Tag: royal

NekoJonez’s Top 10 Games of 2024

It’s that time of year again, a full year has passed. Normally, I publish these articles a lot sooner, but I took full advantage of my Christmas break… And after that, I had some problems with my internet connection. But now I’m back. And it’s about time I talk about my top 10 games I have played in 2024. The rules of this list state I don’t have to have beaten the game. Yet, I must have played the game for the first time from January 1st, 2024. This means that games released before 2024, but I have only started to play in 2024 are fair game. This list is my personal opinion, and I’m open to hear your opinion on my picks. Feel free to also add your own list down in the comment section. So, here we go, the big list. A list that I always have trouble in creating at the end of the year. As an editorial note, the listed platform in this article is the platform I played the game on. Not all the platforms the game released on. The date after it, is the release date for said platform.

#10 – Persona 5 – Tactica (PlayStation 4 – November 2023)

I have played Persona 5 Royal and Persona 5 Strikers and I fell in love with the cast of Persona 5. And then, a new game got released with the Persona 5 cast and I jumped for joy.

The gameplay might not be my most favorite style of playing, but the game is quite addictive. It’s basically Persona in a Fire Emblem jacket. I’m now mid-way through the game but got distracted by other games. I can’t wait to finish this game in 2025. The story is quite well written. It is an amazing spin-off story for Joker and the gang.

Now, I won’t go too much in depth since I’m planning to write an article about this game. So, I’ll talk more in depth about this game soon. But, now… it’s time to save Joker from his forced wedding.

#9 – Slay the Princess – The Pristine Cut (Nintendo Switch – October 2024)

How do I explain this game without spoiling it too much? Slay the Princess is a game where you almost Groundhog Day your way through the same story. You walk up to a cabin, where you go to the basement to Slay the Princess.

According to the narrator, the Princess is a danger to the existence of the world. So, you have been sent to slay her. But, depending on the questions you ask, the decisions you take and even the order of your actions… The ending is different.

The story is just insane. It keeps you on edge what will be different in the next round. And the humor and writing in this game is just amazing. The voice action is just amazing. It brings the black, gray and white art to live and pulls you in the atmosphere quite well.

So, if you enjoy narrative games that mess with your head and expectations, give this game a try. Since, it’s a really good one.

#8 – Another Code – Recollection (Nintendo Switch – January 2024)

My first impression

Cing was an amazing developer that sadly went bankrupt. They developed amazing games on the Nintendo DS and Wii like Another Code – R & Little King Story. But to me, the Another Code set of games is one of their best work.

When we got a total remake in 2024, I wanted to play it right away. I convinced my streaming friend Klamath to play this game with me live on stream. I have to tell you, they did the two games justice. I’m so glad that these two games saw the light of day again.

While I have beaten the originals, the new and improved version is just amazing. It has a strong message and is a blast to play through. Although it sounds like a boring setup, it’s a game full of surprises. It is a more relaxing and charming game. It is more grounded and keeps things realistic. The characters are well written and set in a charming world.

#7 – Hypnospace Outlaw (PC – March 2019)

My review

Trying to manage a community isn’t an easy task to do. It’s a fun challenge to do in a game. That’s why management simulators are so popular.

But, combine that with the old school internet from the time I was a young kid, I am beyond intrigued. So, we have to report and clean up personal websites and projects? As a creative, I have my own place on the internet. I can share my opinions there. This hits close to home.

I wrote my opinion on this game in my review. If you want to know more about this game, I highly recommend that you give my review a read.

Now, there is a sequel in development called DreamSettler. If that’s created with the same love and care for that time period, and it matches the devotion this game has for its time period, it will be thrilling. We are going to be in for a wild ride.

#6 – Palworld (PC – January 2024)

Wishes for future updates

Sometimes, all that I need is a good open world game with unique mechanics. A world where you have to survive and explore. This year, Palworld brought that to me.

At first, I was skeptical. I thought: “This is going to be a monster catching game and nothing too much more.” But the more this game got developed, this more things got added that gave more depth to the game. More fun things to do, more polish to the game.

I have lost countless hours during this summer playing this game. It was an amazing time sink for the base game that is already here. A lot more is coming in the future. I wonder what the final game will be.

#5 – The Legend of Zelda – Echoes of Wisdom (Nintendo Switch – September 2024)

My first impression

Okay, this might be an upset. Usually, I place new Zelda games quite high on my list. But, this time I place it right in the middle. This year had a lot of amazing games. I had a lot of fun with this title in 2024.

I dropped it for now. I got distracted by other games and I forgot that I was playing through this game. I have placed it on my top 10 list. It rightfully deserves a spot on that list. I want to finish this game for real.

Since, the concept of Echoes of Wisdom is just amazing. What I love most is that this is a totally new 2.5D Zelda game like the classic games. I hope that the reception of this game is enough for Nintendo to still make 2.5D and 3D Zelda titles. Since, both have their place in the market and with this amazing title.

#4 – Spirit Hunter Chapter 3: Death Mark II (Nintendo Switch – February 2024)

My review

The Spirit Hunter series is one of the best horror visual novel series. This game ensures you don’t need to have played the original Death Mark. It’s excellent because you can still understand what’s happening in the story.

The game takes a lot of steps forward and makes the game have more meat around its bones. Walking around in the locations is a lot more fun in this title.

Some game mechanics are underused. For example, the jumpscares and the padding aren’t always present in this game. Things like the Soul Health are barely used. But, the battles with the actual spirits are even more amazing in this title. Especially with the randomness of your attack failing. It gives a more tense and realistic spin on battles.

Now, I’m hoping so hard that a 4th chapter will be released. Since the concept of this game is just beyond amazing. The writing is always great and the overall mystery is built up so nice. So, if anyone of Experience Inc, would be reading this… We want more!

#3 – Moescape (PC, 2022)

My article

I love writing small stories as a hobby. Since the summer of 2024, I wanted to give those AI roleplay apps a chance. And I’m happy that I did. MoeScape AI is a platform that really clicked with me and with the amazing community around it… I just feel in love.

