Recent reviews by CultofRoyal

Runs great, Plays great, It's awesome.

Combat is fun but doesn't feel particularly well balanced in that its at times far too easy, and then suddenly far too difficult. Its a system that relies on parries and upping the difficulty only results in split second parry/dodge windows and dying in 2-3 hits to bosses.

This wouldn't be so frustrating if parries worked the way every other game does it. Rather then dodging through attacks for perfect dodges, you instead have to wait for a red flash on the screen and dodge JUST as it appears. These flashes often appear before the enemy has even started their attack path meaning your anticipating the anticipation rather then the attack itself. In most games, the enemy winds up and you get ready to dodge the attack. In this game, the enemy winds up and you press the dodge button right then and there even if the attack is no where near yet. This leads to some times having to dodge at the most random of times just because a red flash is there. On to that point, projectiles are incredibly random in how dodging them works. Sometimes dodging nearby a projectile will trigger a perfect dodge, othertimes it does nothing at all.

Combat barriers and quick time events are rampant here and its not fun. Stronger enemies have barriers that need to be broken before they can take damage. This means wailing on them to build up your barrier breaker bar, and performing a random quick time event to break its shield. Sometimes you have to do this multiple times and its not fun to fight an enemy, do no damage, just so that you can do the same thing a few minutes later again.

The game randomly diverts from what its primarily about for sections that feel like an after thought. Example being a random motorcycle on the rails section where you press x ever few seconds to keep moving forward. It last about 30 seconds, is incredibly boring, and feels like its only there because the devs felt like they needed a set piece. Another example being the mini games, one of which being to press the buttons on your controller in a circle at a certain rhythm for 60 seconds... Fun. Lots of random stuff like that where its like "Why is this even here? This could have been a cutscene".

Story is really good though and the characters are easy to root for and fall in love with. MC is likable which is pretty rare in games like this and anime appeal strikes pretty hard pretty often. Combat does get varied and fun but it takes a bit for that opening up to happen.

Overall if the gameplay videos strike your fancy then yea I recommend this game. Just keep in mind that it is indeed VERY indie feeling with all the jank and questionable design decisions that comes with. Also make sure that when your doing scavenging missions, you use the steam guide that shows where the items are.

Atelier Ryza tells the tale of Ryza Stout, a young woman craving adventure to escape her mundane life on a secluded island. Joined by friends Lent and Tao, the trio embarks on a thrilling quest, epitomizing the longing for excitement that many can relate to.

The combat system in the game is distinct, utilizing a timeline-based approach where characters and monsters have cooldown periods. This dynamic combat often resembles auto-battler gameplay, sometimes leaning more towards automation than strategy. The limitations imposed on Action Points (AP) and Items can make the combat momentum feel sluggish. The delay in reaching higher AP levels can make strategic choices less appealing compared to saving resources for more impactful moves.

The crafting and alchemy mechanics are intricate and engaging, emphasizing preparation and gear enhancement. Crafting nodes tied to elemental requirements and traits create a resource-driven skill tree. However, material gathering can become repetitive, leading to grinding for past items rather than exploration. The loop of material gathering and crafting adds depth to the preparation phase, making it a significant aspect of the game.

The storytelling is commendable, with well-developed characters and a gradual progression from simple adventure to world-saving heroics. The characters' inquisitiveness and well-explained plot points enhance the immersive experience. However, the pacing occasionally slows with forced waiting periods between quests.

The game's soundtrack contributes to engagement, offering a variety of tracks that match the diverse environments. Despite some shortcomings in combat and alchemy mechanics, the game is enjoyable overall, with potential for improvement.

In the grand tapestry of this experience, Atelier Ryza stands as an unpolished gem, gleaming with potential yet occasionally marred by rough edges. The beauty of its characters, the innovative combat system, and the alchemical journey entice like treasures waiting to be unearthed. With the sequel on the horizon, one can't help but wonder if it will shine even brighter than the sun's reflection on the open sea...

So anyways. Yea I recommend it.

So, here we are, delving into the world of Blue Reflection. A game that proudly combines both Magical Girl and Yuri genres, all wrapped up in a high school setting exclusively for the ladies. Because, you know, who needs guys in a world of magical girls? Somehow this isn't the crazy part of the story because, wouldn't you know it, our heroines' power up by moonlighting as magical therapists. They fight demons in a separate magical world called the Common. Aside from a dire need for a rebrand, the first question that comes to mind when hearing this is: Seriously!? This is what I decided to spend my money on? Not to worry, I'm sure the story will go into more detail about how it all works later on. They wouldn't dump a bunch of random exposition for absolutely no payoff, right?

