Recent reviews by Nightmarella

After the announcement of Titan Quest 2, I decided to replay the entire Titan Quest saga and leave a review here.

⚠️ This review may contain some spoilers.

After playing through the base game, Immortal Throne, and Ragnarök, it was finally time for me to dive into the Atlantis DLC. Well... at least after spending hours just figuring out how to access it. The game provides no real hints on where to start or how to reach the new DLC content. You might stumble upon it while playing the base game, but after completing it so many times, you’d think they would have made it clearer how to even find Atlantis.

STORY
After struggling to figure out how to start the DLC, I ended up in a new dungeon mode—apparently designed for farming items. It was a timed challenge where you had to defeat mobs within a specific period to earn rewards. Once I finally left that area, I was actually in the new region.

And then... I realized—there’s no main questline? A DLC sold for €15, and all we get are side quests? After the excellent storytelling in the base game and previous expansions, this was a huge letdown. If I can even call it a story, it felt incredibly rushed. Atlantis had so much potential, and I truly believe it could have been a much better DLC if they had crafted a proper main storyline—one that actually tied into the search for the lost city.

BUILD OPTIONS
Unfortunately, this DLC does not introduce a new mastery—something that had become a tradition in previous expansions. Instead, it allows us to level up all existing masteries to level 40, unlocking two additional skills per mastery. While this is something, it doesn’t feel like a game-changer. A brand-new mastery would have added significantly more replayability and build diversity, whereas two extra skills per class just make certain builds slightly stronger. A missed opportunity.

ENVIRONMENT & WORLD DESIGN
I really liked the new environments, but without a strong story, the maps just felt... meaningless. The game simply throws waves of new monsters at you, but there’s no real sense of purpose or progression. It’s a huge missed opportunity to make this expansion feel more engaging and worthwhile.

NEW SHOP & QUALITY OF LIFE IMPROVEMENTS
It seems like this DLC was designed more for quality-of-life improvements than for storytelling. In that sense, Atlantis feels like a DLC made for longtime Titan Quest players rather than for new players looking for an exciting narrative.

The addition of the new dungeon makes farming for loot easier, and the new merchant allows you to spend gold on loot boxes, which can be useful for testing new builds. For players who enjoy theorycrafting and experimenting with different setups—but don’t want to use the Itemus mod—this is a decent addition.

FINAL THOUGHTS
Overall, Atlantis isn’t a bad DLC, but it lacks the most crucial element—quality storytelling. It offers some convenience features and farming improvements, but for €15, you’d honestly be better off just modding the game instead.

I would recommend this DLC to anyone looking to enhance their Titan Quest experience, but don’t go in expecting too much.

Final rating: 5.5/10.

After the announcement of Titan Quest 2, I decided to replay the entire Titan Quest saga and leave a review here.

⚠️ This review may contain some spoilers.

I remember the times when my parents bought me a CD version of this game. I used to play it all the time—alone, with my sibling, or with friends over LAN. This game is the reason why I became a fan of RPGs, and I will remember it forever. Whenever I don’t know what to play or feel bored, Titan Quest is one of the games I always go back to—not just because of nostalgia, but also because of how good it is, even considering its age.

TITAN QUEST – ANNIVERSARY EDITION
This edition, released on Steam, is a combination of the base game and the first DLC, Immortal Throne. At first glance, there aren’t many differences from the original version—perhaps some bug fixes and improvements—but overall, it’s the same game we all knew and loved from the past.

STORY
Without spoiling too much, the base game takes you on a journey through ancient Greece, Egypt, China, and Mesopotamia, culminating in Olympus. Each location has a unique atmosphere, a variety of monsters, and epic bosses.

The first DLC, Immortal Throne, takes us into the underworld. It feels like they merged the base game and Immortal Throne into a single experience, which makes sense, as both are deeply rooted in Greek mythology. Later DLCs expand on this by adding more regions and content.

BUILDS AND GAMEPLAY
In the game, you can choose a Mastery, which gives you access to a wide range of skills—both passive and active. The ability to combine two different Masteries opens up endless possibilities for unique builds, increasing replayability significantly.

