Why I Love Undertale

Undertale, a game that needs zero introduction. On one hand, I have absolutely zero idea what I could bring to the table at this point, Undertale is far and away one of the most talked about and analyzed games of the last 10 years. On the other hand, I think the culture around Undertale has ballooned so much that it often tends to overshadow the game itself, so I want to really dig into the more small-scale reasons that made Undertale such an impactful experience for me personally.

When I think of Undertale, my mind always goes to a singular moment early on in the game. 

The first chunk of Undertale takes place in the ruins, an incredibly easy tutorial area where your new motherly figure Toriel carefully walks you through the game's mechanics, encouraging you to try to go for the pacifistic route within the battle system. However, once you reach Toriel's home, she asks you to stay and not venture further into the dangerous underground. Of course, seeing as this is a video game, you head off regardless and get blocked by Toriel, who proceeds to start up a battle with you. During the battle, she urges you to fight her back and show off your strength, so that's what I did. I whittled down her health, expect her to just give up, but I ended up killing her. Not getting the outcome I wanted, I did what any gamer would do. I reloaded my old save, and let her live this time... only to see this:

 Learning that your actions have consequences in a game is always a bit of a shock. There's another game slightly further up the list that has a similar moment, but I was barely a teenager when I played Undertale for the first time. This moment shook me to my core, I felt legitimately guilt from killing a video game character. The way in which this moment is executed is just so perfect. It doesn't force you to kill Toriel if you really don't want to, you can recall the prior tutorial and defy her demand to fight her, it's really all up to the player. And I love how the game gives you a moment to let you think you got away with it. Flowey doesn't pop up right after you reload your save, he shows up after you save Toriel. For many, the Sans fight was the moment that defined Undertale. For me, it was the Toriel fight, it perfectly encapsulates the game's themes and general unique qualities.

When most people think of Undertale's writing, they tend to immediately fixate on the game's quirky sense of humor, and that's not at all unfounded. I've said before that I don't find the Earthbound series especially funny, but Undertale? That's a completely different story, the sheer quantity of memorable lines and surreal gags flying at you at any given moment always leaves me in hysterics. People also tend to mention how well-realized a lot of the characters are and that's also definitely a point in Undertale's favor. The Undertale cast is so likable and collectively fleshed-out, there isn't a single major character I find myself disliking. The serious but dorky Undyne is easily my favorite of the bunch, but that's stiff competition when characters like Papyrus, Toriel, and Mettaton also exist. A big part of this is Undertale's unique battle system which blends standard turn-based combat with a visual novel element where you can ask characters questions and learn more about them to try to end fights in a pacifistic fashion, which in turn gives the characters you encounter even more development and depth. 

However, even with all these amazing characters, one of my favorite aspects of Undertale has always been that sense of isolation it can offer. While about half the game is spent interacting with these funny and charming NPCs, the other half has you wander around the overworld completely alone, discovering its many secrets all by yourself. There's a really engaging juxtaposition between these two halves, and wandering into a more populated area like Snowdin Town or Temmie Village creates a unique brand of comfort. This is a big part of why I prefer Undertale over Deltarune, which has more colorful environments and gives you a party with a more defined group dynamic. I'm not against having a party or anything and I love Ralsei and Susie to bits, but something hits different about the eerie emptiness of some of Undertale's areas. I think isolation is a really important theme in Undertale too, and it's especially woven into the routes you take. As everyone knows, there are pacifist and genocidal routes depending on whether or not you choose to kill enemies and characters. If you go pacifist, you'll eventually come to befriend most of the major characters and end up not feeling so lonely by the end. If you go genocide, that isolation will only get increasingly worse as the game goes on. It's really compelling stuff.

I do need to give Undertale's gameplay its praise though, particularly the battle system. I already praised how well it ties into the characters, but it's also just really fun and inventive from a gameplay standpoint. Enemy and boss attacks are essentially displayed as brief bullet hell sequences where you dodge a wide array of bizarre and inventive patterns, with some of the boss fights even completely changing your controls to that of a platformer or a shmup. They're not necessarily hard outside of a few bosses in the genocide route, but they remain fun and varied across the entire game. Toby Fox is known for being a massive Touhou fan, so it is really cool to see one of my favorite series seep into such an important indie title like this. The visual novel aspects are also a ton of fun, trying to figure how to defeat every enemy and boss nonviolently is a cool puzzle a lot of the time, and I love the "oh shit" moments whenever a boss purposefully tries to make it harder for you to talk it out. I will say that Deltarune's battle system is definitely a step-up from Undertale's in terms of mechanical complexity, but even this original incarnation is still a ton of fun to mess around with.

