KingofBeasts

I think this is a fair score, and a reevaluation of the game. To start off, Sakuna: Of Rice and ruin, It has potential, given that it is a stat building game. However, it has issues that just holds it back. While the gameplay itself for the dungeons are good. The farming is very annoying. Allow me to list som pros vs cons. Pros: 1. The gameplay is smooth. 2. The mechanics are deep enough. 3. The day and night cycle was well implemented. 4. The visuals are pretty good. 5. Platforming. Cons: 1. Story —> The story is very weak, a snooze fest I will call it. As while it has potential to be something great, it proceeds at a snail pace. And even after hours of playing the game, nothing proceeds in an interesting way. 2. Farming —> The worst part of the game. It is tedious, it is time consuming, it is just downright awful. I’ve played much better stat building games, that doesn’t try to shove these things down your throat. It is important, but in those games, you have many ways to proceed without putting the game at a halt. 3. Story progression based on farming. —> You cannot proceed unless your farm level is high enough. This is just dumb. 4. Progression based on exploration. —> You cannot proceed unless your exploration is high enough. This is another pointless delay. 5. Lack of proper explanations. —> A lot is meant to be figured out. Though, here is the main problem. Don’t expect people to have a million hours for this, do a better job at explaining yourself as to not confuse the player. 6. Penalties. —> You are penalized if you choose to let someone else handle the work. This goes into taking away options from the player, it is just a terrible idea. Etc. I think the point is made clear. While the game is good on the dungeon side of things, it is terrible everywhere else. A five is a fair enough score, and my final conclusion. Is that, it just is not worth it. This game is simply annoying.

Honestly, one of the worst games I have played. While it has potential, being a rogue like game. The introduction being okay. The game falls apart, when it gets into the dungeon itself. Everything moving to a beat, while on paper seems fun. In practice, it is awful. The game doesn’t give you opportunities to learn, it doesn’t explain anything last I remember. To make things worse, it just punishes for missing a beat. This isn’t a way to make a game, rather, it is one of the worst ways I have experienced. Would have been fine with just the music, and keep it real time, without the whole stupid beat mechanic. Maybe then I would have rated it higher. Though, after hours, I decided to just drop the game. It was a waste of time, a waste of money, and overall, just not enjoyable.

Boy oh boy, where do I begin with this dumpster fire of a mess. I suppose I should mention, I played the first game, and loved it. This one here is well, pretty bad. Definitely better than some other games, but let me break it down. Battle System Both good and bad. Good in which, it is much more expanded on. Bad in which the rock, paper, scissors system become very predictable for quite a range of monsters. Higher ranking monsters gets two to three attacks a turn, that you cannot defend against in most cases. It is even worse in the players favor in this game, since only the Kinship ability can bypass this system, and it leaves them completely vulnerable for a turn. More or less, it is safer to play without it. This ultimately defeating the point of building up the gauge. Previous game, I never had to play support, this game? I was forced into it. Terrible design. Weapons Good and Bad. Sword and Shield has more relevance than Great Sword, which makes little sense damage wise. Bows are also one of the better ones to use, due to the many hits, and turn end attacks. Hammers and Gun Lance I never found a use for. They were pretty useless. This game makes weapons even worse than the last one. Exploration This is probably one of the better points, but it also has its bad as well. If I am not wrong, it should roughly be around the same as the last game, if not slightly more. Anyway, it is more open to exploring, so that is good. It is also bad how flying is so limited, even more so than the previous one. The dens are larger, so that is good, and it does give incentive to explore it. Storyline Now to this one, there are characters from the previous game. With a certain Felyne jumping back and forth between knowing some characters. At some points, it seems like he genuinely doesn’t know, at other points he suddenly does. I should also mention, this character is very annoying throughout the entire game. Unlike the first, when he grew on the player, and became quite likable from middle to end. The plot of the game is everywhere, they introduce a lot of side stories, which if memory serves. Almost none of them gets finished. A Rathalos that is supposed to bring about ruin, great plot right? Well, it looks like they had a decent idea for evolution of his Kinship skill as the plot went along. However, they decided to be cheap, and simply used the one from the first game. Anyway, enough of that. This game was pretty much just go here and there, the characters weren’t given any much time to be properly liked. The main character just felt there, and did not have much relevance. The first game, the main character was important. It was more heartfelt, and the effort can be seen. This game? Well, they had ideas, but none gets properly executed, because a certain Felyne constantly breaks the mood. Every time something thought provoking, or interesting happens, his annoying voice, and stupid remarks breaks the immersion. All of this eventually lead’s to a final showdown, that didn’t even felt earned, and didn’t bring about a rise in emotions. There wasn’t even any sort of real turmoil to say, it was like a bunch of ideas just thrown together. Animations Animations were excellent, however, if I was brain dead, then maybe I would have been focusing on this. While a lot of effort was put into this, it seems like they were hoping these graphics will be enough to distract from the poorly constructed story/timeline. I get the feeling this is probably supposed to be a standalone, at the same time? They keep bringing up points that made me think it wasn’t supposed to be. Honestly, the only reason I am giving this a 4/10, is because I played the first game. For a $60 game, this was borderline trash. Perhaps someone can find enjoyment in this, but I went in with high expectations from the last game, and was met with disappointment. I just wanted to play the game to get it over with, honestly, this might be the last time I buy anything from this company as well. Unless they manage to really pull themself up, I don’t want anything to do with their games. I honestly felt ripped off for the price they were going for. I should also mention there are performance issues with the game, such as lag, or delayed movements.