My brain often gets creative. When this happens, there is a fun bot waiting for me. I can play around with the idea. And if there isn’t a bot that fits the idea, it’s easy to make one. The control that Moescape gives you is beyond amazing. You can easily make a knowledge base. There are various AI models to choose from. With each update, it gets better.

Something I really like is how open the staff is on the Discord. Like, they tell you when things are down. Or when certain decisions need to be taken. Like filtering certain things on the platform due to restrictions from Apple or Google. But, they have a less filtered platform as well. So, they have Moescape and Yodayo. If you go premium, your account is premium on both platforms, and it’s amazing.

#2 – Indiana Jones and the Great Circle (PC – December 2024)

Okay, now. This is going to ruffle some feathers. I am a giant Indiana Jones fan. I placed one of the best Indiana Jones games in 2nd place on my game of the year list?

Now, that’s not because this game is bad or didn’t impress me enough. But, it wasn’t the game that made my year. Sadly enough, it released too late in the year for that.

I know it’s a strange reason. However, I feel like there is one game that pushed the boundaries more within its respective genre.

This game is a blast to play through. I feel that it deserves all the accolades it’s getting. It’s an amazing piece in the Indiana Jones franchise. It’s a love letter to the fans. I’m just thankful that the game turned out this amazing.

When I have beaten the game, I’ll for sure write an article about it. Since on the streams, a lot of random and enjoyable banter is happening. And truly, if you want to see amazing speedruns of this game, check out the_Kovic on his Twitch channel. He has deep knowledge of the game’s inner workings. He shares a lot of interesting insights during the streams.

Now, prepare yourself for an article on this game in the future. Since, I have a lot of things I still want to say and I’m keeping them all for the article.

Honorable mentions

This list wouldn’t be complete if I shout out various other games I have played in the past year. Not every game made the cut. I still wanted to mention those games that made the long list but didn’t survive the selection process.

Cave Digger 2 (PC), Buckshot Roulette (PC), Refind self (Nintendo Switch), Castlevania Dominus Collection (Nintendo Switch), Death Trick: DoubleBlind (Nintendo Switch), Dragon Quest Monsters – The Dark Prince (Nintendo Switch), Eiyuden Chronicle: Rising (Nintendo Switch), Ciel Fledge -A Daughter Raising Simulator- (Nintendo Switch), New Super Lucky’s Tale (Nintendo Switch), CrisTales (Nintendo Switch), One More Dungeon 2 (Nintendo Switch), Monster Hunter Rise (Nintendo Switch), This is not my Neighbor (PC) and Tomb Raider I-III Remastered (Nintendo Switch), Everloop (PC)

#1 – Shadow Gambit: The Cursed Crew (PC – August 2023)

My review

If there was one game that blew me away, that’s Shadow Gambit – The Cursed Crew. The way how it’s built and is the final swansong of the amazing development studio Minimi, it’s just fantastic.

The voice acting is top-notch. The story is excellent. Several game mechanics are seamlessly worked into the game world and the story. But that’s not all, this game has a mindblowing modding tool.

The little attention to detail this game does and the balancing is just mindblowing. The freedom you have to tackle each mission, and it just works. It’s balanced and doesn’t feel unfair. It also doesn’t feel like you made it too difficult by choosing the wrong characters. It also never becomes too easy, where one character makes sure you automatically win the game or the mission. Every character has their use. And you have 8 characters in the base game and 2 get added via the DLC.

I can gush for a long time about this game. If you are interested in a more in-depth article, I highly advise you to read my review linked higher.

This was 2024

I might have written fewer articles in 2024 because a lot of personal things where going on. I have written only 19 articles in 2024. One of the biggest reasons is that I’m just putting more time into finding the right writing style. This has a lot to do with it.

I have been dedicating more time to various other projects. These include contributing to open source projects, translating open source projects, and streaming with Klamath. I am also working on projects for my local acting group. It takes time and effort and I’m enjoying those things quite a lot.

Outside of that, I turned 31 years old in 2024 and life just gets busier with various things. And because of that, I’m also playing less games. At first, I felt guilty that I’m publishing so few articles… But after two years of writing fewer articles, I now dedicate more time to each one. I feel a lot more content with the content I’m placing on my blog here.

I feel that my content only improved over the years. Not only that, I feel more content with my writing. It doesn’t feel like I’m pressuring myself to play a new game every week or two to write about. I can take my time to play the games I want. I also write about the topics I find interesting.

I think I’m finally finding the right rhythm for everything and that’s what I felt that 2024 was for me. Now, this year 2025 is going to be the year I’m writing for 15 years. Before I rebranded in 2013 to this blog, I write a personal life blog that started mid 2010. So, I’m going to celebrate this year with a few special articles. And I have been preparing and brainstorming idea’s for that in 2024.

But thank you everybody for the amazing support in 2024. It was a blast to see how people interacted with my articles and the new friends I made. I can’t wait to see what’s going to happen next. Like I said earlier, I feel prouder of the things I have been putting out. I hope you are enjoying things as well. Thank you for the support this year and I hope to see you in the future. So, for now, have a great rest of your day and take care.

Review: Persona 5 Royal (PS4) ~ Changing The World

Wikipedia – Official microsite

Exclusives are a strange thing. I heard quite a lot of things about the Persona series and how it captured the hearts of so many people. Persona mainly releases on PlayStation 4. Two years ago, I decided to bite the bullet and bought myself a PlayStation 4 Pro to play Persona 5 to see what the fuzz was about. Not too long after I had beaten the game for the first time, the ports to other platforms got announced. Oh well, that’s life sometimes for you. Now, I have another platform to play games on, and I’m glad I bought my PlayStation 4 Pro. At first, it was my Persona 5 Royal machine, even when I had a lot of other games for it. Now, why did Persona 5 Royal struck such a cord with me? Is the game really that good or am I just blinding myself to not feel buyer’s regret? Or am I just overlooking the flaws in the game…? Well, in this article, I want to talk this game that almost was my game of the year last year. I hope you are ready, since here we go, let’s dive right in the world of the Phantom Thieves, while I invite you to leave a comment in the comment section down below with your thoughts and/or opinions on this game and/or the content of this article.

Changing the world

To keep spoilers to a minimum in this article, I’m going to skip over various plot details and keep some parts vague. Since, this game is best experienced as blind as possible. Then, you get the most out of the story.