Whether you want to play as a long-range mage, an archer, a close-combat warrior dealing massive damage, a tanky defender, a healer in co-op, or even rely on summoning minions and pets, all of this is possible thanks to the flexible Mastery system. This was one of the biggest reasons why I kept playing this game throughout my life.

ONLINE MULTIPLAYER
I have to mention this because there were times when playing online was simply not an option. Originally, the game’s online mode relied on GameSpy servers, which were shut down in 2013. After that, the only way to play multiplayer was through LAN.

Thankfully, the Steam version has restored online functionality, so we no longer have to worry about that issue. I believe a lot of players were waiting for this to happen.

FINAL THOUGHTS
Despite being an old game, Titan Quest still holds up incredibly well. That alone is proof of its quality. Anniversary Edition offers a relaxing RPG experience with a great story, deep build variety, interesting monsters, vast exploration, and much more.

If I had to recommend just one game, it would probably be Titan Quest—not only for nostalgia but also because it’s simply a great game.

Rating: 10/10.
Buy it on sale or at full price—either way, it’s worth it. However, if you never played it back in the day, you might find it a bit outdated. If that’s the case, then let’s give Titan Quest 2 a chance when it releases!

This review may contain some spoilers.

This was my first time playing a musical game, and I must say, it really surprised me with how good it was—from the beginning of the story to the very end. The fact that the game is a musical fits the main protagonist perfectly and creates an enjoyable atmosphere overall.

The game's length is around 6-7 hours, which is decent, but it does feel a bit overpriced. However, its replayability might make it worth the full price since it allows you to choose between multiple options that impact your playthrough. That being said, despite the variety of choices, the story ultimately seems to end the same way, except for some romance options.

One of the things I really liked about the game is its unique animation style, which fits the narrative well. However, the pacing can feel a bit off at times, especially since you get to choose which areas to explore, which can sometimes lead to an odd sequence of events.

I haven’t played the DLC, but from what I’ve heard, it’s quite short for its €10 price tag—though the story might still be worthwhile.

My honest rating for the game is an 8/10. It's unique, original, and features a well-written story, amazing characters, and phenomenal music. I don’t have many complaints aside from the length and pricing. Overall, it’s definitely worth playing, even if you're not a fan of musicals—it’s worth giving it a try!

This review contains spoilers, so be aware if you’re not familiar with the story of this game.

I have completed all the games in the Yakuza series except Gaiden and Ishin!, as well as the Like a Dragon games and the first Judgment. After experiencing those titles, I decided to play Lost Judgment, primarily because Judgment had one of the best stories I’ve ever experienced.

STORY
This game has a faster-paced story compared to Judgment, which I really appreciated. In the first Judgment, the beginning felt slow, and it made me initially skeptical about whether the game would be any good. However, I regretted those doubts as everything eventually came together beautifully. In Lost Judgment, the faster pace makes the story engaging right from the start.

I personally enjoyed the school environment in Ijincho—it felt fresh and distinct from anything we’ve seen in the Yakuza/Judgment series before. Despite the consistent pacing, though, the twists and the overall ending didn’t quite reach the heights of Judgment’s narrative.

One of my main issues is with Kuwana. I didn’t understand why we were supposed to sympathize so much with him, especially since he was directly responsible for many of the murders. The game tries to justify setting him free by claiming there wasn’t enough evidence for a conviction. However, in my opinion, there was enough indirect evidence and many other witnesses faced consequences while Kuwana went unpunished. What’s more, he continued murdering even after Yagami became aware of his actions. This raises the question: why did Yagami essentially let a serial killer go free?

The game attempts to frame Kuwana as a complex character rather than a true villain, but this didn’t sit well with me. I also think revealing Kuwana’s role so early in the game hurt the narrative. A later reveal would have allowed for a more impactful twist, especially since the game misleads us into thinking Soma is the main villain. While Soma is indeed a villain, the execution of Kuwana’s arc felt predictable and underwhelming.

Overall, the story is enjoyable and very well-written, but it doesn’t surpass the excellence of Judgment. For me, the story deserves a 7.5/10.

SUBSTORIES
The school stories, especially those involving the Mystery Club, are incredibly fun. I spent around 25 hours on these side missions before diving fully into the main story. These substories made the game feel more immersive, almost as if Yagami were an actual teacher or part of the school community before becoming deeply involved in his investigation.