First of all, this is the improved version, which comes with changes. Which I will be breaking down the points of it. This is one game of four. Yes, so it is a long storyline. This game is on the second continent if my memory isn’t too bad. Anyway, this is the story of Eirudy, the Marionette Witch. There is quite a bit to take from this in itself. Story: The story is meant to be tragic with some happier moments blended in, to make a bittersweet moment. It requires a bit of deeper thinking. Following the line of a war, that is meant to kill off deities. There is a whole reason for this. That is because, it was more or less believed, without the deities, that the springs can be taken over. Play part 2 for more details. This specific one has Eirudy, who is initially nameless. More of an antisocial, and has innocence to her. She is direct, and wishes for friends. Hence why she tries to perfect her dolls. As it goes along, she is hurt time and time and again, but has one true friend. The main storyline isn’t long, but it shows her trying to find her way. Making friends, and something more. Four visions she will see, each containing a reasoning for her sadness. All in direction towards everyone living off of her despair. It is a depressing storyline, and unlike the rest. This one stays consistent, and really knows how to pull at the strings. She helps Adrian, since he has done a lot for her. As a result, she gets out into the world, and learn of both good and bad. I don’t want to spoil it, but pay close attention, this game might take some thinking, but it will make sense. It gets into line of more or less being political, a lord abusing his power, and a plan in not only impeaching him, but to also stop the pope and revive the springs. Side Quests: Sides Quests expands on the entire story itself. There are I believe two side quests that needs to be completed to expand the post game. Then there is an additional doll that can only be gotten on a Side Quest. More about Eirudy is found out through this line, as well as a bit of an expansion from the second game. So, doing these has its benefits. Which gives an overall idea of the conflict at hand. Graphics, It is visually appealing, and improved might I say. No issues here whatsoever. Mechanics: This is pretty much a port from the app version, nothing new. To explain it really quickly. There is an alchemy system, where you can gather ingredients and craft. This is used mostly for making spells and stat boosting items. Which I should mention, there are no levels for Eirudy. Battle System: This is a port of the original, you have options. In which you can combine magic swordsmanship with your physical attacks. Even spells with your physical. Numerous strategies to use, such as knowing when to guard can be critical. You engage enemies on the map, and can choose to dodge from most. Illustrations: New art has been put into the game, as well as a bit more as far as I can tell. I must say, these illustrations really hits home, grabbing at the depressing moments even more, as well as improving the happier moments. Phenomenally done. Music: A good variety, and well used tracks to really improve the quality of the story. Some are soothing, yet agonizing. Others can be exciting but grim. It is just fantastic to say. The game really makes use of the tracks, which really rises the emotional level. Which might I add, is where the game excels at. Voice Acting: This is new to the game, which really conveys those emotional moments. This was not present in the original. Exploration: As the story goes along, you get more room to explore. Before continuing with the storyline, go and do whatever you need to do. The game allows you to go to places earlier if you grind. This is also how you get side quests done. It has a fair number of areas to explore. Though, the main charm of the game is the story. Also, don’t forget the post game content as well, which gives incentive to revisit areas. Three Paths: Light, Dark, and True Path. Light basically does not give the full story. However, you can visit two extra places. Dark Path shows a really depressing scene. True Path gives the full story, as well as a ride to never forget. Reply Value: Very much so, with the charming characters, as well as heart clenching storyline. It gives reason to play it again, since the main story isn’t that long. There are three paths as well, and certain things you cannot do depending on which direction you go. For instance, a quest is only available on the Light Path vs True Path. I won’t spoil Dark Path, but know, just create a separate save. Anyway, I found myself replaying the game, and getting stronger faster. I even discovered new ways to gain even more stats from certain events. Hours of fun and replay to go, only bad thing is the translations, but that is easily overlooked. I highly recommend playing the game.