The game opens in a casino where you have to escape. Our main protagonist gets caught and detained by the police. The questioning starts, and you start telling the story from the beginning.

The protagonist got transferred to Shujin Academy in Tokyo after an incident where he tried to help a woman being harassed by a man. During his probation, he stays at Café LeBlanc, which is owned by a friend of his parents. Now, it doesn’t take long before the usual Persona story elements start with the Velvet Room. A strange app also appears on our hero’s phone.

After his first few schooldays, he gets in trouble with an abusive gym teacher. After that, they discover a Palace not too far from school. This Palace is a world manifested from warped emotions. In there, they learn who that gym teacher actually is, and things go from bad to worse.

In general, most of the story follows a similar structure. The main story is divided up into chapters. Each chapter introduces new characters and a new palace. The main goal of each chapter is to conquer the Palace in time before the looming treat stops you from doing so. This can go from being sued or expelled, the stakes are always high.

In terms of writing, the game sometimes gets quite predictable. Quite often I was able to predict what was going to happen. Now, does that make the story less interesting or thrilling? Heavens no. This story’s pacing and execution is extremely well done. Let me give you a few reasons why.

For of all, the voice acting. I already loved the voice acting in Persona 5 Strikers, and I love it here. I have nothing to critique nor complain about the voice acting in this game. It really pulled me into the world of this game and took me along for the ride.

Secondly, the theme of the story is wonderful. It doesn’t shy away from sensitive subjects and explores them. The character growth in this game is really well done and made me (want to) replay the game several times to even explore all the side stories with side characters.

Thirdly, the openness of the game helps the replay value of this game so much. You have more than enough time to beat the Palace in each chapter, so you can start exploring the world of this game. Making it so that you see new side stories each and every playthrough. There is also a way to romance the female characters, which also gives bonus scenes on certain dates.

And finally, the game does take its time. I mean, this game will take you over 100 hours to beat. And that’s if you know what you are doing. There isn’t a lot of padding either in this game, since each chapter brings depth to the characters and makes you appreciate them even more. Also, spending time with all the characters can be very beneficial during your playthrough.

The only negative I can say is that the new chapter and character in the expanded Royal version of this game is over before you know it. Let’s just say that the time you get in that final chapter is extremely short, making the character growth of the new characters somewhat shallow. Which is an extreme shame since the subjects it tackles are fascinating to explore and the new characters are extremely fun to use in battle. I wish you got a bit more time to explore around and use the new characters and your new abilities. But, that’s really the only thing I can critique about the bonus chapter, the short length of it.

Decisions, decisions

Unless you are using a guide, I think it’s quite impossible to experience everything that this game has to offer in your first playthrough. There is just too much content in this game, it’s insane. Trying to explain everything or critique it all in this article would lead to an extremely long article which might be a bit overwhelming to read.

So, let’s talk about some core mechanics first. At its core, there are two main gameplay sections in this game. Inside and outside the Palaces. First off, let’s talk about the Palaces. These are the dungeons inside the game, the main goal of each chapter. Each chapter’s story builds towards a boss at the end of the Palace and tackles a certain theme like abuse, greed or being self-centered. In these dungeons, you fight shadows in a turned based fighting style.

Now, explaining the whole battle system would create a whole article in itself. There are so many ways to tackle a battle, it’s insane. Having the correct strategy for a battle is half the battle. So, in the Palaces, you can make use of your Persona. These Personas are basically your ticket to being able to use magic. Normally, each character can only use one Persona. But, the main character can use multiple. So, you have to set up your Personas and your characters up just right to tackle the challenges of each Palace.

Not only that, it’s highly recommended that you discover the weakness of your enemies, since that not only does more damage, but you can also chain extremely strong combo’s with your allies. And let me tell you, these combo’s can mean the difference between life or death. Oh, but there is more. You and your allies also have weakspots, so you need to be careful with who you choose, since guess what… The enemies can also chain attacks when hitting weakspots.

If you played this game, you know that I’m leaving out quite a lot of things from the battle system here. From ailments to even negations with the enemy. Yes, you can negotiate with the enemies for more money, items or even joining your team. Oh, there is also a mechanic where stronger enemies can take your allies hostage and make the fight even more difficult for you.

The diversity in the battle system makes it that each new playthrough of Persona 5 feels new and unique. I have played through this game 3 times already and each time, the dungeons feel fresh even when I know what to do and solve the puzzle inside the dungeon. I’m able to prepare myself better in the Velvet Room to create the best setup to tackle the Palaces even faster to see more of the side content I haven’t seen, or I enjoy quite a lot.

Now, you might think that with all these mechanics I’m touching upon, the game is quite overwhelming. But, surprisingly, it is not. The first chapter of the game is an extremely well disguised tutorial. It teaches you all the mechanics slow and steady and let you get used to the mechanics without throwing them all at once to you. While there are a lot of mechanics, all of them stay relevant during the game since depending on your actions, you make certain things easier during your Palace investigation.

So, decisions are quite important in this game. Not only in how you tackle the battles and who you level up but also outside it. Basically, this game is also a simulation. You still have to go to school and live a normal life. Meanwhile, you can explore Tokyo and deepen your bond with other characters, tackle side quests, improve your skills, play mini-games, create better Persona’s in the Velvet Room…

All of these actions are quite important. Let me give you an example. If you deepen your bond with main or side characters, you improve their Confidante rank. There are 23 characters that have their own side story and seeing them through can give you amazing advantages. Things like not having to fight enemies that are below your level, cheaper healing items, more attack styles or even random stat boots during fights.

Keeping a calendar on who is around where and what actions you can do when is important. I even had a small notebook for taking notes next to me during my playthrough. Now, in all this chaos, it’s easy to forget that there is a bonus chapter in this game. Let me tell you, there is a way to unlock that chapter, but you have to prioritize certain characters that isn’t really well hinted at. Thankfully, there are spoiler free guides for it on the internet. It is the only guide I had to use, since I wasn’t able to figure that one out.

