update makes the game crash on the title screen consistently now so i can't play the game anymore despite playing on a still mostly brand new pc that ran it well previously before this update, and i've seen quite a few cases of people either unable to get past the title screen or just having their save data corrupted by either this update or previous ones, and given capcom's track record with this game and updates for it i highly doubt these issues will be resolved anytime soon if ever. despite its issues in both performance and streamlining you along a set path through an open world that slowly turns you around if you stray even slightly off the path during the walking segments i still enjoyed the combat quite a lot and i do think a lot of the details they put into ecology stuff are interesting and i think your item farm being npcs you interact with and trade with/hire to gather for you is really cool. but any positives about the game don't matter when the performance issues were made way worse instead of fixed at all. i literally can't even play it now lol, my pb for trying to get on the game is crashing on the save select menu instead of the title screen

this is the worst game ive ever played

touhou

its ok

thiss is the best video game of all time, it helps cure the loneliness that inevitably came from the pandemic. 7/8

The gameplay isn't super spectacular or anything but it's good enough and a good execution of the concept, there's just a few hiccups (a pretty cryptic puzzle, Route 65 is a bit bugged, in my playthrough i clipped through 2 different walls, one of those instances was a softlock, some achievements sometimes not working properly) If your'e a fan of other 2D puzzle platformers you'll probably like the gameplay, the movement is very limbo

If the heavy concept of this game isn't something you aren't sure you'd be able to handle, do be cautious, the warnings on the store page are very well warranted

The story and presentation is where the game truly shines. It's tone is great and its weirdness works with the story very well. There's a lot of good foreshadowing in the story, which I'll talk about later

The way the story is delivered is really nice, and rewards you for collectibles well with more backstory

Massive plot spoilers past this point, don't read until you have finished the game, there are also very slight postgame content spoilers : this is easily one of the best examples of "it was a dream" endings done right. A lot of what you see in the game's world parallels what's happening in reality, such as deer man, electricity giving her the power to revive at the start of the game directly parallels the ending, hairshreiker is a great antagonistic presence and a nightmare monster using the weapon the protagonist used to attempt to end her own life in reality is a great touch once you start putting everything together that the story is her dream while between life and death, and it makes the theme of recovery hit harder, especially with the ending segment where you finally defeat hairshrieker, when your ability to recover gets stronger and she's finally able to face herself and wake up to keep living. The game's themes are fantastic.

As a trans woman myself, J.J.'s story hit me real hard once i pieced together from the texts from the pasts that she is trans. Swery writing the character with trans people he knows really shows, this isn't just poor trans rep written by a cis person. Hairshrieker being a corrupted version of J.J. could be interpreted as her own dysphoria or fear of how she will be treated, especially since she's outed and bullied. I'm also she actually obtains the body she has in her dream after the story, as shown by her texting emily after the events of the game visible after finding postgame collectibles, while also showing she still has her own struggles, it makes her recovery in reality feel more realistic. I also like how her mother doesn't like instantly become redeemed. I was worried that would happen after the phone call during the ending, but she's still shown to have some of her other problematic attributes. Easily the most moved I've been by a game in quite a while.

I can't recommend the game enough for its story, it is a bit difficult for me to recommend to just anyone because of the heavy subject matter, but if your'e able to get past the warnings, the experience is very worth it.

For me this is one of those pieces of media that I just happened to stumble upon at the right place and the right time. It's writing and characters are great, it's art and sound design is fantastic and it's themes really resonated with me especially since it is a bit intertwined with some of my personal struggles as of writing this review, I always am happy to have been helped by media like that, so I may be a bit biased. It is overall solid and I would very much recommend it.

My one issue with it is the way that the good ending is handled, it feels a bit cryptic as to what you do to see it, the dialogue choices don't matter as much as picking 2 different ones each time mattered, and I feel like that could've been handled a bit better.

Overall I'm extremely happy to have experienced it, and I'm genuinely super thankful to the developers. You did great.