This is the most generous score I can give the games it is pretty bad. Allow me to further explain why. For one, the game has 20 chapters, and it does not truly start until chapter 10. This isn’t even entirely true, since it really starts to begin at chapter 12. The story itself lacks focus, and is all over the place. To add on even more, I ran into movement problems with the game. It also suffers from translation issues, if not it is regular spelling or basic grammar, it is the lack of correct gender identification. More over, most of the characters don’t even have any personality to them, especially the main character. It is just boring. To further explain, there are quests, good right? Well not so much. The game does a terrible job in telling you what to do even with basic quests. I have found myself running around for awhile before completing one. As for main story line, it suffers from this same issue, the game has a problem in identifying where to go next. Even more, the game uses a set single screen, no rotation. What makes this so much of a problem, is that it does not work. The screen does not show enough, which can make both main story, quests, and even exploration a problem. Honestly, this is just plain laziness at this point. Moreover, battles are unbalanced. Even on normal mode, there were enemies that could nuke my near max level monsters. Now going to the monster end of things, needlessly complicated. ABI and CAM in determination for evolution and stat building. Then there is the farm which is a good idea no doubt, but in reality this is the best form of leveling in the early game, which is awful. I spent the first few days just trying to level. The game already moves at a slow enough pace, that was a real terrible decision. Now once I did get exp boosting monsters, it was still not enough until near the end of the game. Almost completely destroying the point of getting them in the first place. Now it does have a few perks. For instance, you can reset your stat allocation points with some item, here is another problem. It is rare to come across, defeating the point of it once again. It appears every step of the way, these developers managed to screw up the basics. They fail around every aspect of the game. Needless to say, this isn’t the worst game I have played, but definitely in the top ten terrible ones. Terrible and annoying story, bad mechanics, horrible quest and tracking system. Everything feeling slow and a grind, etc. It is not enjoyable, and honestly, I wouldn’t care if these developers never made another game again. Good riddance, the game is done with, I never want to see it again. Don’t buy this game, it is also really repetitive and slow in battling.

Overall, this is a pretty well made game. I’ll break down the finer points. Deemo is a rhythm game, but this isn’t the entire appeal of it. Otherwise, this would be pretty pointless to play. This game has a story element to it, as well as puzzles to solve. As you go through the game, you will find drawings, as well as paintings. When assessed carefully, you’ll notice that it reflects the girl’s life. This is a nice addition, allowing you to see the story through this angle. However, this isn’t the whole thing. The game has cutscenes, and as it goes along, you will unravel more of her past. As well as a certain connecting point between Deemo, the girl, and the masked lady. I am being very careful to not spoil it. The game has 10 rooms, each no less plays a role in getting the girl out of that prison of a place. With Deemo taking care of the child, the two are close. This immediately brings in a puzzling question on why? Then the masked lady is rude to the girl. Which as you get closer to the ending of the game, it makes more sense. Each room has a puzzle to solve, some much more time consuming than others. Which brings me to my first criticism. Sometimes, I feel like it is completely random. While a good portion can be figured out by exploring, there were a few that felt like trial and error. This is minor either way. Solving these puzzles really immerses the world that she is. Everything steadily unraveling, it is a heart warming game that tugs that the strings quite beautifully. Game mechanics of the music now. This requires tweaks, since after a certain point, it becomes far too much to keep up with. It is a terrible idea to throw countless notes so close to each other, it is an unfriendly system, and punishes more than rewards. I highly advise to be careful how this is gone about, Arcaea, another rhythm game I played. It was more balanced, and even when difficult, I could always improve, rather than reaching a limit that I can’t do any better. Due to this, I gotta knock the rating down to a nine, perhaps it should be lower. Though, I feel the game does great everywhere else, so consider this a bit of a fortunate break if anything. This is a wonderful game, that is solid all around, and I recommend it. A wide range of music, most are great, some not so much. Though, it does not detract from experiencing it. The game also have a few mandatory music challenges, which is chosen carefully to match the mood. Everything tying in to a most endearing, and an outcome those might be suspecting on the reason for why the girl was trapped in that place. Why Deemo takes care of her, and why the masked lady is the way she is.

