Recent reviews by m a j i

Welcome to Elk is a bright and charming game on the surface, but it is not the lighthearted experience I was expecting - perhaps that is my fault. Most of the game is actually quite heavy and I just couldn't get into it. There were a couple situations where I worried the main character would be SA'd, which made me very uncomfortable, as it would lean heavily in that direction (thankfully, no such thing happened). Another scene I wasn't a fan of, and I'm sure would bother most animal lovers, is where you're forced to k!ll someone's pet rabbit - you can't avoid it and you have to decide how to end the poor creature. I chose the least offensive (?) method of twisting its neck, which it only partially shows, but I don't know how much it would show for the more cruel options. And for players that might be a bit squeamish, there's a mini game where you have to stitch up a wound that is very zoomed in - given the art style of the game, this task didn't bother me, but I can imagine some players being uncomfortable regardless. Aside from that, the townsfolk were all problematic in their own ways. A lot of them had tragic or violent backstories and I can't say I really liked any of them. If you're looking for a cozy, feel-good experience, this is not it. The bright side is that it's a very short game, so I did manage to tolerate it enough to finish it, but I wouldn't say that I enjoyed it or would even recommend it.

I'll admit, I wasn't expecting much given the title of this game, but I was pleasantly surprised at just how much I enjoyed it! It's a fun spinoff and the theme actually works very well with Goro's eccentric character. The story, honestly, isn't there to be taken seriously and can easily be skipped if you're looking to play through the whole series (you won't be missing anything) - it's just a feel good story featuring everyone's favorite one-eyed yakuza.

Returning to Hawaii after playing Infinite Wealth, I could see A LOT of improvements. The side quests felt more true to the Yakuza series, with a good balance of serious and quirky. The ocean effects, while not as pretty as those in Infinite Wealth, ran so much better here (for those that played 8, remember when just looking at the water would crash your game?). The combat was action-packed and lots of fun - much better than what's shown in the demo, imo. And since this is a game about Goro, I did enjoy some of the references made about his past (particularly from Yakuza 0 and Kiwami).

As for the ship battles and mechanics....they were alright. I normally don't play games where I'm controlling a ship, so it took some getting used to, but it was manageable. And since this is the first game I've played with those mechanics, I can't speak to how they compare to other games where that's the sole gameplay. I enjoyed the deck battles, not so much the ships. Speaking of the battles, they are so much easier to deal with if you have mostly gold crewmates, so it's definitely worth trying to acquire as many of them as you can.

Overall, I liked it a lot. I don't think it's for everyone, but it was nice to see Goro get his own game :)

While the art style is cute and gives off all those cozy vibes, the game itself is very lackluster. There's barely any story, the characters are very basic and not that interesting, the gameplay becomes tedious really fast, and honestly it's really glitchy (both in gameplay and achievements). The only saving grace is that it's a very short experience....If it did even one or two things really well, like improved the character stories or made the quests more interesting, then I could probably deal with the rest of its flaws. I feel like there was just so much missed potential, which really is a shame because on the outside it looks really cute. I'm glad I got this game really cheap in a bundle because I cannot imagine paying full price in its current state and with so little content. And while I can't recommend this game to everyone, if all you want are cute graphics and fetch quests, then this is the game for you....but if you're someone that wants a little bit more out of your games, I'd say this is a hard pass.

Heard about this game on Payton's Corner and I was immediately drawn to the art style! It's just so pretty and fits the theme so well! Although I do wish there were a little more options in customizing your magical girl (like eye shape, at least), I think it has a decent variety given the length of the game. It's actually a fairly simple management sim and I found it to be quite relaxing.

Luna's Fishing Garden is the perfect game for a cozy afternoon. It's super cute and charming, and doesn't overstay its welcome. I love the creative freedom to decorate the garden however you want. The gameplay is simple and relaxing, the spirits are written so well, and it's just a lovely little game overall ♡

Hakuoki: Kyoto Winds is the first half of a two-part series, focusing on the history of the protagonist with the Shinsengumi. There is very little romance and whatever is there is extremely mild. Most routes will leave you wondering if the guy even likes you, sometimes the protagonist doesn't know her feelings either, but the story is interesting enough to keep pushing forward.