Undertale's visual style is a very interesting beast. I've seen a lot of people claim it has "bad graphics" but I feel that's doing the game a bit of a disservice. Of course some of the characters look a bit lopsided, it's purposefully trying to go for the more off-kilter look of SNES Earthbound and it nails that vibe perfectly. And even more, what Undertale lacks in graphical fidelity, it more than makes up for with art direction. The cold purple and blue hues for the environments really help give the underground its own unique feel, the backgrounds look categorically amazing, and the game likes to toss in some fun stylistic shifts like the monochromatic New Home and the silhouettes in the Judgement Hall. And of course, the character designs are pretty phenomenal across the board, that's another big reason why Undertale's cast is so iconic. Even side characters like Napstablook and Grillby have super memorable designs.

Undertale's soundtrack is obviously incredible and there's no shortage of praise that's gone towards its clever usage of its various leitmotifs, but my favorite thing about it is how much of a massive emotional and tonal rollercoaster in terms of tone. Of course, you have your banging boss themes that everyone raves about like Spear Of Justice, Spider Dance, Death By Glamour, Your Best Nightmare, and Hopes And Dreams. There's also a fair share of silly and quirky tracks like Dating Start, Spooktune, Temmie Village, and Hotel, many of which even utilize soundfonts from other games like Ace Attorney, Mega Man X, Final Fantasy VI, and of course Touhou. But Undertale also has a ton of grippingly melancholic pieces, especially in the overworld, tracks like Ruins, Another Medium, and Undertale. And even more, some of the boss themes can feel less like real emotional gut punches, like Heartache, ASGORE, and my favorite track in the game, Battle Against A True Hero. The more upbeat stuff is fun, but it really is the more melancholic and atmospheric Undertale tracks that really stick with me the most.

Now, if you've read this far, you probably noticed that there's a certain character and accompanying theme I've neglected to mention. I think Sans is a fun character, he gets some great jokes and his laid-back trollish nature can be a delight at times. However, his detached personality means I'm not anywhere near as connected to him as most of the rest of the Undertale cast. As for Megalovania, it's a fantastic all-timer vgm track... but you can tell it was just ported in from another game because it does not fit in with the tone that the rest of the soundtrack established. So instead, I want to single out the Smash remix instead which adds just enough extra embellishments and Undertale references to help it feel more like a part of the series. That's just my take though, I just thought it was worth explaining why arguably Undertale's most popular aspect is not a major factor in my love of it.

Over the last few months, I've been trying to figure out what exactly it was I loved about videogames. Freedom Planet 2 and the TTYD Remake made me realize how much I enjoyed spending time in weird fantasy worlds with a memorable cast of characters, and I think that's a big aspect of why Undertale struck such a strong chord with me. This was the first time I ever really got invested in a cast of video game characters like I would in a movie or TV show, and I think back on the time I spend in Undertale's surreal subterranean world incredibly fondly. On its own merits, it's a fun throwback RPG with an inventive battle system, charming writing, and a killer soundtrack, but it coalesces into a truly enthralling adventure that feels even greater than the sum of its parts. Shovel Knight was the game that introduced me to the wider indie scene, but Undertale was the game that showed me how good they could get.

Smallville (Season 1)

Well, it's been a while. I've started getting back into watching shows lately, but I haven't really had the drive to make full-on seasonal reviews of them, until Smallville. Being a massive ten-season show with each season containing around 20-ish episodes, there's quite a lot to sift through here, so I thought this was as good a time as any to bring TV reviews back, at least for more longform series like Smallville.

Smallville aimed to be a younger, edgier interpretation of the Superman mythos, showing Clark Kent attending school as he slowly comes to grips with his powers. It's very much a teen drama combined with a superhero show, blending together episodic Freak Of The Week storylines with a metric ton of romantic angst, and it's a surprisingly refreshing combination. With Clark's arrival came a meteor shower that hits Smallville, killing Lana's parents and leaving her a chunk of kryptonite she carries around, searing Lex's hair, and leading to a trend of kryptonite-affected "metahumans". This premise allows the show to really recontextualize Superman mythology in a way that feels natural and cohesive, and it paves the way for a Buffy-esque formula where Clark investigates kryptonite-related incidents around town with his friends from school while also keeping his powers a secret and dealing with the trials of being a teen. It all just clicks together really well. That being said, this season does feel a bit too episodic. While there is a sense of continuity and a few running subplots across the season, there isn't one grand storyline tying the entire season together. The whole season feels pretty quaint and small-scale, though I'm assuming that's intentional and will change as the show goes on.