This approach also emphasized the detective aspect of the game, which I think is a fantastic addition. The substories add a lot of charm and replayability to the game. I’d rate the substories, especially the Mystery Club storyline, a solid 10/10.

COMBAT
Combat in Lost Judgment is a significant improvement over Judgment. The addition of a fourth combat style might seem excessive at first, but it ultimately enhances gameplay by making battles feel less repetitive. The variety of combat styles allows for more experimentation with combos, which keeps things fresh.

I’d rate the combat an 8.5/10—it’s a lot more satisfying than in Judgment.

FINAL RATING
Was this game awesome? Yes, absolutely. Was it better than Judgment? In some ways, yes. While the story isn’t as strong, nearly everything else—the graphics, combat, substories, and characters—was a huge improvement.

That said, the main story is often the key reason people buy a game like this, and I believe Lost Judgment could have benefited from a more impactful twist to make it less predictable and more engaging. Nevertheless, it’s a fantastic game, and I highly recommend playing it, especially after finishing Judgment.

Final rating: 8/10.

This review contains spoilers.
I review all RGG games right after finishing them. After completing Yakuza 8 (Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth) and all the other games in the series, I decided to play Judgment.

At first, I wasn’t sure what to expect. I knew it was a detective game, and I initially thought it would follow a more Sherlock Holmes-like style. However, I was pleasantly surprised by how Judgment approached the detective genre in its own unique way. While I didn’t dive too deep into the side quests, I might revisit them later.

CITY
The story takes place in Kamurocho, a setting that fans of the Yakuza series will immediately recognize. For newcomers who haven’t played the Yakuza games, this shouldn’t pose a problem—the city is still engaging and atmospheric.

What I really appreciated was how Judgment introduces new locations within Kamurocho. It feels fresh and less repetitive, largely because Yagami, the protagonist, is completely separate from the Yakuza characters we’re used to. This separation gives Kamurocho a new flavor and prevents it from feeling stale or overly familiar.

STORY
I’ll admit, the story didn’t grab me right away. The first three chapters felt slow, and I struggled to see the significance of the build-up. However, once the narrative reached its turning point, I was hooked.

That said, the story did become a bit predictable later on. Knowing the characters and their roles made it relatively easy to guess what might happen next. Despite this, the story was exceptionally well-written. I loved how it balanced the detective and legal perspectives while still incorporating the Yakuza-style twists we know and love.

Overall, the story was solid—definitely a 9/10 for me.

CHARACTERS
Yagami is an excellent protagonist and a perfect fit for this series. RGG Studio has once again delivered fantastic character development, both for Yagami and the team working alongside him on the case.

The side characters, too, were a highlight. Unlike in some Yakuza games where side characters can feel dull or forgettable, Judgment introduces a cast of fresh, memorable faces. Not a single one felt unnecessary or boring, which is a big plus in my book.

CONCLUSION
Judgment is a great game, especially for fans of the Yakuza series. It shares a similar genre and tone but introduces a completely new cast, protagonist, and storyline.

For newcomers, the game is still enjoyable, though some of the Yakuza-related elements—like the influence of the clans or the Tojo Clan’s role in Kamurocho—might feel a bit underexplained. That said, it’s not a dealbreaker, as the game stands strong on its own merits.

One thing worth noting is that while this is a “detective game,” the choices you make and the investigations you conduct don’t actually influence the story. The narrative is mostly linear, and your role as a player is more about following the detective journey rather than shaping it yourself.

FINAL THOUGHTS
I really enjoyed Judgment and can’t wait to jump into Lost Judgment next. I’d recommend this game to anyone who loves the Yakuza series or detective-themed games.

While there are some areas where the game could have been improved—like certain story details or gameplay mechanics—the story itself, which is the most important aspect for me, was more than satisfying.

Overall Rating: 8.5/10

I kinda took some time before writing he review, I am writing the review after completely finishing the whole Yakuza series (Finished with Infinite Wealth).

!THE REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS!

Yakuza 3 is my FAVORITE Yakuza game so far. And I would like to share my feelings with you.

