amphibious_ReViews

This is not a review I was hoping to write yet. I genuinely planned on playing through the entirety of Rhythm Heaven Advance when I started it. I was even prepared to struggle. However, I did expect to get good enough at the game that it wouldn't be a battle. Unfortunately, I came to the unfortunate conclusion that I am one of those rhythm-less white guys who can't manage to clap a beat if his life depended on it. I only made it as far as I did in this game (not far) thanks mostly to memorization, and I was not having any fun. I desperately want to like Rhythm Heaven, but I just don't think I'm the right audience.   Simply put, Rhythm Heaven Advance is a collection of mini-games that ask you to hit specific buttons in a rhythm that you can both hear and see. You'll kick flying garbage as a martial artist, march toy soldiers to the order of their commanding officer, pluck hair off of stubbly vegetables, and more. I only saw five of these mini games before I decided i...

I got Cadence of Hyrule years ago, and its initial announcement actually the catalyst that led me to buy the original Crypt of the NecroDancer. I played Crypt as soon as I bought it, but never got very far. However, thanks to a perpetually growing backlog, it took me until recently to actually play Cadence. Now that I've beaten it (and went back in for seconds), I can say with confidence what a fool I was for sleeping on this game. Simultaneously a surprise indie sequel, a glorious 2D Zelda revival, and a reference-stuffed celebration of both franchises, Cadence of Hyrule was a true delight to play through. The game's map, while procedurally generated for each new playthrough, is still Hyrule kingdom. Representing the series as a whole, it's stuffed with familiar locations, like Kakariko Village from A Link to the Past  and Gerudo Desert from Ocarina of Time . The shakeup here is that the world is built on a grid, and you can only move through its spaces in cardinal directi...