Such a procedural formula needs a strong cast that I'd want to follow over the course of the season, and thankfully, Smallville has quite the great cast, for the most part. Tom Welling makes for a really great Clark Kent, he just gets every aspect of the character down pat. His grounded farm boy naivety, his dorky awkwardness with others, his noble selflessness, and on top of all that, he simply looks the part. The fact that Clark in this show is still a volatile teen who doesn't have full control of his powers yet also allows me to actually feel scared for him when he gets in over his head. Of course, Michael Rosenbaum's Lex Luthor is great too, and his friends-fated-to-be-enemies dynamic with Clark is super engaging even if it's laid on a bit thick. Regardless, if Lex has a major role in an episode, he's likely to be the most interesting part of it. Clark's show-original friend Chloe Sullivan was also a surprise highlight (barring all that controversy with her actress), she has the quick-witted snark and go-getting personality of a Lois Lane but has just enough added dorkiness to help her stand out as her own character. Lana Lang didn't really land for me at first, Kristin Kreuk's performance felt really wooden for the first half of the season and most of Lana's scenes felt dull and sullen. Thankfully, Lana did improve in the final stretch as she showed off her assertive side more and Kreuk's acting improved, but she was still probably the weakest link most of the time.

Highlights:

Nicodemus: While most of this season was enjoyable on a base level, there weren't many individual episodes that really impressed me, except for Nicodemus. This episode was just pure fun. The main premise is about a mysterious flower that removes the inhibitions of everyone who sniffs its pollen, from Jonathan Kent going full rage mode, to Lana trying to hit on every male character in her close radius, to Pete almost murdering Lex out of jealousy. I just love how unabashedly nuts this episode was, there's a very chaotic and campy energy to it all. Kreuk gets to ham it up as uninhibited Lana, and the climax has a super fun bit where Clark pretends to be infected by the flower.

Tempest: If there's one thing I knew about Smallville prior to watching it, it's that its infamous for its chaotic, cliffhanger-heavy season finales, and Tempest was one hell of a first impression. I've always had a soft-spot for the trope of paralleling a dramatic story beat with a literal storm, and Tempest ends the season with a giant tornado hitting Smallville and affecting pretty much every character. Lana getting swept up in the tornado, Clark ditching Chloe at prom to save her, the ship activating right in front of Martha, Jonathan chasing Roger Nixon out into the storm over proof he has of Clark's powers, and Lex having to decide whether or not to let his father die to falling debris, that's five goddamn cliffhangers! But on top of that, Tempest also manages to bring every character's arc to a pretty satisfying close, so it doesn't feel like an incomplete episode. It's everything a good season finale should be, just amped up to eleven.

Overall, Smallville's first season was fun, but it was definitely meant to be a more simple introduction to the series. The cast is strong and the formula is solid, but the individual episode quality didn't truly impress me, the acting had a bit of growing pains, and plot progression was minimal. However, the show definitely has its hooks in me and with such a slam-bang finale, I'm very excited to see how it evolves in Season 2.

2/5 Stars

Why I Love Mega Man X4

This is mostly going to be restating things I've already said countless times on this blog. Mega Man X4 is right up there with Zero 3 as my all-time favorite Mega Man game. I think it's a near perfect action game with some of the best style in the entire genre.

 Coming off the heels of the SNES trilogy, Mega Man X4 was the first X game made specifically for the Playstation, and as such, it took the series in a whole bunch of new directions. 

The biggest evolution was arguably in the story, X4 had a far darker narrative that looks at the series from a more morally grey lens, focusing primarily on a growing conflict between Reploids and humanity. It's easy to forget with that infamously wonky voice acting, but X4 is the game that handled a vast majority of the world-building we tend to remember the series for, and it set up a lot of the themes that the Zero games in particular would proceed to further develop. But even on its own, X4's story has no shortage of memorable and iconic Mega Man moments, like Split Mushroom's Sigma reveal, the several confrontations against Magma Dragoon, X telling Zero to kill him if he ever goes Maverick, and of course, Iris's death which does genuinely land for me despite that line. I love how much more personality the Mavericks have now that they get pre-match dialogue, and Sigma is at his absolute best here as an antagonist too, spending most of the game as a literal specter manipulating things from the background.

Of course, the real draw for Mega Man X4 is in the gameplay, and with a new engine, MMX's gameplay got a massive boost in terms of fluidity. It feels so good to fly through the levels in any of the PS1 games perfectly aligning shots with all the enemies, but X4 is especially satisfying by virtue of having the best level design. X4 also introduces the ability to play as Zero, who's built around some addictingly fun combo-focused swordplay. Instead of getting special weapons, Zero gets special moves like in a character action game, and his full kit gives you a ton of options for taking down enemies and bosses. I really can't just play X4 as one of the two characters, I always play as both X and Zero whenever I do a replay of X4 because they both offer equally fun yet still unique gameplay experiences. As I mentioned in my initial review of X4, I also think X's fourth armor in this game is quite possibly the best armor in the entire series so playing as him gets especially fun.