Now, I would like to say first off, I wanted to give it a perfect score, but I could not. Reason why, is for two reasons. The first is, the difficulty settings, just takes or gives one extra hit. Not really doing anything, which made the game more frustrating. The second is, most upgrades are pointless, and it has no sort of mechanic to make the experience easier as you play. Honestly, replaying a stage over and over again, it is not fun. Now then, that is the bad of it. It has many more positive points. The story being the stronger point, giving an interesting take on the whole cybernetic development. Those seeking immortality, as well as a businessman trying to bring the world underneath his thumb. Simple enough story, right? Well, no it goes much deeper. Getting into identity crisis, betrayal, a main trying to save a kidnapped girl. Going into the deeper backstory, leading up to how this development happened, and why the girl was in a lab. It all connected quite well, and precious allies becoming enemies. The entire thing is bittersweet, it has some heart clenching moments. Now, as for the battle system. It is meant to be a fast hack n slash. However, it combines platforming with strategy. The boss battles aren’t really difficult, more issues comes from the stages themselves. It has some upgrades, but the entire thing is based around the player learning the most precise of actions, which is both good and bad at the same time. An achievement section is also there for those who want to do it, as well as you are able to replay stages, as well as the story this way. Animations are okay, it worked well enough, and did well to set the mood. Most stages are crafted conveniently, but some does not quite work out. It doesn’t take away from the experience much, but it can be a bit tedious. The game isn’t long, and really the right length to take it all in. I’d say give it a go, some of the more critical players might enjoy this more. Which in all fairness, it does well overall.

Honestly, I am not even sure if I will get Atelier Ryza II. The first one was really just below average. Around all bases, mechanics were forced, and or not properly explained. The story was all over the place. The alchemy was just shoved down the throat, and rather just puts the game at a staggering halt. The battle system, I ended up using normal attacks for the majority of the game. Gave no incentive to explore the rest of the features. The game for an open world has been very poorly done. Limited to where the story wants you to go. Also, most NPC’s cannot even be interacted with. The cutscenes, which were a lot did not contribute much to anything. Honestly, this is my second Atelier game I have played. First was Atelier Iris 3, and in all reality. Ryza does not come on the same level, not even nearly enough. The only thing good about Ryza, or should I say passable are the characters, and the ending. Even the ending is just barely giving any credit. I just did not feel like anything was effectively executed. Hell, even the constantly warping back to the Atelier to deposit items has been poorly done, and slowed the game down a lot more. The concept of finding your own way in life is great, it is just that. This game manages to screw everything up along the way. Other than the passable characters, graphics are the only other thing going for it. I invested about 40 hours into this game, and it has been nothing but painful from beginning to end. Which is really disappointing, since I wanted to play another Atelier game for years. I really loved Atelier Iris 3. The amazing characters, the freedom to explore, even though there was a time limit. The alchemy was more friendly as well. They did not shove it down my throat. So I could progress how I wanted. Gathering as well was much more pleasureful. The plot on top of this was the best thing. Seeing how Edge slowly is tearing apart the further the days goes by, it really makes you feel for these characters. Despite being on a lower graphic scale, they made use of everything they could. The battle system, was more engaging as well. Knowing how to manipulate the turn order. More boss battles than Ryza, a lot more. Much more tracks that does well with the moment. More incentive to explore. This here is minor, but the dialogue in battle. I still remember the battle with Ash. How it shifts to the second phase, they really knew how to push the battles to its peak. I guess to say, I was expecting a lot more excitement. Especially seeing the reviews, the game was more or less just thrown together. The only thing that had any effort was the alchemy system, and even that was not interesting. Please take note, this is the first time I have ever given a game a 0/10. Hell, the least I have ever given one before this point was maybe 5/10? Either way, it was never that low. This is with me having played one other Atelier game, so I basically went in new again. Usually, a known game, especially by such a company would score higher. Though this one? It has so many problems, I cannot even begin to count it. I suppose a plus is that there are no bugs I found, but that is negligent. I have played buggy games far better than this. I also forgot to mention this. Wanna know when I unlocked the ultimate attack for the characters? Pretty much right at the ending of the game. I think it was after I did the final battle. Maybe if that was introduced far sooner, I will have given the game a better rating, but I was practically done with the game. This game is not worth a second play through, hell not even a single play through. The pacing is terrible, the mechanics are unfriendly if not boring, the alchemy feature is just there to halt the game, the leveling is not even worth it, hell I did not even make it to level 50. Which is where some new feature is supposed to come in. The story is linear, and bare bones. The exploration is very limiting for an open world game. The interactions are subpar, the cutscenes have little to no contribution. The ending was not effectively executed for what they were building up towards, etc. Don’t get the game, it is not worth the money, even on sale...

[SPOILER ALERT: This review contains spoilers.]

[SPOILER ALERT: This review contains spoilers.]