Wrong. I've got loaded feelings about this game, and - much like the characters themselves - they're all tangled up in some bizarre, magical conflict. Well, let's not beat around the bush about it. Blue Reflection is a JRPG, which means combat is a given; let's talk about that.

But first, a disclaimer. Blue Reflection stands as one of 4 JRPGs I've seen through to completion. I don't state this to laud its virtues but merely as a precautionary remark. This genre bears numerous conventions and expectations that I was and still am unprepared for. Despite lacking the perspective of a devoted JRPG enthusiast, I still intend to review this title just as I would any other game.
I'm no connoisseur of endless grinding, especially when that grind feels about as fulfilling as chasing your own shadow. Blue Reflection does well to spice things up by forgoing the traditional means of progression, but what they dreamt up to replace such critical infrastructure leaves much to be desired.

Unlike most games, you don't gain levels by bashing monsters in this world. The only way to level up in Blue Reflection is by building better relationships with fellow classmates through various after-school activities, like a dating sim, but more on that later. What this means, for now, is that you only really engage in combat for two reasons:

Many quests require you to kill x number of a specific type of monster. These types of quests make up a majority of side quests in Blue Reflection, and they are just as mind-numbing as you imagine them to be.
Acquiring items for purposes of crafting. Crafting is necessary for a few side quests, but outside of that, I never actually used it during gameplay. I played on medium/normal difficulty, so this might change if things get significantly more challenging.
Suppose you're not on a quest to kill a particular monster, and you don't care for the crafting aspect of the game. In that case, fighting monsters becomes entirely optional. Kind of like when you're shopping, and you accidentally bump into someone you know but don't really want to chat with – you just nod and move on. It feels inconsequential. Transactional but not rewarding.

Now that I've gotten the motivation and general atmosphere of combat out of the way let's talk about systems. At the core of Blue Reflection's combat is the Timeline.

Each character on the board can only act once they reach the end of it, and each move they use sets them back a predetermined amount of time. Simple, effective, not necessarily groundbreaking, but it gets the job done. The problem is that the information given to the player regarding what moves to use and when to use them isn't enough to build meaningful strategies around.

Imagine this: you're given an attack description like "Unleashes a ferocious battering with a dash of elegance." Alright, but how much damage are we talking about here? How much healing will that support skill do? Yea, the skill adds ether immediately, but how much exactly?

The answer is that I don't know. This may be my inexperience talking. Perhaps this is the standard for JRPG games, but standard or not, when you're missing crucial data like this, every choice feels like a game of Russian roulette. In an ideal world, every ability would have time to shine, and misplays like these would be a rarity. Unfortunately, my experience with Blue Reflection has been that, well...

Some moves just suck.

There's a whole arsenal of moves at your disposal, but some come with a hefty mana cost with little to no return on investment. Not so great. What's worse, these moves often come with insane cooldown periods leaving you with not much to do but wait in contemplating silence. So you use something like that, get nothing in return, and it's like, ", Well, great, I'm not using that move ever again."

And then there are those frustrating moments when you encounter enemies that are supposedly weak to your attacks. Yet, your moves against them might as well be light gusts of wind. Sometimes It's at the point where it does more damage to use moves the enemy is resistant to because even if it shrugs off 90% of the damage, it's STILL more efficient than whatever the game wants you to use.

Let's talk about resistance, too, because the game goes out of its way to make this an exciting process of discovery. Instead of telling you at face value what skills are most valuable in any given situation, it obfuscates it in favor of cryptic symbols hidden behind multiple layers of interaction. For nearly the entire game, I had no idea what it was trying to tell me because I didn't know it was trying to tell me anything! Silly me.

It's simply awful to run into enemies, realize that the enemy is resistant to all of your attacks except for one specific attack type, and then realize soon after that all of your abilities for that attack type do ♥♥♥♥ all damage.

Now it could be a matter of simply leveling into the wrong things, but there's more to the story than just that.

Abilities are unlocked solely through the process of leveling characters. Each character has inherent abilities granted at certain leveling milestones and earned abilities gained through putting points into specific stats. An example is an ability unlocked simply for hitting level 10 versus acquiring an ability for having 5 points in agility.

