KINGDOM HEARTS BIRTH BY SLEEP this game is so good at pissing me off. Aqua and especially ventus’s stories aren’t as bad but the deck is so stacked for you to not have fun as Terra. Which is insane considering he’s the one you’re supposed to play first. I could take it or leave it I guess this is honestly my least favorite kingdom hearts game
KINGDOM HEARTS 3D: DREAM DROP DISTANCE this is probably the least plot relevant kingdom hearts game with some of my favorite level design and okay gameplay that improves on bbs so overall I think it’s on the better side of okay and I do really like the way the game ends rikus arc. So that’s nice points for that
KINGDOM HEARTS III wow this game is so much fun. Overall I think 2 is my favorite in the series because of how well it balances its writing with its gameplay, the first game I think is all gameplay, and then this is probably my favorite game story wise and also. It’s just so damn fun it truly is a joy to play I had about the furthest thing from a bad time here. It’s a wonderful end to the xehanort arc
KINGDOM HEARTS (CRITICAL MODE) I think this is the only game in the series I could stomach playing on critical but the gameplay of kh1 is so evergreen I still managed to have an amazingly fun time. It’s interesting to me how gameplay knowledge matters so much more in this game than just. Numbers being harder and performing worse dice rolls. I found myself getting stuck on the trickier bosses like ansem riku and maleficent dragon compared to the first run I had of this game where bosses like Ursula and Clayton stomped me because I didn’t understand their mechanics. Overall beating this game on proud made me love it more than I already do which is saying a lot
DELTARUNE CHAPTERS 3 + 4 It’s good. You already know this. I don’t know what else to say about deltarune. It’s deltarune dude just go play it
CASTLEVANIA What a fucking monster of a game dude. Even after years of grinding I still don’t think I could beat this game without save scumming it. The difficulty is brutal the music is iconic and honestly the series focus on aesthetic and direction shines even in its first outing, with many of the levels in this game having gorgeous pixel art even to this day. An absolute classic until the end
CASTLEVANIA 2 SIMONS QUEST Okay so take everything I said about the first castlevania and just disregard it for this one. This game manages to be a grindfest while also timing you (IN REAL WORLD TIME) to get the best ending. It’s ugly as sin and I hate a lot of its design philosophy. That being said…. I feel a younger me would be even harsher on this game than I am now. It actually introduces a lot of elements that would later become staples in the series such as the light rpg elements found in the towns and the item system. That being said this is an ugly game with a bad translation. The only thing I can’t really criticize is the music as bloody tears was introduced here, arguably the most iconic song in the franchise
CASTLEVANIA 3 DRACULAS CURSE If I loved one and hated two I find myself perfectly mixed on three. Let’s start with the good. Draculas curse includes many series staples such as an expanded cast of characters (including alucard, arguably the single most important character in the series), a shift in time focusing on a different Belmont, as well as characters working as a sort of difficulty selection as Sypha being the easiest route. The music and graphics absolutely stun in this game as well. Now for the bad. So the easiest combination of characters to beat the game with are Trevor Belmont and sypha belnades. That being said even with these two characters this game is so hard it makes me wanna tear my hair out in some sections. Harder than the first game. A truly unwieldy level of difficulty that makes me wonder if this game was meant to be made for humans. Overall this leaves the game very fun for a quick whirl until you die and walk away but actually beating it is a Herculean task it’s ridiculous. Idk how to feel about this one.
SUPER CASTLEVANIA IV awwwww yeah baby now we’re talking. This game is actually a loose remake of the first game on better hardware (in Japan it’s simply called akumaju dracula, the name of the first game) and man does that better hardware SHOW. There are some neigh sayers of this game nowadays which I think shows a reflection of what gamers are into. First there’s the claim that this game is all flash no substance and to that I gotta say. Brother. The flash is the substance this game is fun as fuck to play. The second complaint is that the whip is overpowered in this game and I feel as though this claim bares more weight to it as I rarely found myself using subweapons throughout this game but I gotta say. Something about that adds to the vibe for me. Just Simon and his trusty whip alone against a castle full of demons is so badass. I truly love this game it’s an absolute classic game for a reason and definitely deserves its spot among the best Super Nintendo games