If I just gave you the impression that this game is easy, well, think again. This game made me think and strategize quite a lot, and if you don’t upgrade the right characters, don’t have the right Persona or don’t master the core mechanics, you will make this game quite frustrating. Thankfully, if you lose during the chapter boss fight, it’s possible to rewind a few days to give you the chance to prepare differently and maybe defeat the boss then.

Gameplay wise, the depth of this game is impressive. I highly recommend that you save your game quite often and make use of those different save slots you have. Outside the Palaces and in certain area’s of the Palace you can save. There is no autosave in this game and the prompting of saving is after certain important story events. While you can’t name your save files, the save file displays quite a lot of basic information for you to learn which one is which. Or you could take notes in an Excel sheet like I did.

Something I also want to mention is that the digital manual on Atlus’s website is also extremely well done. It explains the game extremely well and gives you general tips and tricks to understand everything and why certains things can be helpful to you.

Something else I want to mention is that there even a new game plus. When you reached an ending, since yes… there are multiple endings in this game, you can restart the game. Yet, there are certain things that carry over from one playthrough to the next. This article on PushSquare explains very nicely what carries over and what not. And speaking from experience, don’t go for the good and final ending on your first run in this game. Yes, the final chapter is short but unprepared it will kick your butt. Maybe I leveled the wrong characters but I had a way easier time after I started new game plus.

Personality everywhere

This game is dripping with personality. The visual presentation of this game is something of a masterclass. It’s bold, loud and proud and uses the anime and comic book style extremely effectively.

I find it extremely impressive how they worked the personality of the characters in the visual prestation of the menu’s and the UI. Everything brings it’s own charm and just brings the game more alive.

I’m also glad that I played the Royal version of this game instead of the original. Since, the Royal version of the game brings so many improvements to the game and it improves thee game even more. I have been skimming through this amazing list on Reddit and congrats to the everyone whole helped there since this is such a nice list. And these changes add so much to the personality and style of this game.

Now, the visual presentation of this game is proud and loud and this carries over to the animations as well. In various RPG’s I play, near the end I want to skip the battle animations but in this game, I don’t want to do it. Maybe I’m too invested in the story and presentation but I feel that even near the end, the impact of the attacks still keep hitting strong and statifying. Sometimes, it’s over exaggerated, but it always fits the personality of the character and just eye candy.

The visual presentation is always consistent and runs at a stable framerate. And on top of that, the soundtrack hits the spot extremely well. The opening theme and battle theme are two of my favorites. I never thought that a battle theme with lycris while hit so hard and not get boring or repetitive. Of course, it doesn’t play during all battles but still, the tracks with and without lycris are all amazing. They all enhance the current mood of the story fit the comic book artstyle of this game like a glove. They are so good, that I sometimes tried to make my attacks sync up with the lycris or just noticed myself signing along with it.

The sound effects are also extremely well done. The sound design helps to tell the story quite a lot and helps you during gameplay to get some useful information when enemies are nearby or give you more information. Some of the sound effects are well engrained into my brain so I know what action I need to take if I encounter it.

Honestly, I have a really hard time finding flaws in this game. The controls are amazing, the menu’s are a joy to use and there is some much depth that actually changes the story progression, it’s insane that this game works with one 1 crash in my 250+ hours of gameplay and I think that might have to do with my PS4 overheating on an extremely warm day… Also, I didn’t notice any bugs or glitches during my playthrough…

Besides the short bonus story chapter, there is barely anything to critique in Persona 5 Royal. Maybe the lack of an autosave can turn some people off but I didn’t had such a big problem with it. I have played games that have longer interruptions between when you can save… Corpse Party BloodDrive and Book Of Shadows, I’m looking at you. Maybe the predictable story can be a turn off for some, but personally, I didn’t mind that. Since, the way the story is paced, the writing, character development and the voice acting add so much personality.

I can understand that with the short additional story, players who first played the original and then the Royal version might feel cheated and might feel that this upgraded version is cheap and a cash grab. That’s a totally fair critism to make. Yet, I feel that it doesn’t make the whole game bad. It’s still the amazingly well crafted Persona 5 at its core.

Something I personally found a bit undercooked was the Thieves Den. Besides playing the addictive card game with the main characters you unlocked, I feel that besides a glorified showcase of your achievements, a sound box and a gallery… It just feels like bonus stuff from a collectors edition in a nice jacket. It’s not bad, but in my now 4th playthrough I rarely visit it. Besides being able to play cards with the main cast, I felt I had no real reason to go there. Maybe if it had a bit more gameplay like being able to play all mini games outside the story or more card games, that would have been amazing. The basic idea is there and it’s an amazing way to rewatch all the cutscenes or listen to the music in game instead of it being in a menu… But, it feels lacking in some area’s.

Now, when I look online to other reviews, a lot of people who didn’t like Persona 5 compare it to previous entries in the series. Currently, I’m also playing through the other Persona games and I enjoy them quite a lot as well. While I can see the argument about the theme of Persona 5 not clicking well if you first played Persona 3 or 4, but I just see it as a new world/setting with the Persona mechanics. A totally new take on formula and setting.

I actually talked about my biggest gripe with the game earlier. I personally highly disliked the way to unlock the bonus chapter in this game. It should have been better hinted at since if you start on it too late, you lock yourself out from it. So, if you want to go for the 3rd semester, please read a guide on how to do it… It isn’t difficult but you’ll need to make time for it.

And that’s everything I want to say about this game for now. I left a lot of gameplay mechanics out for you to discover if you are interested in this game. But, I gave you a general idea on this game and I think it’s high time to go to the conclusion of this review.

Conclusion

The good:

+Excellent story

+Addictive gameplay with loads of depth

+Extremely replayable

+Very diverse gameplay in each dungeon

+Top notch visual presentation and art style

+Amazing soundtrack

+…

The bad:

-Thieves den is a little bit undercooked.

-The bonus chapter of Royal could have been handled better. (Too short, not enough time for the character development like in the main story)

-The way how you unlock the addtional chapter is too hidden.

Final thoughts:

Oh boy, Persona 5 Royal. Last yeaer I had a very difficult time deciding if you or Desperados III would take the crown as my favorite game I started in 2022. One of my main reasons why I wanted to buy a PlayStation 4 was because I wanted to experience Persona 5. From those who played it, I heard so many great things and I can honestly see why now. In 2022, I had a hard time not playing this game, since I wanted to review other games on my blog as well… But, I have spened so much time on it.

