It took me a minute to get used to the dialogue (it's very modern and makes me think of the way folks on the internet talk to each other) but the characters shine through and help you get used to it. The characters are a colorful cast of queer kids (and one stacked angel) who are delightful messes. Even though it is a world inhabited by angels and machine demons, there are parallels to the issues we're facing in our own world. An RPG about fighting the forces of evil – bigotry, misogyny, the things that protect the status quo and the interests of those already in power. One of them even made me mad with how stupid it was. Once you take that away, some of the dramatic situations seemed really forced or ham-fisted. The first half is a powder keg of conflict, with all the characters trapped in a tense hostage situation, trying to manage interpersonal conflicts while trying to survive. But after the central conflict is over in the first half, it gets decidedly worse. I love me some character drama, and this was full of it. If I could go back in time, I'd just skip this one and play something else. I guess it's a fine in-between game or meditative experience (sucking up the gunk doesn't get old, at least), it is technically competent and a complete experience… but it was boring. The story is paint by the numbers, the character dialog is bad (and the voice acting is so-so). No evolution of the game mechanics, which would be fine if there was something else to make up for it, but there isn't. Lots of strategy, lots of crying when you get the wrong rolls. At the start of your turn, you roll a certain number of dice, and if it matches one of your cards, you can play the card. Each card has a dice value that is needed before it can be played. Dicey Dungeon depends heavily on luck and RNG. I especially love deck-based, turn-based roguelikes (though I guess this one is technically dice-based?). The story overall was engrossing, with some really dramatic moments. Character writing got much tighter, much less verbose and meandering. Comparatively, I tore through Heavensward. The first expansion in FFXIV! I was so excited for this, I had literally been playing A Realm Reborn for YEARS. I love that whenever you are given a tangible reward in this game, Turnip Boy tears it to shreds. Turnip Boy can't keep his fucking hands to himself, but at least it ended with him saving the world. It was nerve-wracking juggling multiple enemies on a stage with your small health pool, but I love a good head-scratcher. (Think of those puzzles where you have to slide on the ice.) When you run into an enemy, you do damage to them. But you're limited by your movement you select a direction to move, and you keep sliding in that direction until you hit a wall. It's an isometric roguelike puzzle game you have to kill all of the enemies on a floor before you can descend to the next floor to kill more. I had been playing this game for an entire year trying to beat it with the first character. Sort of Zelda-ish in its progression? I guess I enjoyed it at the time, and technically there's nothing wrong with it, but thinking back on it now, it wasn't that memorable. It's an easy platformer with an interesting art style and musical theming. Enjoyed the story too, which is why I'll be picking up the sequel at some point. Still, I enjoyed all of the characters and (most of) the stealth sections, even if they were simple. The rivers of rats were spectacular forces of nature, but combatting them – or the myriad of basic soldiers – never felt like much of a challenge. Great cinematic game with a cool concept. I loved the cooking minigames and getting the maximum number of stars I could for meals. It's got so much heart, it's such a relaxing experience, I loved going out into the bay and filling up my fishing compendium. It's not perfect – it's got a few bugs and some mandatory sections that are a little finnicky with the control scheme – but my god, I never thought I could love a fishing game.
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