amphibious_ReViews

Pokémon X was a big deal for me. I had just gotten my hands on a 3DS when the game was announced, and having already pumped hundreds of hours into FireRed , my only mainline Pokémon  game at the time, I was absolutely ready for something new. I easily could have picked up any game from the DS era to satisfy that itch, but watching the teaser trailers advertising mega evolution and the gorgeous 3d everything, I knew that wasn't really an option. Once I got my hands on the game, I knew I had made the right choice. From the moment I first heard the opening theme to the day I completed the national dex, I was absolutely enamored. I consider Pokémon X and Y to be the start of a major transition for the series. While most of the traditions and tropes from the previous five generations are still present here, there are some important changes and additions that mark a new direction for the mainline series. Obviously, the game is in 3d instead of 2d, but there was a waterfall of changes

Google has a history of releasing cute little games to commemorate holidays, big sporting events, and anniversaries, so the release of Doodle Champion Island Games for the Tokyo Olympics wasn't much of a surprise. However, with the Olympics delayed a full year by the pandemic, I can't help but believe the developers took advantage of their extra window. Where other Google "Doodle" games are just little time wasters that lose my attention after around five minutes, this was almost a full blown RPG that took over an hour for me to beat, and I couldn't get enough! Playing as a cat named Lucky, you're   challenge is to become the champion of a sport-centric island by beating its inhabitants in their preferred Olympic events. There are nine villages to explore, each with their own sport and their own population of characters and creatures straight out of Japanese folklore. You can technically beat the game by quickly running into each village, winning its respec

While this may be the game that started Paper Mario 's growing detachment from its RPG roots, it was my personal introduction to the series, so my experience was completely unhindered by any longing for a return to tradition. Instead, what I saw was a clever twist on the classic platformer formula with a heavy emphasis on world-building and storytelling. With this game, Nintendo was able to craft an adventure that feels inspired by the titular plumber's backlog, but that is more than willing to create something new and unique through its world and characters. Super Paper Mario flips the established Mario RPG formula on its head, acting as a full-fledged platformer with RPG elements, rather than an RPG complemented by light platforming. However, it still has the more fleshed-out story that one can expect from an RPG, making this one of the most emotionally engaging platformers that Mario has ever starred in. The main gimmick also plays delightfully on the "paper" a

When this game was first announced, I was so excited to finally have a game with an original approach to JK Rowling's Wizarding World . Up until that point, all I had seen was retellings of the movies or lame puzzle games. Hogwarts Mystery claimed that it would let me be my own wizard and give me a brand new story taking place before the boy wonder started hogging the spotlight. Although it technically delivered on both of those promises, the gameplay was a complete disappointment, and this game quickly fell off of my radar. Hogwarts Mystery certainly managed to feel like the Wizarding World right out of the gate, taking me through the sorting ceremony and introducing me to the Hufflepuff dormitory and its hidden entrance in the kitchens. However, it quickly became apparent that the gameplay is not nearly as inspired as the story and characters. In order to progress through the game, you have to complete a variety of challenges. Some of these challenges are optional, earning you

  For a poor sucker like me, sometimes dreams of Skyrim are busted by realities like  Blades . As I already own the former on PC, I still haven't found it in me to buy it again for Switch . Unfortunately, I rarely have time to boot up anything more than a handheld, so my next best thing was Tamriel 's finest free-to-play adventure. For something that started it's life on smartphones, it does look pretty fantastic, and honestly, the combat is pretty exciting once you get past the lack of ranged weaponry. The story even kept me engaged for as long as I played. However, I kept finding it hard to pick the game back up thanks to the forced grinding of repetitive side-missions. Simplifying the Elder Scrolls formula to fit on mobile devices did require big sacrifices, such as the removal of the series-standard open world and developable skills. The result is a clean, streamlined experience that actually fits the platform pretty nicely, at least at first. All gameplay starts in a

Like it's recent predecessors , Pokémon Sword aims to keep the series fresh by shaking up previous staples and adding exciting new gameplay features. After the Let's Go games got me excited for new possibilities and directions in the main series, Pokémon Sword worked hard to deliver. However, as a collector, I was very put off by the absence of hundreds of Pokémon - so much so that I almost didn't even play the game. Luckily, I was so distracted by everything that this game does right, that I nearly forgot about it's issues. In their imitation of the mobile game, Pokémon Go , the Let's Go games did away with the series standard of random encounters in favor of having all of the Pokémon wander the world in plain sight. My number one wish for the series going forward was to adopt that feature permanently. With a little modification, Sword and Shield did exactly that, and it was amazing. Gone are the days of constant interruption of your adventure, and in their