It won’t surprise me that I’ll play through this game every so often like I play through my childhood favorite Indiana Jones and the Infernal Machine. Personally, I can highly recommend this game to everybody who enjoys playing JRPGs or turnbased RPGs. This game is one of the best games I have played in recent times.

I mean, all the cosmetic DLC is now free on PS4 ever since the release of the ports to the other systems. While I played it on the PlayStation 4, I looked at the review on other platforms and it’s doing amazing.

I didn’t want to finish this game, since I didn’t want the ride to end. It’s rare that I feel as strong for a game. I remember that for games like Zero Escape or Nightmare Reaper. This game and its world really pulls you into an amazing adventure that really pulls on your heartstrings sometimes and doesn’t let go. I played this game from start to finish 3 times now and I’m thinking to play through it again for a 4th time during my fall break in a few months.

Thank you Atlus for creating this amazing title and I’m so happy that I experienced it. I had quite the hard time in writing this article, since I honestly didn’t know how tackle it since there is so much to talk about. It’s mindblowning how much and how much deepth this game has with barely anything feeling shallow. If you play this game, do like the loading screen says. Take your time, enjoy the game and relax.

With that said, I have said everything I wanted to say about this game for now. I want to thank you so much for reading this article eand I hope you enejoyeed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. I hope to be able to welcome you in another article but until then, have a great rest of your day and take care.

Score: 100/100

The Top 10 Games NekoJonez played in 2022.

It’s that time of year once again. The year is coming to a close, and it’s time to look back at what I played in 2022. This year has been an extremely busy year for me and that’s why I didn’t write as many articles this year as I usually do. Also, I started spring-cleaning on my blog and working on things behind the scenes to make my blog even better. Besides playing “new” games, I have been focusing as well on finishing unfinished games and also improving my speedrunning records. Anyway, before I forget to mention this… My top 10 games of the year list is special. In this list I talk about the games I enjoyed playing through the year, and it doesn’t matter if they were released this year or earlier. The only thing that matter is that I started playing it this year for this first time. Otherwise, it doesn’t count. That way I’m sure I can talk about ten new games every time at the end of the year. It’s both to challenge myself and to make the article more interesting for you to read since you never know which games will appear on here. So, what’s your top 10, and what do you think of my list? Feel free to leave a comment in the comment section down below with your thoughts and/or opinions. And yes, this is my personal list, so yours’ll be different.

#10 – Wolfenstein – A New Order (PC ~ Steam) (May 2014)

Sometimes, all that I need is a good shooter that’s just fun to play. The new Wolfenstein games were on my backlog for so long and this year I decided to give it a go. And I’m so glad I did. The new Wolfenstein games are amazing to play and are what I’m looking for in a shooter.

While a military shooter like a Call of Duty can be a lot of fun as well… I do like games like Wolfenstein or Outlaws, where the gameplay is more than shooting alone. I love exploring the environment and solving puzzles. And that’s something I sometimes miss in more modern shooter games. It’s almost always going from one shooting room to the next.

Something I adore in this game as well is the “what if” scenario and how the game embraces its weirdness without a second thought. I mean, the machines and everything that the Nazi’s are using in this game are just silly.

It’s a game that gave me a breath of fresh air and showed me again that I don’t need to play the newest and latest games to enjoy myself. Even a game I skipped 8 years ago can be a lot of fun to blast through then a game released a week ago. Now, I still have to finish the game… Maybe another round after writing this article won’t hurt?

#9 – Powerslave Exhumed (PC ~ Steam) (February 2022)

A second shooter on my top ten games of the year list? Well, yes, my friend. And in this shooter, we visit Ancient Egypt to fight our way to victory. And on top of that, it also has great puzzles and is just a real blast to play.

Lately, I don’t always have the time to find the right retro game for me, so when a remake/remaster or a modern port gets released… Yeah, I have the perfect excuse to play “retro” games. One thing I really like in this game is the fact that in terms of health and ammo, there are only two pick-ups. One for your health, and one for your ammo. But, not all guns drain the same ammo pool. So, when picking up ammo, you have to be careful to have the right gun equipped.

This game is an amazing balancing act between an old school 3D shooter, puzzle game and strategy game. The Egyptian setting is more than just set dressing. You really go through old temples of gods and pharaohs like it’s almost real. I always get the feeling that I’m Indiana Jones running around in these tombs trying to find the next artifact to progress in the story.

The only thing I dislike about this game is that when you put it down for a while, it’s a bit unclear what the next level is. Thankfully, you can get a hint when you go through the intro level again… But, this could have been handled a bit better. But, overall, that’s a nitpick about an amazing game I can’t wait to find more time for. So, I can finish it and put it out of my backlog and finally give it a full review on my blog.

#8 – Gas Station Simulator (PC ~ Steam) (September 2021)

My review

So, if you had told me a few years ago that a simulation game about gas stations was going to be in my top ten games of the year list… I mostly likely declare you crazy.

Yet, here we are. Gas Station Simulator gets the number 8 spot in my 2022 list. Simply because it was the perfect wind down game for me.

While I wrote my review, the big performance enhancing patch hadn’t dropped. But, now that it did, and some additional features were added, the game is even more fun. I’m oh so curious what the developers have in store for the next patches and DLC, but that’s something that we shall see next year. I’m mostly curious on how they are going to combine the other games they have announced to work together. Games working together is something I have only seen in The Legend of Zelda – Oracle of Ages & Oracle of Seasons and I found it really underused back then. Now, I hope they didn’t bite off more than they can chew… But, that’s something we’ll find out when it’s released, most likely. But for now, I have seen the first great stepping stones for an amazing tycoon universe. Here is to hope they don’t overcomplicate it!

I also wrote a review about it, so if you want my opinion… Feel free to check out my review. But know that it was written before the big preformance patches.

#7 – The Last of Us Remastered (PS4) (July 2014)

I’m such a big fan of the Tomb Raider & Indiana Jones games… I just love a big adventure game where you go from place to place, to find an ancient artifact. Now, we have confirmation that a new Tomb Raider game AND a new Indiana Jones game is in the works. But when will they release? We don’t really know yet. We don’t even know on which platform(s) they will release.

