demands. I enjoyed expanding my abilities. Exploring older areas with my new abilities and forms made me feel powerful. It was fun to hunt down secrets to get every last item and power-up. Sometimes, you have to go back to older areas to find more secrets. But when you can fly or double-jump over everything, it's so much easier. The music is amazing. On that note, this series seems to love its callbacks, and I'm all for it. I played Wonder Boy in Monster World in my childhood, so the ocarina callback was one part I loved. I do have a few complaints about this game. The golden equipment was so expensive that I had to grind for the money. I spent about five minutes fighting the same enemy over and over just to buy the very last thing. It felt unnecessary. A few puzzles near the end were so confusing, I caved in and had to look up some clues. I was that close to 100%, so I refused to leave them unsolved, but I was stumped. I also struggled with the volcano a bit, but once I got the ice equipment, it got much easier. These problems weren't enough to detract from my experience. This game was a blast from beginning to end, and I love it.
Psychonauts is one of those games I've heard so many great things about. I finally got around to playing this game. I understand why some people love this game, but I didn't enjoy it as much as I would've liked to. Traveling into people's minds was fun. The story had intelligent moments. I like how it showed the relationship between the mental worlds and the real world. One character's resentment over his heartbreak. Another's frustration with his undesired heritage. Another's imposter syndrome. The story did a great job keeping my interest. Playing as a psychic was fun. I was excited to find all the different abilities. The game has a sense of humor, but it was hit and miss for me. Many of the characters have exaggerated, cartoonish personalities. It fits the game's quirky silliness, but I found some of the characters unlikable. At one point, you can save everyone. The ones I liked, I was more than happy to rescue. The ones I disliked, I had no sympathy for. They were a checkmark on a list. Nothing more. Near the end, the difficulty becomes excessive. The upper asylum was annoying. It would've been fine, had it just been the complicated jumping puzzle. But rats keep attacking you, forcing you to stop to avoid their gas. That section was a slog. The ambiance was well done, but I don't care for horror. About forty minutes of constant stress, tedium and frustration. The meat circus was also frustrating. Challenging jumping puzzles with a time limit? And if you fall, you're sent so far back, you might as well wait the time limit out? No thanks. I see why people love this game. It's quirky. It's unique. It's silly. There's a lot to love. But it didn't work for me. The humor is hit and miss. Some characters are unsympathetic. The later levels are frustrating. I'm glad I played this game, but I won't be coming back to it any time soon.
