January:
Metroid Prime - GameCube, 30 hrs, 8.5/10: Never played the Prime series before and I wanted to get ready for Prime 4. In retrospect, the graphics for the era are excellent. I really liked the music, atmosphere and sense of isolation. Progression was fulfilling and made backtracking feel worthwhile, but the game dragged on in parts and could have done without the needless artifact hunt, frequent chozo ghost encounters and tedious boss fights. The game excelled when it came to exploration and pathfinding, but the combat was just OK and the controls felt a bit slow and clunky.
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate (World of Light) - Switch, 43 hrs, 9/10: I loved the huge amount of content, variety and customization. The game felt really polished and full of attention to detail. Gameplay was simple and fun, but rewarding. I appreciated the creative challenges provided by Wold of Light which encouraged me to try out different fighters I probably wouldn't have otherwise tried.
February:
Golf Story - Switch, 22 hrs, 8/10: I don't agree with the general assessment that it's an RPG disguised as a golf game - it's very much a legit golf game, albeit with adventure mechanics and an engaging narrative. Overall very funny and charming, with diverse and creative quests. Mechanics are simple and fun, though putting can be very frustrating and unintuitive. One of the best uses of the HD rumble I've seen. The story isn't really interesting or deep, and could have used more polish, and I really would have liked to see a more built-out and interactive over-world.
Thumper - Switch, 17 hrs, 7.5/10: Cool visuals, and I loved the ominous atmosphere and style, but I didn't find the music particularly memorable, and levels got repetitive very quickly. I'd been hoping that the obstacles would match the beat of the music more consistently, but they seemed to come randomly at times. I'd say the game is really more about memorization and testing your reaction speed than your ability to keep rhythm, to the point where it sometimes became a tedious chore, though it was satisfying to eventually get the pattern down and beat a level/boss. It's very much the 'Dark Souls' of rhythm games. I also think the ring of death in some levels is one of the most frustrating game mechanics I've ever seen.
March:
West of Loathing - Switch, 16 hrs, 8/10: The gameplay and combat were extremely simple, and it very much felt like a text-based adventure with some point-and-click elements, but the consistently funny writing and silly animations made the game more engaging than I'd expected. I also appreciated how streamlined the puzzles and side quests were, while still offering a good variety. My biggest gripe is that there wasn't much of a story, and the story lines that did exist didn't really culminate to anything.
August:
Phantasy Star - Switch, 31 hrs, 8.5/10: This was the first time I'd ever played it, and I'm glad it was on Switch. I'm not sure I would've made it through without the auto-mapping feature for the dungeons. I may have when I was a kid, but these days I wouldn't have the time and patience to draw them out myself. Otherwise the game was excellent. Great graphics for the era, and a cool setting and story. There was also a good variety of enemies but battles felt far more simplistic than, say, Dragon Warrior II, where enemy groups were mixed and enemies often used a range of spells and other special attacks.
Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon - 3DS, 18 hrs, 8/10: I played this in anticipation of Luigi's Mansion 3, and I don't think it deserves the hate it gets. Yeah, the mission structure isn't great for a variety of reasons, but overall the level and puzzle designs were excellent, and the new gameplay mechanics were well implemented. I didn't love that the atmosphere was less spooky and more cartoony than the first game, and bosses lack the personality and creepiness factor of the portrait ghosts, but the short vignettes when spying on ghosts were fun and the game is very charming.
September:
Dark Souls Remastered - Switch, 71 hrs, 9.5/10: This was the first time I'd played Dark Souls after only having previously played/beaten Demon's Souls. While the game mechanics and stats can be confusing and intimidating at first, you only really need to understand them on a basic level to beat the game. The lore and atmosphere are excellent despite the lack of exposition, and the world layout and design is clever and easy to memorize. Opening up shortcuts is very satisfying, and I really enjoyed the freedom of exploration as compared to Demon's Souls. My only complaint is that game progress is sometimes gated by very cryptic/easy to miss dialogue or item descriptions. Bottom line is when I finished Demon's Souls, I felt like I'd never want to pick it up again, whereas with Dark Souls, there was a part of that wanted to immediately run through it again.
Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon - Switch, 4 hrs, 7/10: I only played through once (on veteran) so didn't get the true ending as I wasn't really having fun. It does a great job of capturing the style and gameplay of the 8-bit Castlevanias but it also comes with a lot of the same frustrations including stiff controls and unfair situations where you're almost certain to take damage. Implementation of various character abilities and branching paths is well done.
SteamWorld Heist - Switch, 19 hrs, 8/10: The combination of tactics and looting is fun, and the game has a satisfying difficulty curve. There is a good array of weapons and items, but there's not quite enough variety in the settings and enemies, and few creative challenges. The characters and music were charming, but the story was just OK, and the ending felt unfulfilling. Inventory limitations were a frustrating addition and didn't add to my enjoyment of the game.