Now, with that kind of intro… You’d expect an Uncharted game to fill this spot. But, no. It’s another amazing series from the same developers. The Last of Us surprised me in many ways. It scratched that itch of exploring a world, trying to survive and find a way forward.

While I’m not too big on zombie or infection stories, I’m so happy that this game doesn’t focus too much on your cliché things that those stories usually focus on. Expect, you get a game about a bond between two people in an apocalyptic world.

Currently, I’m quite close to the end of the game. There is this one section I can’t get passed, but one of these days I’ll. And then, I can start working on the review for this game. But, the fact that I’m almost done with the first game makes me a bit sad since it’s such a nice experience to go through. But, I think I’m going to save my full opinion on this game for when I eventually review this game.

#6 – Coromon (Switch) (March 2022)

My article

I totally understand that 2D Pokémon games are something from the past. But, I still miss them. So, when I started playing Coromon… I got such a nostalgic wave over me.

Finally, I was able to play a totally new Pokémon-ish adventure in the style of my childhood with more modern things.

On top of that, I was blown away by the unique mechanics in this game. Also, the unique puzzles and style of this game made me appreciate this game even more.

I really think that this is one of the better indie games I have played all year, and I can’t wait to see what the developer of this game does next. But, maybe I should take a look at Coromon in a few months, since in various articles the developers said there might be new content added via patches. So yeah, if you want to know what I think about this game… I have written a nice review of the game and I highly recommend you check it out.

#5 – Silent Hill 3 (PS2) (May 2003)

In February, I’m turning 30 years old. And in the past years, a lot of people recommended the Silent Hill franchise to me. Currently, I only own the first 4 Silent Hill games and Homecoming. In 2018, I gave Silent Hill 4 a chance. Yet, it was so close to getting a spot in my top ten games of the year list.

Now, I do enjoy playing horror games once in a while and while I have been more “distracted” by games like Fatal Frame and Resident Evil, this year I finally gave Silent Hill 3 a chance. And man, I’m so glad I did.

Silent Hill 3 is one of those games that is exactly what I’m looking for lately. A horror game that’s less focused on combat but more on puzzles and world building. Something I really love is how there are different difficulty modes for the actual game and the riddles in some Silent Hill games and this is one of them. So, you can tune the game to how you want. Do you want to a more combat-focused run or a brain teaser… Or both? That’s totally up to the player. And best of all, these difficulties don’t gatekeep endings.

Anyways, I still have a lot to play and go through before I can even write a first impression of this game. But, I’m so glad that I’m giving this game a chance. I can’t wait to see how this game is going to impress me next or what twists and turns it will take. And because of that, it gets a well-deserved fifth place on my top ten games of 2022 list.

#4 – AI – The Somnium Files: Nirvana Initiative (Switch) (June 2022)

My review

Kotaro Uchikoshi is one of my favorite game directors. He is one of the minds behind the Zero Escape series. A series I love and still quote to this day.

After the Zero Escape trilogy, Kotaro started work on his next big project which is the AI: The Somnium Files series. And this year, we got the 2nd game in the series, the Nirvana Iniative.

While this game isn’t as strong as the original game, it’s still an amazing game. I felt that this sequel played it a bit too safe in certain areas. But, maybe I’m judging it too harshly because I loved the first game so much. Like how fans of the game always expect something bigger and better then the first game for a sequel but are then angry if it’s too different or not different enough.

Something that did this game also no real favors is that the first game’s story had no real loose ends. So, what could a sequel build on apart from throwing in a lot of new characters? Surprisingly, this game also re-uses some of the background characters of the first game and gives them more depth.

I might expected a bit more for this sequel, but it’s an excellent game in its own right. It also has a built-in spoiler filter to avoid players who start with this game, to not spoil the original game. So, that’s something I love to see in these kinds of games. Especially since there isn’t anything in title to indicate that this game is a sequel.

#3 – Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony (Switch) (December 2021)

I remember that at the end of 2015, I started the Bioshock trilogy. And then, in 2016, I played Bioshock Infinite. And the final part of that trilogy was such an amazing part of the trilogy, it even scored a spot as my most favorite game of that year.

Late 2021, I started playing the Danganronpa games. Last year, the original Danganronpa scored game of the year for me. And this year, I played two Danganronpa games. I have only played the start of Another Episode, but I have finished the amazing 3rd entry in the series in January.

Apart from some major slowdown issues in some parts, this game is fantastic. Explaining why would ruin so much of the story. Let me just say, it’s a worthy ending of an amazing series that I didn’t want to end just like the Zero Escape series.

So, thank you Kazutaka Kodaka and your team for creating this amazing franchise and porting it over to the Nintendo Switch. I heard so much about it and always wanted to try the whole series and now that I finished the original trilogy, I have to say that if you enjoy the Zero Escape series, these games are a must play. Now, to finish the two spin off games and I’m … finished … with the series. Wait.

#2 – Persona 5 Royal (PS4) (October 2019)

This year, I tracked down a PSVita and a PS4 Pro. Mostly, because there were various exclusive titles for those systems I wanted to try and play. One of those was Persona 5 Royal. So, I buy a second hand PS4 Pro just before the summer and I buy myself a copy of Persona 5 Royal… Not knowing that in a port of Persona 5 Royal released in October of this year. But, that’s totally beside the point. It’s easy to judge ourselves in the future for actions in the past.

I expected to enjoy Persona 5, since I already bonded with the characters in Persona 5 Strikers last year. But something that I didn’t expect is how Persona 5 made me fall in love with the Persona and Shin Megami Tensei series. After beating Persona 5 and close to beating the extra chapter, I went onto a spree playing various other Persona and Shin Megami Tensei games in my collection.

But, Persona 5 really clicked with me. This game was my summer jam. While I bought a whole load of other games that summer for my PS4, I always went back to Persona 5. I don’t want to know how many hours I already spent in my two playthroughs of the game. Especially, since this game is over 100 hours long.

