This game has the ♥♥♥♥♥♥ SAUCE. Hi-Fi Rush Takes its concept to the furthest extremes, and succeeds on every front. The rhythm aspect of both the gameplay and the worldbuilding is baked into every loving inch of the game. The way that the world sways and moves to the beat of each song and the way that every animation is tied to the music, all to an absolutely banging soundtrack, makes this a game that I'm going to be thinking about for a long time.

The biggest thing that stands out for me is the music. The original score stands out with its variety of styles, head-bopping tunes, and seamless integration into the world. And due to the world bouncing alongside the music, but it always felt like the music was almost diagetic, helping it set the stage and enhance the narrative. And the licensed songs were also a huge surprise. When 'Lonely Boy' started playing in the intro, I visibly leaned forward in my chair. Every song meshes incredibly well with the rest of the OST, but are used sparingly enough that every time they kick in, its a delightful surprise.

I played on the normal difficulty, and bar a boss fight or two, the game presented a fun challenge without becoming overwhelming. The ratcheting score, combo meter, and wide attack variety kept each encounter fresh and engaging. Though I did find myself falling back on tried and true combos and attack patterns myself, they were often dispered between other combos, or a desire to use other moves, that kept fights from feeling like the same thing over and over again. The flow state you get into while playing is STRONG, as you weave attacks, dash, grapple, and parry your way through enemies in long fights that don't FEEL long at all. Often I'd see the time results for a fight and think to myself that it was strange how long it took, since the fights never felt like a drag.

This was also helped by the game constantly throwing curveballs at you in its mechanics. Either by introducing you to new things that are necessary to interact with (Such as the parrying minigame some tough enemies throw you in), or by giving you a small, one-off section to enhance a singular moment of gameplay, usually a boss fight. This meant the game was constantly giving you something fresh and exciting to try, which gave you a break from the usual gameplay, without these new mechanics or sections overstaying their welcome, or feeling half-baked. I think this is a testament to how tightly the rest of the game is designed, as it was never about breaking up any sense of monotony, only about delivering on and furthering the experience.

The only sections I didn't think were super solid were some of the extended platforming areas, particularly the ones where you are placed under a time limit. Chai's speed on the ground is fine, since you're often dashing to get from place to place, but his air speed and air control sometimes left much to be desired. It was only for a few sections, and I never felt frustrated with them persay, but it was something that highlighted to me the difference in how good the combat felt versus the platforming. When the platforming was confined to small bursts in sections of greater exploration, or in between combats, it felt less noticable though, so it's not a dealbreaker or anything.

The writing was incredibly solid. I know that it's not going to hit for everyone, but to me it manages to ride the line between serious and self-aware perfectly. Chai is the perfect protagonist for a story like this, someone who represents the absurdity and comedy of the writing to a tee, so that everyone else around him can bounce off him in a moment of seriousness, without anything feeling out of place. The supporting cast in particular were a delight, each having their own strong and distinct personalities and looks that pushed them both as tools for Chai's development and arc, but also as their own complete characters. Some of their arcs felt a tad shallow, but this is made up for by the rest of their character being so strong that, even if by the end of the game they ended up in a similar narrative position to where they started, they don't feel underutilised, or like they had nothing to do.

And its funny! It has its comedic style, and it sticks to its guns well. Nothing that was particularly gut-busting, but enough that I chortled on multiple occasions. In the same way that Chai is the perfect protagonist, Vandaley is the perfect ANTAgonist for this story. While the writing could have treated the company with an air of reverence and seriousness, acting like it's a huge threat to be taken 100% seriously, it's just as goofy as everything else. I think it's the perfect tone for a world like this, one that is loud and fun and bombastic without being annoying.

If this game is any indication of the quality of work Tango Gameworks will be able to create in the future, then its a crime they faced ANY kind of troubles with publishing in the first place. I eagerly await to see what happens next.

As someone who often struggles with a fixation on one game at a time, and struggles with maintaining play on Life Simulators over extended periods of time, I initially thought that Cozy Grove was something I wouldn't vibe with at all, expecting to dump it within a few days and be done with it.

But here I am, nearly 3 months later and very pleasantly surprised and happy at how my experience has been.

Cozy Grove is a Life Sim that manages to make very short bursts of gameplay feel very rewarding and very full of content, even if you only play for an hour or so a day. The amount of things you can do, your quests or activities such as resource gathering, all take the perfect amount of time as to still feel like you're committing yourself to doing it, but not that you're wasting too much time/effort on them.

It's, as the name suggests, incredibly "Cozy". The atmosphere, the art, the music, it all comes together beautifully. Nothing feels forced upon you, and just moving around and doing all of your silly little tasks is a great time killer that really helps you take a step back and just relax for a while. It's absolutely gorgeous, its art style something directly out of a picturebook, and the designs for the characters is something I enjoyed as well. Though yes, all of the bears use the same base shape, I like that it's then up to their accessories and surroundings to help distinguish them. Plus they look perfect for hugging.

The game's world, narrative and characters are also splendid. The story gives you enough explanation as to your existence within the world, and how the spirits operate and how you help as a Spirit Scout, but doesn't overwhelm you with too many of the nitty gritty details. The stories of the spirit bears in particular are often quite powerful, and as you unravel more and more about who they are (and who they were), you find yourself becoming enraptured in their stories, and wanting to see what happens next. And once you reach the end of one of their stories, the sheer satisfaction you get from both a gameplay and narrative standpoint is phenomenal.

It's definitely got a few issues here and there. Selecting the correct item when something is in the way gets annoying, and needing to wait until a bear has given you everything before you can move again feels like it's wasting time, but I think the rest of the game more than makes up for these flaws.

Otherwise, this is absolutely a game I recommend if you like life sims and are looking for something new to try out.

That a game could exist that tells such a succinct and beautiful story, that manages to make me actually feel something and stop and think, to take a step back from the business of life and just... contemplate the questions it asks, is absolutely wonderful. Adios is, I think, some of the best media I have consumed in a long time, and something I will be thinking about for a long time to come.

Going Under... very good... Narrative roguelike... very fun