Recent reviews by Focket

I love this game a ton but recently it has just become more and more frustrating to keep coming back to. The amount of technical bugs in the game keeps on piling more and more every single update. While some things get fixed, most get ignored and even more get added. Why are issues like Superior Packing Methodology not working, reloading a weapon only reloading a single bullet, or extremely inconsistent damage to name a few still issues months after release? All while new Warbonds keep getting released? I know Arrowhead has claimed they will be slowing down the pace of content, but how long will we have to wait for more fixes when ones like these still exist and more will potentially pop up?

More recently too, I've encountered a bug where I'm supposedly stuck on the main menu, being unable to join other lobbies or play with others when nothing with my setup has changed and other games work fine. Apparently others have had this issue too! And the main objective for nuking nests can just bug out and you can't complete the objective, forcing you to fail your operation leaving you with wasted time. I love playing this game, I really do. But I can't recommend it in good faith when it's plagued by so many issues, both old and new.

A genuine masterpiece. Fantastic story, art, soundtrack, anything you can think of from a creative standpoint with excellent gameplay as well. Though is my first real experience with a Persona game and JRPGs as a whole, I can confidently say this is the kind of game that will stick with you for a very long time.

This is how you make an incredible action game. An insane amount of customization and experimentation, tons of replayability and a lot of missions to go through make for yet another unforgettable FromSoftware experience. It will require patience and occasionally make you shift your strategy, but beating that hard boss or level makes it all worth it.

I have yet to clear all new content in 1.0, but as someone with ~60ish hours from playing the game in Early Access, I think I am in a well enough position to write a review.

To start off, DD2 is NOT DD1. Do not go into this game thinking it is more DD1, because it is not. DD1 is not even really a roguelike. DD1 is more like a long drawn out campaign where you are maintaining a roster of heroes in order to upgrade, get better, and eventually defeat the final bosses. You will lose people, you will recruit more, and you will keep all your persistent town upgrades to assist in that campaign.

DD2 retains some of these aspects through the Altar of Hope (Permanent upgrades on heroes, stagecoach upgrades, etc. that are akin to town facility upgrades). The similarities begin to fall off there aside from the combat format. DD2 is a roguelike unlike DD1, where each run is different and you take different heroes with you in order to defeat Confession bosses on a long roadtrip. If at any point you get a party wipe, you reset your run. Back to the Crossroads to create another party, spending or saving your candles to get permanent upgrades. If you do not like this, you will not like DD2! There is nothing wrong with not liking DD2's format but to call it a bad game because of it is an insult to it.

I'm personally a huge fan of the changes to combat thanks to the addition of the Token system. Long gone are the days of frustrating 95% chance to hit misses. These mechanics get simplified for the better imo, as there will always be a 100% chance to hit if there are no blindness or dodge modifiers. No more worrying about accuracy stats! Dodge has also been simplified down to tokens (50 and 75%), and you can also get guaranteed crit tokens through various skills and combat items. and you are given many tools to deal with it thanks to the addition of new skills added to our returning roster of DD1 heroes and the aforementioned combat items. I'm leaving a lot out in regards to this because there are so many changes with the addition of the Token system, but I feel it enhances the Darkest Dungeon combat formula for the better because it opens up so much synergy and potential.

That all being said, of course Darkest Dungeon 2 is not perfect. I feel there is too much RNG involving relationships and the tools provided to help them can instantly be undone just because of ONE roadside encounter. I feel like Hellion and Plague Doctor are just so insanely good that you almost have no reason not to bring those two on every composition. It's possible to miss every single first round hit on a creature den, leaving your heroes blighted, stunned, and leaving you wondering why you even bothered to visit one. I also believe Red Hook should have been more transparent with the pricing of the game, cloud save support, and Steam Deck support for Steam customers. 40$ is steep for this game, and while I love it to death and will praise it, I do understand that it may be off-putting.