Yeah, not joking about that. This game is anything but short. You’ll get your money worth out of it and then some. I especially love going through the game after I have beaten the story to try and unlock even more and see everything. Since, it’s close to impossible to see everything on your first playthrough unless you have a great guide and you aren’t playing this game casually.

The big issue is that I’m still looking for an angle to review this game. But, I have a feeling that in 2023… A Persona 5 Royal review will appear on my blog, where I can take you more in depth on my thoughts and opinions on this gem of a game. Since, I highly recommend this game to everybody who enjoy JRPG games. This should be a must play.

Honorable mentions

It would be weird if I only played ten new games this year or if all the other new games I played this year weren’t in the running for this list. So, here are the honorable mentions that didn’t make the cut this year. All of them are amazing games, but for one reason or another… They didn’t make the cut for this list. Also, if a game I played and isn’t on these honorable mentions list, it’s by no means a bad game. I have to limit it somewhere.

Shin Megami Tensei V (Switch), Soul Hackers 2 (PS4), Pokémon Scarlet & Violet (Switch), Pokémon Arcues (Switch), Danganronpa – Another Episode (PC ~ Steam), House Flipper (PC ~ Steam), Sherlock Holmes – Crimes & Punishments (XBOX360), YuruKill (PS4), Turok (PC ~ Steam), Stanley Parable Ultra Deluxe (Switch), Evil Within (XBOX360), Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey Redux (3DS), Mary Skelter: Nightmares (PSVita), Uncharted – The Lost Legacy (PSVita), Kirby and the Forgotten Lands (Switch)

#1 – Desperados III (PC ~ Steam) (June 2020)

My review

When I finished this game, I was left in awe. Desperados was one of my favorite childhood games but I found it a bit too difficult sometimes.

While Desperados III had some moments where I almost pulled my hair out, I kept sticking with it. The quick save and load feature of this game is a godsend. While, this feature was in the previous games as well, I felt that the implementation in this game is just perfect.

Also, the unique mechanics in this 3rd gem of a game are fantastic. No more endless bullets to corridor shoot down the enemies. You have to be wise and use all items and mechanics at your disposal. Something that’s tested more in depth in the additional challenges you can do.

I can talk for quite a while about this game. While writing my article about this game, I had a real hard time coming up with negatives for the game. Apart from some big difficulty spikes, this game made me want to play even more Desperados. I’m so planning to replay this game next year to try and improve my score and try to do some of the harder achievements.

Also, I still have the original games to play through. I find them too difficult as a kid and maybe with my current skillset these games might be a bit easier and maybe I’m able to finish them. In any case, Desperados III is an amazing game that I kept playing on and off this past year and a game I didn’t want to beat. Since, I knew that I wanted to keep playing it and discover new maps, new content and new things. But everything must have an end, even this year. And I’m glad that Desperados III, the gem of a game, was in my 2022.

Conclusion

2022 is a beast of a year for me. To be brutally honest, I’m so happy that the year is almost over. The amount of things that were packed into this year were simply a bit nuts. A lot of amazing things happened like me getting a fixed contract for my current job which is my dream job…

But, a lot of other things happened in my private life as well. Sometimes I really had to do a balancing act to stay on top of things. Sometimes I wasn’t even able to write for my blog or do other things. But hey, a lot of things are coming to their conclusion and 2023 has a lot of amazing things to look forward too.

But something that’s surprising to me is that, even with the drastic drop in amount of articles this year, I still grew a slight bit in 2022. Yes, the amount of views/visitors in 2021 was 7,3K and now I’m getting close to 9,5K. After so many years in the blogging world, I still enjoy being a part of it and with the plans I have for the upcoming year, I can’t wait.

I just hope that next year, I have more time for writing and my blog since I really missed that this year as my creative outlet. If you want to stay on top of things, I recommend that you follow me on my Twitter. I post the latest updates on there and I also post on there if I’m doing something else like spending time on my speedruns of Indiana Jones, streaming with friends or other things like that.

Besides all that, I still saw a lot of amazing games this year and as usual… It was far from easy to put this list for me together. I have moved games so much around and there are a lot of amazing titles that aren’t on this list. For some strange reason, I’m always afraid that I’m replaying too many games instead of playing new games and that the list is way too small. But, I’m always surprised at the amount of games that are on my list each and every year.

I’m quite curious to see what you all think about my list. And with this being one of the final articles for this year, I want to wish you all an amazing new year and with that said, I have said everything I wanted to say about this year for now. I want to thank you for reading this article and I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. I hope to be able to welcome you in another article, but until then, have a great rest of your day/year and take care.

First Impression: Persona 5 Strikers (Switch) ~ Let’s Steal Hearts

Persona5StrikersWikipedia’s entry – Nintendo.com microsite

I have heard so much about the Persona series, I got so hyped when a new game was coming to the Nintendo Switch. While I know that it’s a spin-off game compared to the mainline series, I honestly found the spin on the gameplay rather interesting. This game is a cross between a Warrior’s game and a Persona game. Now, I have played a little of Persona 3 Golden last year and that made my hype levels for this game even bigger. So, now that I have beaten the first section of the game, I think it’s high time for me to talk about this game and give you my opinions on the game. While I do that, I invite you to leave a comment in the comment section down below with your thoughts and opinions on the game and/or the content of this article. 

Let’s steal hearts

p5strikers3

In this game, you pick up the role of the protagonist of Persona 5 again. The events of this game take place 4 months after the events in Persona 5. The Phantom Thieves are having a reunion together when a campaigning trip is planning. Of course, since this is a video game, it doesn’t take long before the plot reveals itself and trouble arrives. 

Strange things happen around a famous fashion model and pop star Alice and then our lovely Phantom Thieves discover something that is quite close to the “Palaces” they know so well. Yet, this time it’s called a jail. In this jail, the desires are stolen from the people which make them fall a “little more than” head over heels with Alice. But, that’s not the only thing that happens. Our lovely Phantom Thieves also discover this strange girl called Sophia who is an AI who forgot all her memories and wants to be human’s best companion. 

That’s the hook of the first episode of this game. In terms of story, this game doesn’t disappoint at all. Especially, because I haven’t played Persona 5, the writing and pacing of the story explains who is who so easily, it’s a breeze to pick this game up without having to play through Persona 5 first.

