Reseñas recientes de Semaphia

Simply put, Patrick's Parabox is one of the finest no frills puzzle games I've ever played. There's a real originality here that, paired with a trickle of new mechanics & a carefully paced difficulty curve, gives you a constant sense of slight confusion without feeling overwhelmed, followed by real EUREKA! moments when you figure out that challenging puzzle after a few minutes of thought & experimentation.

A short & sweet little puzzler with around 45-60 mins of playtime, with another 30+ minutes failing to find that final puzzle to tick off 100% completion. I'd not be surprised if it were bugged, since I've navigated the map several times, and checked my work against a speedrun on YouTube. I might just be blind, though!

Edit: Exiting the save & reopening it forced it to show the correct completion, and redoing a single puzzle triggered the final achievement!

A delightfully chaotic experience with incredibly tight gameplay fundamentals bringing it all together. Metal: Hellsinger might not be the longest game out there, but there's an good amount of variety to be found if you're into experimenting with runs & chasing high scores.

The presentation of the story is wonderfully executed, and the aesthetic & attention to detail throughout the game is superb. There's just certain little touches, like the torches on the main screen pulsing to the music, and the Unknown throwing up the devil horns before flying away as you exit the game, that just really drill home the love & care the developers gave this project. There's plenty of subtle references to metal releases in the dialogue/achievements which are a really nice touch as well.

Most importantly, the music! I'll be the first to admit I've only got a minor interest in metal, but it really does help but elevate the game significantly, and gives it some really brilliant moments when the music kicks in at just the right time. The way the track layers up the higher your multiplier gets is inspired, and it's very easy to get into a zen-like flow state as the vocals kick in, shooting & slaughtering away to the beat as you do.

Overall, if you're a one & done kind of player, the 4-5 hours Metal: Hellsinger offers might seem a bit rough at full price. However, if you really enjoy chasing high leaderboard rankings & addictive rhythm FPS gameplay, you'll find more than your fair share of demonic pleasure here. On sale, it's a no brainer for anyone with even a passing interest in the genre and/or setting, as it is such a unique game with a huge amount of love & attention poured into it.

It was more than ten years between my first time through the Mass Effect trilogy and my experience with the Legendary Edition, yet it managed to hit just as hard now as it did back then, if not harder! As a series, it's responsible for some of the highest points in RPG history, and while it's also responsible for some of the genres lowest points, it's hard not to fall in love with the galaxy that BioWare came up with.

The remastered visuals hold up incredible well, and ultrawide/HDR support is both seamless & wonderfully executed. Having all the DLC included means even if you're a returning veteran of the series, there might be a fair bit of content here you haven't seen before.

If you're new to Mass Effect or simply considering a replay, you're in for an absolute treat with this bundle. At full price, it's a solid deal, but at its regular 92% off sale price? It's an absolute steal, and a must for RPG fans.

Yuzosoft titles have always been a bit of a guilty pleasure for me, so how does Parquet compare?

Starting with the positives, all the hallmarks of a Yuzusoft title are on full display. The visuals are spectacular, the overall experience is incredibly well polished, and the OST is both pleasant & well produced. It's not a surprise at this point, but it's great to see their presentation continue to be among the best of the best.

The lead characters are also some of the best in a Yuzusoft title, and the premise of the story is interesting, & ultimately fulfilling with some reasonable highs throughout. However, its shorter nature & a few incredibly predictable twists make for an narrative that feels a little bit forgettable at times, though the characters are strong enough to carry the experience.

Overall, it's a title that does more right than wrong, ticking all the boxes you'd expect from a Yuzusoft title, while sadly coming up a bit short narratively compared to their longer reads. Still a worthwhile read, but far from a great one.

Hou+ finally brings the original WTC story up to parity in the West, but it's not what I'd consider essential reading for anyone other than the most die-hard fans.

Higurashi Bus Stop is perhaps the most compelling feature of the package. It's a short 2-3 hour story that predates Onikakushi as a genesis point for the entire franchise. Some of the character names are familiar, but the story itself is considered non-canon for a reason. Still, it's really interesting to see the ideas that birthed the franchise, seeing which ones made it, & which ones didn't. For fans of Higurashi, it's a very interesting read.

Outbreak & Kamikashimashi are arcs like any other, without the rise before the fall setting the scene & getting you invested like one of the original chapters. Being thrown in at the deep end led me to being a bit less invested in the story as a whole, but I did enjoy the finale, so I do consider it worth reading. Still, it's lacking the overall development of the OG arcs, so temper your expectations going in.

(I just skipped through Mehagashi for the achievements, but if the idea of a fanservice arc tickles your fancy, well, enjoy).

The expanded staff room/dialogue from Ryukishi is undoubtedly the most touching content in Hou+. It's interesting to get an insight into what motivated him starting out, the lengths he went to to deliver WTC chapters at the breakneck pace he did back then, and what he hopes to achieve going forward. I'll keep my fingers crossed that it'll finally be returning to & finishing Ciconia, but I have my doubts that'll happen any time soon.

Overall, it's a solid package with some interesting material, but if you're happy with the ending of your own Higurashi journey then don't feel like you must read this one. If you're a die-hard fan however then there's some real insightful stuff here that you won't want to miss.

