Recent reviews by eclun

i literally bought this game just to give it a negative review

this game trivializes the ♥♥♥♥ out of mental disorders. one thing that really stood out to me was a minigame where u pick random spots on ur arm to cut urself. i get that this game is "trying to shed light on mental illness" or whatever, but making an act that me and uncountable amounts of other people did in a very poor mental state a minigame is completely unacceptable.

overall, after watching a playthrough of the game, the mental illness seems more like a funny gimmick than a real issue, and for that i have so much animosity towards it. it turns trauma into a fun game mechanic. i like the idea of a streamer simulator, but this game throws mental illness in as like a way to make it """brave""" and """important""". i never want to relive my mental struggles, and this game almost glorifies it. steer clear of it.

EDIT: to all the people saying "i can fix her!," that's a ♥♥♥♥♥♥ way of viewing mental illness. it's not a thing u can "fix" by making the right romantic decisions, it's a complicated process that can take years. also, saying that ppl without mental illnesses are "fixed" and those with them aren't is EXTREMELY demeaning towards ppl who are struggling. mental illness is not something that can be "fixed," it's something that has to be treated and mitigated

MUNGUS

man i remember when this game first came out and it was a train wreck. no multiplayer, little content.

god bless hello games for stepping up their act and going the extra mile to add all this stuff to the game to give us what we thought we were getting.

i know that's kind of a low bar, giving people what they were expecting after the game releases, but in all honesty the devs could've just taken their hype money and ran. instead, they're working their little behinds off to give us a game that we want and enjoy, which shows that hello games isn't out for just money.

may not be the perfect space sim, but it's come a long-ass way and i definitely think that it deserves to be played at least once.

hehehe edgy anime girls are hot

this is the first real jrpg that i've played through and through, and if this game is representative of other jrpgs, then you better believe i'm gonna start throwing my money towards them. within the first few hours, i was still kinda iffy on if i liked it or not (probably bc it felt kinda different from the fully open world, unrestricted western rpgs that i'm used to), but once the prologue ended then i was hooked.

for me at least, the story and characterization are this game's strongest points. the writers worked meticulously to ensure that you can make an emotional connection with everyone, and it paid off. you travel to all these places in the world, from snowy towns to idyllic beachside villages to the great capital city of loegres, and meet interesting and unique characters along the way. sure, the main cast fills some standard tropes (velvet is the brooding edgy one, eizen is this kinda mysterious knowledgeable guy, eleanor is the lawful good warrior, etc), but their interactions with others helps define their characters more than just these tropes (the bit where eizen stubbornly insists on having secret escape tunnels leading out of their hideout bc they're cool stands out for me). by the end, i found myself rooting for the main cast as they marched into the final battle, having overcome quite a bit to get there.

don't even get me started on the ending and the credits sequence bc that emotionally rocked my world

the gameplay is where i would say the game is weakest, but that doesn't bring it down too much. overall, it's pretty solid, and i liked the ability to switch between combos and create my own fluid style. enemy ai seemed kinda busted, especially since some battles had like four guys all attacking me while my three companions were just sitting in the corner (this could've probably been fixed by me switching to another character but i stubbornly insisted on playing only as velvet). enemies could've also used a bit more variation (there are like 5 different types of bats and they're just ice bat/fire bat/beach bat) but that's not too big a deal. the equipment thing was also kinda confusing, there was a lot to keep up with and all the dismantling and upgrading and comparing stats was a little overwhelming, but that also could just be me having a thick skull.

to wrap this up bc i got a word salad going on rn, tales of berseria is a really fun game. it took a bit to get into it, and some parts were not as high quality as others, but the emotionally gripping story and genuine characters made up for it. i would recommend it to anyone who's looking for a game that has anime vibes and is willing to sink 50 hours or so into a story that you'll remember for some time.

rating: ★★★★☆

i got a lot more to say about this game, but my head is kinda broken rn so i might update this review when i'm less stupid

p.s. if you play this with english voices then you are wrong, english dub is not that good but that's to be expected from literally anything that comes from japan

i'm bored so here's an actual review

when i first saw this game, what instantly caught my attention was the art style. the whole game is done in this neat watercolor style which (at least for me) set it apart from most other games. just on a first glance i could tell this game would be something different.

turns out i was right! gris hearkens back to games like journey by exploring how the line between art and video games may not be 100% set in stone. the music wraps you in this atmosphere, supported by the colorful and vibrant art, and pulls you into this mysterious yet beautiful world. the game itself is not hard at all (most times when i messed up a puzzle, i instantly knew what to do and did it right the second time) because it doesn't need to be. everything is simple (no hud, no stamina or health bars or whatever) so that you can fully immerse yourself and focus on what's around you.

the story itself is open-ended and kinda vague, but in this case i think that's a good thing. all we know is that this girl has suffered some sort of tragedy and so she sets out to try and get better and heal, all the while being pursued by this darkness. by being so vague, i feel like the story allows players to connect with the game and the main character, substitute themselves for her and make the game symbolic of their own battles. overall, the game is pretty lowkey about it, but it makes a point to have everything be built around this open story where you can fill in the blanks.

gris was kind of an impulse buy for me, but i'm glad i did buy it. it provided a rewarding experience for me and made me feel things about a game that i haven't felt since getting ending e of nier. i would definitely recommend this to anyone if they're looking for a short but meaningful game, one that helps push the boundaries of what video games are.

this is honestly one of the coziest games to play late at night, lots of fun. only downside is that there's no more content bc i could serve drinks like this for a long time. worth the money

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probably the best game i've ever played
sure, it's got some flaws (fps, fullscreen, etc), but those can be fixed with a single mod

no other game has left such a lasting impact on me

ngl one of the best games (if not THE best) i've ever played

i can't feel my legs