I also have to say that the outstanding voice acting does help here too. It really sucks me into the game, the atmosphere and breathes so much life in the characters. To the point that when I come to a part that isn’t voice acted, I actually read it with a poor imitation of the character’s voice in my head. A quick sidenote about the voice acting during gameplay, the various repeating lines add so much to the game. I thought I might get tired of them after a few repeats, but that is far from the case, just like it was for me in a game like Fire Emblem Warriors. 

I can’t pinpoint exactly why but the story really clicks with me. Like, I really like how you explore the trauma of one character, and before they move on, it gets fully resolved. The writing is excellent, the story has a lot of charm and character. It has it’s funny and more serious moments and I totally understand why so many people fell in love with the Persona franchise. After playing this game and Persona 3 Golden, I think I might become a fan of the franchise myself as well. One of the things that makes me want to continue the game is the story. I want to steal and heal hearts to help people overcome trauma’s and explore subjects that don’t always get the right attention. 

RPG or Warriors?

p5strikers2

The gameplay of this game is in my opinion the perfect mix between a turn based RPG and a Warrior’s game. 

Since the first city in this game doesn’t have any side quests, I’ll only focus on the gameplay in the jail for this article. So, in the jails you can freely explore the area while enemies roam around. When you ambush an enemy or get spotted, you enter a sort of small Warrior-style battle. Where a lot of enemies spawn, and you have to hack and slash your way through. 

If you ambush them (attack them without being seen), you get the advantage. If you get spotted and the enemies attack you first, you get dizzy at the start of the battle, so the enemies can get some free shots in. So, this game has a type system that you can compare quite roughly to Pokémon in a way. Each type has its own strengths and weaknesses, and it’s up to you to choose the correct allies in a battle to fight the enemies ahead. 

The game also has hacking sections where the game plays more like a Warrior’s game than an RPG. In these sections you have to defend The Oracle while she is hacking into the system. Meanwhile, a swarm of enemies attack and their only focus is to destroy the Oracle. 

So far, this is the 3rd Warrior’s spin off I have played. Actually, the 4th depending on how you count. I have played Hyrule Warriors (and like I said, depending on how you count: Hyrule Warriors – Age of Calamity), Fire Emblem Warriors and now Persona 5 Strikers. And out of these games, I have to say that I feel that Persona 5 Strikers has the best balance between both game styles. 

This game still feels like a “normal” Persona game but with the big exception that the whole battle system is replaced by Warrior style gameplay.  And it works remarkably well. I found it a blast trying to find the best strategies to dodge enemy attacks while I tried to attack them back. The risk and reward system of using your special powers compared the environment items is amazing. 

Each character has their own unique playstyle where their character and personality shines through. The game might be a bit overwhelming at first since there are a lot of things you have to keep track of. From leveling up your characters and their persona’s, to weapons and armor, to finding enough treasures and things to have enough healing items and even a bond system where you can level up unique perks that’ll make each playthrough somewhat different from each other. 

It didn’t take long before I got used to all the mechanics and found myself extremely hooked on the game. Depending on the difficulty you choose to play this game in, this game provides the right amount of challenge in my opinion. A few times, I got quite frustrated at a battle and when I put the game down and picked it up back later, I was able to beat that section. 

Don’t forget to save

p5strikersNow, most of my time with the first chapter has been spent inside the jail of Alice. There is some time you can spend in the overworld to buy items, weapons, and armor. With the extremely responsive and smooth controls, I always felt in control and only rarely felt that the game did something unfair. 

If you have read some of my previous articles, you might know that I find good UI design extremely important and this game delivers that in spades. The menus are extremely well crafted and somewhat fun to use since you see small interactions between the Phantom Thieves that flesh them out so much more. 

This brings me to the striking visual presentation of this game. The visuals look amazing. The charm and character that is put into the visuals is outstanding. This game’s style is a combination of a Saturday morning anime and a manga/superhero comic. It’s also quite bold and not afraid to use the style to its full potential. Nothing feels out of place in my opinion. 

When it comes to the animations, these are good as well. Well, maybe this might be on me but I feel that some animations don’t give enough feedback to the player. For example, I found it quite tricky to know where my character was on the battlefield since the combat animations can throw you all over the battlefield. 

Something that might be either a sound effect problem and/or a visual problem is the lack of feedback in combat sometimes. The reaction of an effective and a non-effective attack is so similar to me, it was tricky to separate them in combat. Thankfully, the characters repeat multiple times which type of attack you need to use and when you need to be careful when your HP/SP is running low or when a status is inflicted. This is a nice middle ground to solve an issue to avoid making this game too complex or lose too much of its visual style. 

So, let’s talk about the music and sound effects shall we? Let’s start with the sound effects in this game. In my opinion, this game is walking a fine line between too much and too little sound effects. Overall, the sound effects and the sound mixing is quite good, but sometimes this game has a lot of visual information to process and the sound effects can get a tiny bit distracting. All the while, like I explained in the previous paragraph, they are quite helpful when a character shouts at you to be careful or use a certain attack to defeat an enemy. 

I wish I knew more about music, so I was able to describe the amazing soundtrack to you. Even before I started playing the Persona games, I fell in love with the unique uplifting soundtrack of these games. There are tracks with and without vocals and the Japanese and English versions are so amazing to listen to. So, really great stuff. 

One of the things I really needed to get used to was the fact that there is no “auto save” in this game. If you want to avoid loosing too much progress, keep in mind to save often at save points, or before you enter a dungeon since otherwise you might regret it. You only get a game over when all 4 party members faint. Otherwise, you can continue on playing. But, don’t forget to save since it needs to happen manually. 

And with that said, I have said almost everything I wanted to say about this game. There are a few things I’ll go more in depth about if I ever finish this game and write a review about this game, but the most important things are already said. I think this game is excellent and if you enjoy (Persona) RPG’s, Warrior spin-off games, adventure games and/or action games… You owe it to yourself to check this game out. To be honest, apart from the manual saving, I barely find any flaws with this game or things I really didn’t like. 

So, thank you for reading this article and I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. I hope to be able to welcome you in another article but until then, have a great rest of your day and take care.