I completed all routes and I gotta say that Iba and Sakamoto were top tier for me ♡ I'm very much looking forward to continuing their routes in Edo Blossoms! I also really liked Harada and Heisuke, since they felt so natural. There are 12 different romance options, catering to different types, so I'm confident that there's a special guy for everyone.

To nitpick, the English translation has quite a lot of errors (this goes for pretty much all routes). I've also noticed some glitching that occasionally occurs when bringing in another character for dialogue. Overall, the execution wasn't perfect, but I still greatly enjoyed the story, voice acting, and lovely CG art ♡ This was my first otome game in a very long time and it did not disappoint. I'm hooked.

Despite its looks and the fact that it's still in early access, Atlyss is a lot of fun and holds so much promise. The combat is satisfying and challenging enough to keep you coming back for more. Movement is smooth and actions are responsive, providing an almost seamless (and very enjoyable) experience. On the outside, one might think this is just a furry game, but it's so much more than that — sure, there are elements and I can't argue against the customization sliders, but it's the gameplay and overall charm that have won me over. And even though I'm not into anything furry related, I absolutely made my little rat girl "thicker than a bowl of oatmeal" just for the heck of it ♡

Great solo, but even better with friends. Avoid the public servers if you don't want to see anything weird.

Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name felt like a true continuation after the events of Yakuza 6: The Song of Life and I was very happy with the experience as a whole. The game is much shorter than previous Yakuza titles, but I didn't feel like it was lacking anything — it was the perfect length and didn't overstay its welcome, the combat was fun, the story was good, and it felt very reminiscent of the older games in the way it presented itself.

The mini games are always enjoyable, but I loved the addition of the Coliseum and putting my team together. I didn't buy the legendary fighter pack, as it's not required to win those battles, and I was still pleasantly surprised by some of the familiar faces throughout the series that joined me. The game itself didn't feel too grindy in my opinion, I actually thought it felt a bit easier than usual...basically everything you do requires money, lots of it, and you can earn more than you'll even know what to do with just by completing the Coliseum fights. I also made it a point to complete all of the available requests through the Akame Network before progressing the story, which I'm sure contributed to it feeling less 'grindy' overall, but I thoroughly enjoyed them because they reminded me a lot of some of the side quests you'd find in Yakuza 0 or Kiwami. The quirkiness and humor were definitely there!

As for the story, it was so much better than I expected. It tied all of the events from Yakuza 6 and Like a Dragon (7), even the transition into Infinite Wealth, together so perfectly. The ending had me in tears...having played all of the previous games that led up to that moment was just an incredible, yet emotional, feeling. I loved every minute of it.

Under Leaves is a beautiful, yet challenging, hidden object game that features various animals in their natural habitat. It's very peaceful, but some levels can really test the player's patience as far as difficulty goes. I realized that I really struggled with the yellow scenes, in particular, so it was interesting to see how a simple change of color could affect the difficulty so much. I did enjoy my overall experience, but I would've loved a way to adjust/mute the volume (the audio was just too loud at times). If you love hidden object games and want something different, this can definitely scratch that itch!

Shy Cats Hidden Orchestra is another great addition to the hidden objects genre! I enjoyed the musical aspect to the game, as it really made it stand out from others in this category.

I actually started with Shy Dogs Hidden Orchestra, since I had yet to find a hidden dogs game worth playing, and I really enjoyed it. Naturally, I had to play Shy Cats Hidden Orchestra, being that it was the first in the series. While it was still enjoyable and I loved the creativity, there was definitely room for improvements. Some of the cats can be really hard to find, due to them being so transparent and blending in to the background almost seamlessly or being mostly hidden behind something. The soundtrack was also nice, but lacked much variety. Thankfully, it seems like those 'issues' were improved in their second game, so that was nice to see.

Looking forward to more shy animal orchestras, hopefully, in the future ♡