Despite all of these grievances though, there is just so much good in this game to just pass it up. The shift to 3D models was excellently done while still capturing the art style of the original. Stuart Chatwood created yet another 10/10 soundtrack for the game. Wayne June nailed the narration just as he did before. Everything comes together to create an amazing doomer roadtrip that is a worthy successor to DD1. And if you *really* want to experience the heartbreak of getting attached to and losing your favorite hero just like in 1, you can replicate that pain with the Memory system once you've completed an act, since you can bring along that same hero with you to the next run.

Darkest Dungeon 2 is different. It is not entirely "more of the same." It is frustrating, yet rewarding. You will probably party wipe countless times and rage and claim BS. But when you finally finish a confession boss, there is no greater feeling than knowing you won because you used all of your tools efficiently. To me, that's what both Darkest Dungeon games are ultimately about. Utilizing our struggles to improve, be better, and come out on top. Darkest Dungeon 2 does this, just with a roguelike twist.

Excellent game. If you liked World, I don't see why you wouldn't like Rise. The combat is just as good if not better, but both games are amazing in their own right. Sunbreak is practically mandatory if you want to get invested, which is good because it adds so much more on top of an already amazing game.


To those that gave me a great time on here and this series, thank you. I will never forget our memories.

Hi-Fi RUSH is one of those games I was initially skeptical about because I am not very well versed in Hack and Slash games. However, I've been a huge fan of Guitar Hero/Rock Band for my entire life, so I have an excellent background in rhythm aspects from that alone. Needless to say, I was absolutely blown away at what could be accomplished when the Hack and Slash and Rhythm genres collided.

Rhythm elements kept me from my button mashing nature and instead rewarded me for... just jamming out, honestly. Once you get the hang of how Hi-Fi RUSH's combat and rhythm goes together, it makes for an action experience that feels extremely rewarding and nice to play. Landing attacks, jumps, and dodges to the beat feels so satisfying and even after playing the game a ton, it never gets old. Even better, there are a ton of combos for you to master and play around with if that kind of thing interests you. While I'm not big on spicing up and adding variety to my combat, you are free to do so and even encouraged to. It even made me experiment, and I'm not big on giant combo lists in games. Partner attacks and special moves only further add to this variety.

This game would not be complete without an absolute banger of an OST, and of course it has one. I was admittedly drawn in to the game seeing it had some licensed tracks in it, but I was very pleasantly surprised by the game's original soundtrack, to the point of listening to a fair number of them on my free time. I won't spoil any of those licensed tracks here but to add to the store page's credit, the tracks by Nine Inch Nails, The Prodigy, and The Joy Formidable that were used in the game seriously made for some incredible scenes and moments. There are a couple more artists in the mix, but I won't share that here!

Even with all these positives alone, Hi-Fi RUSH doesn't stop giving. The entire cast is lovable, even the villains, something that I find is incredibly hard to pull off. Everyone has their own quirks and charm, making each person distinct. There is a wide range of representation here too, with a variety of body types and skin tones, ensuring that we get to see some diversity in this aspect too. While the story is a bit of a trope-y one that involves fighting a corporation turned corrupt, it still kept me fully engaged because of its cast. The dynamics between all of the game's characters and their interactions had me laughing a good amount as I played through, with references and jokes adding to the game's charm. Keep an open mind here.

The absolute cherry on top is the art style. The cartoony cell-shaded visuals and onomatopoeia that comes along with it feels right at home for a game like this. When you take all of this together, you get such an incredible and memorable experience.

I know I'm missing a lot to include here, but I don't know how to put every single thing I appreciate about this game into words. You'll just have to see for yourself!

Please just buy it with shards if you have them.

Spanish Metroidvania Dark Souls. Game heavily encourages exploration and backtracking, which is easily done with its great platforming. The aforementioned platforming mixes into combat very well with a wide variety of magic (prayers) and bonuses on your rosary, allowing for a bunch of different playstyles. Not to mention this is all accompanied by a wonderful soundtrack. Whether you're a completionist or play games just once, Blasphemous is real treat and I'm glad I got to experience it.

10/10 perfect for projecting your repressed trauma

Everything reminds me of her... the dredgussy