PLAYING AFTER KIWAMI
- So, the game for sure looks old-school compared to the reworked Kiwami 1 and 2. Those two games together with Yakuza 0 had a really good graphics compared to the Yakuza 3, so I think lot of people may not like it. But to me it was special. I never had the chance to play the original Yakuza 1 and Yakuza 2 games, so Yakuza 3 really reminded me of how games used to be made back in the days, and the graphics just made it really nostalgic.

GAMEPLAY
Old fighting style and annoying fights that cannot be avoided. Yes, maybe it was annoying to get attacked everywhere on the streets. However, I really liked the fighting style Yakuza 3 had and I was more than happy to fight everyone and everytime.

ANIKI RIKIYA
Compared to every other Yakuza, there will probably never be as loyal companion as Rikiya. I loved that guys spirit and energy. He was so well written and I am sad to this day about his destiny. He will forever be my favorite aniki.

ORPHANAGE
Kiryu finally found home. It is beautiful to see, how he manages to save lifes and raise orphans, just how he was raised. Orphanage was one of the best decisions in the game for me, it really added the depth of Kiryu's personality.

OKINAWA
The most beautiful city ever made as open world map in Yakuza series. Im really happy that we were able to explore it in Yakuza 3 and later on. I really hope Okinawa will be playable map again in the future !
Because Okinawa being my favorite, Yakuza gave me a deep impression and interest in this island and I actually traveled to Okinawa just because of Yakuza 3 game and really enjoyed it :)

GIVE US YAKUZA 3 KIWAMI PLEASE !
Imagine, all this but made better. I think we really need to experience the reworked Yakuza 3. Hope it will happen one day.

My rating for Yakuza 3 is 10/10, and it the TOP on my tierlist.

I decided to review the game straight after finishing the story. There will be SPOILERS in the review.

I played through all of the Yakuza games, and this one was highly anticipated mostly because of the Kiryu comeback.

STORY:
The story beggins with a really interesting introduction of Kusuga's mother, and reveals new playable location - Hawaii. The story starts really interesting, and got me really hyped up for the game. Later we meet Kiryu a find out he will be a playable character, that was a really cool addition, especially in the turn-based combat, it was really fitting.
However, later we split into two groups, and we get to play 2 sides of the story, one with Ichiban and his companions in Hawaii, other side with Kiryu in Yokohama. Which is also a cool addition, it reminded me a lot of Yakuza 0, where we got to play with 2 protagonists. This way, we also experienced the combat with most of the other characters in the party.
The confusing part with the story is, why Hawaii ? Alright, we learned about a Palekana, the Sage being the antagonist. But is he really ? His role in the game was so insignificant, and the boss-fight was so bad, that the whole Hawaii story looks really weird to me. Why create the whole Hawaii if the real final boss is in the Kamurocho again ? And the sage is not even the finall boss. I dont know, the ending of the story was a little bit weird to me, but I still enjoyed most of it, but I would like to point out what I hated the most.
Repeated fights. We fight the same guys over and over again, Yamai has like 4 main fight just to join our party after all of that. Why ? Its so lame. Also with the Barracudas, we beat them so early in the game and you want to me to believe they are a threat to us ? Not really.


WHY HAWAI?
We already have Okinawa, common....Hawai is so not important to add. But they made a really good and enjoyable map of Hawaii. But why not just use Okinawa ? Why another beach. And why make the ending in Kamurocho while Kamurocho wasnt even that important in the game ?

CHARACTERS
I loved that Seonghee was playable in this chapter, and I liked that we got all of the characters from previous game in our party.
But what does not make much sense to me is, why does Zhao and Joongi join our parties so late in the story ? I never got to use Zhao or Han, mostly because they were underleveled so I did not even bother trying to use them. Han did nothing in the story, Zhao almost the same case. Kinda a waste of time of them, maybe they shouldnt even be playable.

FIGHTING
The turn-based combat fits the game, mainly because of how many characters there are to play. Since the last game, they improved the fighting mechanics and I really liked it. I don't have much to say about the fights. Its enjoyable and I like to experiment with differents builds.

SUJIMON
Loved this addition. Nice minigame. But hated the island addition, that wasnt much fun.