The problem with these stats is that they don't mean anything. How much more damage will I do if I put 5 points into strength? How much more tanky am I if I invest in defense early on? How should I build characters to better suit the abilities they have or soon will have? What stats do these abilities even look at? Some abilities make it very clear that its damage is based on speed, for example. Is everything else based on strength?

Half of the fun in games like this comes before combat starts in preparation. Equipping the right abilities, charging them up with the right equipment, and planning out synergy moves between party members. These things are all here, but without the benefit of concise information to build a plan around, it never felt like I "figured it out".

I don't mean to optimize the fun away; I simply mean to feel a sense of reward for having cared to try.

But let's switch gears and look at the bright side – boss fights. Thankfully, they don't have the same issues. No resistances or vulnerabilities to decipher, so you're free to unleash your tactics without playing detective. In fact, these boss battles might comprise this game's brightest moments. So it's a shame they come in few numbers, with most of them being mere repeats. The cutscene at the end makes it all worth it; watching magical girls do badass things will never get old.

On the plus side, a school protected by magical girl therapy? This story must be hella kickass.

At least, that's what I thought going into this ordeal. How can you possibly mess this up? In fact, the story isn't really anything at all, but let's start from the beginning. The central narrative revolves around Hinako, who had made it to the finals of a prestigious international ballet competition just a year prior. The door to success stood wide open for her until an unfortunate

Quick review: I've never been a big Battlefield fan but this game has won me over. Its just really good fun.

This here is a game that tries to do everything - stealth and combat - but ends up struggling to find its footing. Within just 15 minutes of being introduced to stealth, the game hands you a weapon and throws enemies at you who attack on sight for the next 30 minutes. It's like the game can't decide whether to focus on stealth or combat, and in the end, it feels like it chooses combat but fails to deliver. Combat is basically just spamming the attack button and backing up, hoping you don't die before the enemies do. There are no mechanics for mitigating damage, so it's not much fun either.

I've fought two bosses so far, and the lack of consequences for dying in combat makes it easy to just respawn and continue. Both bosses seemed entirely unnecessary and felt outside the boundaries of the rest of the experience. Sometimes, the Ink Demon appears, and you have only a few seconds to find a hiding spot. If you fail to do so, there are no respawns - you're sent straight back to your last manual or auto-save. If your playing and your trying to figure out why theres so many hiding spots all over the place, this is it. Sometimes the ink demon appears so you look around and quickly realize your basically just screwed. Is this supposed to be stealth or calculated frustration?

Its keeping my attention with the story and theme of the world but the gameplay leaves much to be desired. It really does seem like it doesn't know what it wants to be so it tried to be everything and ended up being a big blob of meh. Fully intend to finish my playthrough but those are my thoughts on it so far.

Combat wasn't as bad as I thought it would be but the bosses blocking forever was pretty annoying. It'd be one thing if you were suppose to dodge attacks to counter attack but theres no way with how little reaction time you have. Even if I managed to dodge in time, I'd still get hit by the move.

Unlike in Kiwami 1 and 2, there never came a point where I felt like I unlocked all the upgrades I wanted. Because I didn't really know what the upgrade tree looked like, it was kinda just hoping that the next upgrade was something I would really want. "Oh I don't like these but maybe after this one?" Throwing hard earned upgrade points into something that seems lackluster isn't fun at all. Even more so when you gotta sit through that animation that only goes to show how much time your throwing into an ability that "sucks".

Story was pretty good but it relied too much on random exposition sections where you take in a chapters worth of story in 5-10 minutes to figure out what's going on. The trade off is that I also got to do a lot more "non yakuza" stuff as Kiryu. Just would have been nice if all the morning glory missions were sub stories so that the yakuza stuff had a bit more room to breath and develop. Ah well. On to Yakuza 4!

The Killing Curse (Avada Kedavra) was a tool of the Dark Arts and was one of the three Unforgivable Curses. When cast successfully on a living person or creature, the curse caused instantaneous and painless death, without causing any injury to the body, and without any trace of violence. It is known that the Killing Curse, in addition to requiring the caster to be a very skilled witch or wizard, also required a genuine willingness and at many times desire to commit murder.

Ah yes. Finally. My Wizarding fantasies have been realized.

Fun game. Easy recommend.

Very fun game, Easy recommend if you like MW2019