Katamari Damacy is a short but incredibly sweet one-of-a-kind experience where you play a twin-stick controlled tumbleweed pusher in his quest to roll up everything from the smallest pin to the biggest tower blocks. It took me a few levels to get going, but once it clicked for me & the OST really started to shine, I was smiling all the way through to the final credits. There's just so much charm & attention to detail here that it's hard not to fall in love with the world KD paints.

The only criticism I have is that, despite it running at 144+ fps, it's very clearly rendered at 30 fps, which left me feeling a little bit motion sick on some of the later levels. It's not a criticism, but it's worth noting as well that this is a very short game, though replayability is high thanks to hidden objects & goal-driven nature.

Wannabe lone wolf-types can only dream of the levels of indifference NPCs in Katamari Damacy display while watching their children get rolled up into a makeshift tumbleweed of plants, random furniture & small animals before getting yeeted into the sky to form a new cosmos. The parents... They must be so proud!

Key's best work for more than a decade!

Stella of the End is the beautiful tale of a cold & calculating lead character & his empathetic (though often illogical) companion; Chalk & cheese protagonist/sidekick combos are nothing new, but rarely are they pulled off this well. I found myself empathizing with both of the main characters at different times throughout despite their wildly differing world views, feeling everything from anger to sadness along the way. Ultimately, the story is one of humanity itself, as the battle between logic & emotion is one we all face on a regular basis. The strongly defined lead characters are the stars here, though the world itself is also well-built, & the story is compelling throughout thanks to a few strong supporting cast members.

One of my biggest criticisms of Key's (non-planetarian) kinetic titles is that they usually lack the character & story development required for any sort of meaningful payoff. SotE being double the length of the likes of Loopers/Harmonia gives the VN a lot more room to breathe, without it getting into territory where others (though not myself) would consider it too long-winded or dreary. The result is a title that feels perfectly paced throughout; condensed, but not choked - a FLAC file instead of a WAV (CLANNAD) or a low bit rate MP3 (Loopers).

The translation seemed stiff at times, but the more I read, the more I felt it was a deliberate choice to better reflect the cold & logical protaganist. There were times where the translation was a little bit off/straight up wrong, but thankfully these are few & far between, & don't detract from the experience as a whole. The music, voice acting & art all shine brightly, with the soundtrack especially having some real highlights, so I'm hoping we'll see the OST for sale soon after launch.

From a technical standpoint, having Japanese/English/Chinese text is a very nice addition, & being able to swap quickly between them with the "L" key is a boon for anyone looking to improve their language skills. I had no technical issues with the game, though YMMV as with any PC title.

Overall, while it doesn't quite crack into my top 5 VNs of all time, Stella of the End is a spectacular achievement, & a strong reminder of what Key can do at their absolute best. The character development, story pacing, & level of polish are right up there with some of the studios best works, and for me, SotE stands above anything else I've read in the AI/Android genre (including the excellent planetarian).

(PS: While it's true I'm a big Key fan & I received a review copy for SotE, I feel that in no way has it impacted my ability to provide an honest review. As an example, I was very critical in my review of "Loopers" to the point where I couldn't recommend it to anyone but the most dedicated Key/Ryukishi fans. If it seems like I'm full of praise for SotE, it's because the experience warrants it).

A really solid mob story backed up with beautiful visuals, delightful period accurate music, & surprisingly good AI that makes the shooting sections that little bit more enjoyable. Driving is a treat as well, but be aware going that it makes up a huge portion of the game since that seems to be a pain point for a lot of people.

£35 is a fairly hefty ask for an 8 hour game though, so I'd suggest waiting for a sale if you plan on picking it up.

A great time!

Dives take place in a variable hole of limited breadth but plenty of depth, with deeper regions containing pricier but also more dangerous & resilient sea life. There's a real sense of adventure that comes with a limited oxygen capacity & fearsome aquatic life that can end your dive before it's really begun. While it's not a hard game, there's a real risk/reward to be had throughout the game when it comes to dangerous species like sharks, whose meat might be valuable, but at much higher potential cost. Utilizing the gold you make from selling your sushi is the key to upgrading your gear to go deeper, while also making sure you have enough to run the business. During the story you'll also unlock several items that'll make your trips more fun & open up new opportunities for you.

The management side of things is enjoyable with enough layers to keep you invested, with more being unlocked as you progress through the campaign. There's hundreds of dishes & ingredients to be found & mastered, so making the most of what you have access to is important. Add to that fish farm & farm management later in the game, staffing concerns & more besides, you'll find there's plenty here to min-max if you're into that sort of thing.

The cast is fun & expands nicely alongside minigames, collectathon side content, and a story that's charming despite being a little bit all over the place later on. The game is packed to the brim with references & nods to other games that I'll not spoil here, but they definitely hit the mark more often than not.

It's not all good however. The game has some puzzle segments which aren't really puzzle segments as much as they are time wasters due to their ridiculous simplicity, but that still doesn't stop Dave telling you "huh, maybe I should pull that lever" - well, yes Dave, thanks for the tip. The final few acts of the game in general feel a bit scatterbrained & rushed, but they don't detract too much from the overall experience as you can fish/collect/cook as much as you want in the post-game anyway.

Overall, while far from perfect, Dave the Diver's addicting gameplay loop, charming presentation & lovable cast make for an experience I won't be forgetting any time soon!