LENGHT
The game is long, takes a little bit of grind in the last part. The game basically wasted more than hour of my life making my way to Ebina, just to find out I was underleveled by 6 levels and I had to repeat it all over later. So even if the game is long, it is not necesarilly good, because there are so many repetitive things in the game just to make it long.

LANI AND AKANE
I don't understand why they were made so important in the story. They didnt do ♥♥♥♥ in the end. The whole story beggins with their hunt, and they aren't even shown in the ending. It was disapointing.

WHY THE ROOFTOP AGAIN :(
The last fight ...why ? Why again ? Why the same rooftop again if we got the whole Hawaii to explore ? I understand, we have Kiryu back, but why milk the same content all over again ?
And god, I wished that ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ helicopter wont show up for the X time again ...and guess what ? The ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ helicopter was back again in this game too. Im tired of it.

THE END
End scenes were good, emotional, but I feel like they were not complete.
Why helping Eiji ? I dont understand it. And why is he hiding in Kamurocho ? Maybe I missed something, but if not, it was just forced for nothing.
Kasuga and Saeko...disaster, but funny, it just shows how stupid Ichiban really is and we all know it.
Kiryu in the hospital is something that made sense, but what didn't make sense was how old he looked in the wheelchair compared to how long he looked in the game overall. Person doesn't get this old on just a month. And really missed opportunity in the end, not showing us his reunion with Haruka and Haruto.

Overall rating for this game for me it must be 5.5/10. The game was rally enjoyable in the begging, but kinda collapsed somewhere around in the middle of the story. I don't know what they are preparing for the next episode, it felt like the game was supposed to be the last chapter for Kiryu, so lets hope it was, because if they make another twist, that would not make any more sense.
I don't want to sound like hater, I love the series, I loved this game too, but I got annoyed with some really bad and repetitive story twists.
But I recommend it, Yakuza fans will like it for sure :)

Now I want to be a taxi driver irl

Bought the whole Yakuza series during Lunar New Year's sale and after that, it was my first time playing Yakuza games. Began with the Yakuza 0, followed by the Yakuza Kiwami 1. Both those games were great especially Yakuza 0 mostly because of the high-quality cinematics, that for me are the most important part of the story.
When I thought it couldn't be any better, the Yakuza Kiwami 2 surprised me.
Yakuza Kiwami 2 was made as a remake of the Yakuza 2 game on the new Dragon Engine, enhancing the gaming experience for this game. Not only in the cut scenes but overall the Kamurocho and Sotenbori look amazing in Dragon Engine, however, it may be a little demanding on the GPU.
So for the graphic processing, I would give this game 10/10 because it is for me so far the best-looking game in the Yakuza series.
The story is great and it fits with the previous games, but it may feel a little bit too complicated with so many unnecessary twists, but I guess that is just how the original Yakuza 2 was made, so it can't be improved much.
This game for me was somehow special. I enjoyed the story, the graphics, the fighting system, and the upgrading system, and all of the minigames and substories were well-made thanks to the Dragon Engine that moves this game to a completely new level compared to the previous games. Plan to complete all of the side content for this one.

Overall I would rate this game 9/10 and I wonder if there will be a better Yakuza game than this one.
This one is in my opinion worth buying not just in bundles and during a sale but it is definitely worth the full price.

I played Yakuza Kiwami straight after completing the Yakuza 0. It was my second game of the series and the game did not disappoint. However, I must admit that the Yakuza 0 was better in so many ways.
The cinematics is key for someone who plays this game only for the story and doesn't play too many substories. And yet in Yakuza Kiwami the cinematics were slightly worse than in Yakuza 0, but I understand that for a remake it is enough and it is still much better than what it was in the original game.
The length of the story for me was around 14 hours with a few substories finished and it felt too short considering that Yakuza 0 was more than twice as long to beat. But again, that is probably as good as it can get considering it is a remake and we can play only with one protagonist.
The game is fun overall, the substories are great, the mini-games are great, we have Majima again and we all love him. One thing, I'm not too sure about is the price. I would probably recommend buying it as a bundle during the sale.

This game for me is 7.5/10 overall and it is worth playing if you play it after the Yakuza 0 prequel.
And now it is time for the Yakuza Kiwami 2!