I wouldn't consider Ultra Moon  my favorite game in the  Pokémon  series, as I enjoyed a select few titles even more, but it was definitely the most exciting structurally. After the series seemed to get itself stuck in a rut, gyms were replaced with island challenges and everything became a bit more interesting. I felt like the focus wasn't just on making my team stronger, as the island challenges often revolved around strategy and deeper-thinking as well. All of the mainline Pokémon games up until this point were almost identical in structure. Following the mantra, "if it isn't broken, don't fix it," since the mid-1990s. The seventh generation of  Pokémon  games didn't change the formula so much that it felt like a different series, but it shook things up enough that I finally felt like I was experiencing something fresh and new again. This dichotomy was illustrated perfectly through the newly introduced "Alolan Forms" of  Pokémon  found in th

Final Fantasy IV  is absolutely the perfect follow-up to the original trilogy. It improved upon the story-building of the third , the character-swapping of the second , all while maintaining the charm and motifs present since the first . It faltered a bit in that it felt incredibly linear, limiting opportunities for exploration and discovery. However, that linearity also almost completely removed the need to grind for levels, and I would consider that a worthy trade-off. When it comes to the Final Fantasy  series, I have the tendency to play until about the halfway point, lose interest for a while, and then come back to beat the game with the same vigor that I started with. It's not the most ideal way to play a game, but it stops me from being to burnt out by repetitive mechanics. However, FFIV was the first in the series to keep my attention the whole way through! I credit the story for my engagement. The game is broken down into segments that almost feel like levels, introducin

Evoland  is a delightful, gimmicky, tongue-in-cheek exploration into the history of RPGs and adventure games. For those familiar, the  Gameboy / SNES / Playstation  reminiscent journey will undoubtedly bring a smile to your face. My time with Evoland  was spent on my phone, where it felt surprisingly at home. I imagine it is just as fun on PC and consoles, as it imitates multiple console experiences, but I found that picking it up to play for my short down-times was a pretty enjoyable approach. As a fan of The Legend of Zelda  and Final Fantasy , this game was right up my alley, and anything I say about its gameplay mechanics would essentially just be a comparison to those two franchises, so I won't go down that road. Simply put, if you enjoy classic RPGs and adventure games, you will enjoy Evoland . It's a short game, so it won't pull you away from bigger name games for too long, but it is absolutely a joy to play. The game can be purchased for Android here (as o

Dragon Quest was not that fun for me. It was absolutely a worthwhile experience, and I'm glad that I played it, but I have been spoiled by the likes of Final Fantasy and Xenoblade Chronicles 2 , so I know how amazing JRPG's can be. However, all of those games have roots somewhere, and Dragon Quest is almost indisputably the granddaddy of my favorite genre. The whole game was rather short, extensive grinding was an absolute must (not really my cup of tea), and the story was simple, but all of the bones were there and they were strong. Dragon Quest offered a relatively large world to both explore and interact with, it had opportunities to grow stronger with experience or better gear, and it had a grand villain to defeat. That was enough to keep me playing to the end. After playing through the whole game, I concluded that it earned its place as a milestone, but everything that it offers can be found better somewhere else, so it really only holds a place as a relic. I rec

When I saw the announcement that remakes of the original Pokémon games were coming to the Switch , with Pokémon Go integration, no less, I knew that I had to buy one. The first teaser trailer actually prompted me to redownload Pokémon Go in preparation! Right off the bat, Let's Go had some big draws for me. As Kanto was the first region that I explored, I was pretty excited about seeing it reborn in 3d. Pokémon Go integration meant that effort I put in on my phone translated to reward in the game, which made Go even more fun. Plus, it was the first full-fledged Pokémon title on the Switch , so it was almost necessary for me to buy it. After all of my excitement, I am happy to report that the game totally delivered! One aspect of the gameplay that I didn't expect to be a huge draw was interactions with your partner Eevee (or Pikachu). However, that became one of my favorite parts of the game! I gave my Eevee an adorable hairstyle and outfit, and we crushed the elite fou

Thanks to wonderfully constructed mechanics and an engaging story, Xenoblade Chronicles 2  is probably the best RPG that I have ever played. I was intrigued enough by the trailers and announcements for this game that I broke my usual rule to play games in order of release, and I am so glad that I did! This game is so well crafted, with beautiful worlds, lively characters, deep growth systems and a ridiculous amount of content. I played this game more than I played Breath of the Wild  and I still have so much more to do! As an entry in the Xenoblade Chronicles  series, veterans will be quick to pick up the combat and exploration that this game offers, but it is introduced in such a way that even newcomers shouldn't have a hard time getting acquainted with the mechanics. However, the story was definitely my favorite part, with engaging and humorous characters, exciting twists and turns, and a world full of impactful side-quests. The only part of the game that really bothered me

Although I wouldn't consider it my favorite Final Fantasy  title (that place is held by FFII ,) it isn't hard to see how Final Fantasy III  was a game-changer for its series. Although it is quite similar in structure to the original , FFIII  is the originator of the job system, allowing (and requiring) the characters in the party to change roles throughout the game in order to perform different attacks, use different weapons, have different magical capabilities, and more! Although the interactivity between characters and the depth of the story suffered in this entry compared to its immediate predecessor, the world was opened up so much more. New magic and new jobs meant new opportunities for players to explore both the overworld and dungeons in ways unprecedented for the series. Unfortunately, save for the final tower, I feel as though the dungeons were still far more linear than in FFII , removing a lot of challenge and excitement from each of those sections. I also

Although it was a relatively short experience, feeling a bit simple at times, The Sacred Cards somehow managed to keep me engrossed from start to finish. I admit, I had my nostalgia glasses on, as this was the first game that I ever actually bought for myself, but the fact that I played it all the way through most be some sort of testament to its quality. The Sacred Cards creates a unique character for the player and sends them through the majority of the show's second season. You visit a variety of locales in order to duel different opponents in the hopes of securing six "locator cards" that will gain you entrance to the finals of Kaiba's Duel Monsters championship. I believe that this biggest draw of this game is the fact that it forces strategy. Although buying or winning powerful cards isn't very difficult, higher value cards require a certain level of skill to be put in your deck. As a result, I found myself forced to plan my deck out between ever

Inspired by the ever popular Candy Box and Candy Box 2 , Space Lich Omega is an browser-based RPG adventure with an almost entirely ASCII display. However, it chose to step away from the established fantasy style of it's inspiration for a more science-fantasy theme. I ended up having a fun time with this game, despite its need for a little polish, thanks to the unique story and hilarious pop-culture Easter eggs that can be discovered throughout the different explorable locations. Despite the crude-ish interface, I never had any trouble navigating throughout the game. I actually ended up beating it in a relatively short time, especially when I had my gunk production going all out, allowing me to jump my health up enormously. Although I did need to do a little grinding every now and then for an item that I missed, that didn't interfere with my enjoyment too much. Ultimately, this is no Candy Box , but it still has its merits and is worth playing if you ever find yourself in

In an effort to find browser games that I could play in my free time, and the Candy Box franchise was one of the Internet's top recommendations. Unfortunately, aniwey had to shut down his servers for financial reasons. But lucky for me, both games were backed up on the glorious Internet Archive ! However, the first game has some saving issues in its backed up form, so I decided to jump right into the sequel instead. At first, the game is very basic, and it seems as though there isn't much to it. But with just a little bit of interaction, the true magic is revealed. Combining a small portion of the incremental aspects of idle games into an intriguing ASCII adventure definitely do this title justice, especially with the added collectible-based growth mechanic that rewards completions like myself with increased strength for discovering different secrets throughout the world.  Candy Box 2 managed to stay enticing the whole time that I played, and each little step of pr

Like its counterparts on the NES ,  Zelda II: The Adventure of Link  and Super Mario Bros. 2  ( Super Mario USA ), Final Fantasy II  almost completely ignored what made its predecessor so successful. However, I think it was a much more enjoyable game as a result! Final Fantasy II 's most blaring difference was the implementation of a stat-growth system instead of the traditional leveling system found in the series' other entries. Many found it tedious that you had to repeat an action to improve it (or its associated stats), but I actually enjoyed grinding in this entry because I could focus on new combat strategies in order to improve my target stats, instead of just fighting the same fight repeatedly. FFII  also took a huge step by introducing characters with names, faces, and personalities, over the anonymous heroes of FFI . The interactions between characters through predetermined dialogue sequences and the interactive "ask/learn" system helped to flesh out the

I have played a lot of mobile games in the trademark mobile format, too many micro-transactions, pay to win, ridiculous restrictions (like a pain-in-the-butt energy system)... and I played the crap out of them. For a week. Then realized how bad the game I was playing actually was. Kingdom Hearts Unchained χ  was the first mobile game that I have played using that format, that truly did it right. It has restrictions, but those restrictions are more like areas to grow as you play, rather than money-wasters that hold you back. I feel like I'm truly making progress every time I upgrade one of my medals (the "characters" of the game), or pump up my equipment. For those not familiar with  Kingdom Hearts , it is a series put out by Square Enix , the developing powerhouse behind Final Fantasy , Hitman , Deus Ex,  and much much more. In the simplest sense, the series is an action RPG crossover between Final Fantasy  and Disney , with as convoluted of a story line as they could

Final Fantasy was a fun little game that I started playing for a while on bus rides, but that was all. It wasn't until recently that I decided I should truly delve into the game and see what it had to offer, and I was not disappointed. The first game plays in the traditional RPG style (although it set most of the precedents now known as "traditional"). There is a large overworld and many sub-locations for the player's party to travel to in order to find key items, defeat bosses, and trigger events that will allow for progression through the story. The game revolves around four heroes restoring light to the four elemental crystals/orbs in order to revive the crumbling world in which they live, and such a quest will not be short of challenges! I played the GBA version over the original  NES  version because I would have easier access to the sequel that way (same cart and all), and I am glad I did. The interface was gorgeous and everything fit together so nicely,