The level design in X4 is primarily focused on constantly tossing new and inventive ideas at you, all of which are a ton of fun. There really isn't a weak Maverick stage in the bunch, from a typically incredible train stage for Slash Beast, to hopping across airships in Storm Owl, to the Ride Chaser segment in Jet Stingray, to the speedrun challenges in Cyber Peacock, to the beautiful scenery in Web Spider, to the trippy teleporting in Split Mushroom, to the incredible flow of platforming in Magma Dragoon. The boss fights are also consistently fun too, with a highlight being Magma Dragoon's Street Fighter-inspired encounter. Sadly, the endgame stages are generally quite a bit shorter and easier than you'd expect, but they maintain the same addicting sense of flow that the Maverick stages had, and also pack some incredible boss fights that leave you feeling satisfying regardless. I said it before but I'll say it again, Sigma's X4 fight is easily his best. Dealing with his multiple heads and wide array of attacks can feel overwhelming at first, but it's immensely satisfying to get through and you're given a fair amount of leeway so it never feels like completely BS.

The Mega Man X games are also known for their collectables, each game having Heart Tanks, Sub Tanks, and Armor Parts to find across all their levels that you'll often need to backtrack for. Some games like X3, X5, and X8 go way too overboard with the backtracking and side collectibles, but in the case of X4, things feel incredibly streamlined so going for a least backtracking run can be incredibly fun. You'll only need to backtrack once as X and not at all as Zero, and either run doesn't feel especially unmanageable. In general, I love how refreshingly basic X4 is compared to some of the other games in the series. The levels do have a fair share of crazy setpieces but they never feel gimmicky, and there aren't any wild shoehorned mechanics that detract from the action. It's just pure, raw innocent fun that won't take you more than two hours to blaze through.

And on a presentation level, Mega Man X4 stands out especially well. Sony almost refused to release X4 due to it using pixelart, and it even got a bunch of poor reviews at the time for this decision, but I'm glad Capcom stuck to their guns here because this is still one of the prettiest games of all time. The spritework is so intricate in X4, with bold colors, complex moving backgrounds, and carefully integrated pre-rendered 3D models without them coming across as out of place (cough X5 cough). I absolutely adore the way this game looks, the aesthetic is perfect. The soundtrack is just as good, made by one of my favorite Capcom composers, Toshihiko Horiyama. I already praised the music in this game quite a bit in my Mega Man Music Reviews series, but just to recap, I love how X4's soundtrack perfectly balances being intense and adrenaline-pumping with being somber and melancholic, keeping the action going while also fitting with the game's darker story. Highlights include X's Intro Stage, Cyber Peacock, Web Spider, Magma Dragoon, Jet Stingray, Sting Mushroom, Final Weapon, Iris, and Sigma 2nd. And of course, I can't go without mention the game's Japanese OP theme, Makenai Ai Ga Kitto Aru, a melancholic 90s synth pop banger that ranks as my favorite vocal track in the franchise.

 Mega Man X4 easily ranks among the best action-platformers the medium has to offer, it's a perfect fusion between style and substance. It's got fluid movement, punchy combat, bombastic levels, flashy visuals, and a heart-pumping score, but it's also got a darker narrative that expands on the Mega Man world in some big ways, and a high skill ceiling that allows for some incredible combo potential, speedrun potential, and minimal backtracking potential.

Mega Man 3: A Deep Dive

We're back, and it's time to fully review my favorite Classic game in the series, Mega Man 3. I was especially curious about reviewing this one because despite being my personal favorite, MM3 is arguably one of the most controversial Mega Man games. First it was considered a weaker sequel to 2, then it was considered an improvement, and now more people are calling it a poorly-balanced mess. I wonder if looking at MM3 with a more critical eye will cause me to gain more appreciation for it like I did with the first two games, or if I end up potentially liking it even less. I guess there's only one way to find out.

2024 Games I Played: Berserk Boy

So, I reviewed Arzette, but now it's time to review the other game I got recently: Berserk Boy. I don't have quite as much to say about this one as I did with Arzette, that game was a very special case, but I can say that it's also quite a fun time even if I comes with a fair share of flaws.

Berserk Boy is yet another Mega Man-inspired action platformer, though I wouldn't exactly say it's inspired by the Classic or X games like many of its contemporaries. If anything, Berserk Boy seems a lot more like a Zero or ZX game, with a stronger emphasis on free-flowing combat and combo potential. As someone who adores the combat in those games, I can definitely say that Berserk Boy 100% lives up to its inspirations in this aspect, main character Kei feels incredible to control. He's fast, tight, and has a sick multidirectional dash that forms the crux of this game's combat system. When you dash into an enemy, you get a number of perks including a bounce, a midair dash, and the ability to zap a nearby enemy with lightning. Landing a hit on an enemy will also start up a combo that can multiply your score, so skilled gameplay will have you bouncing off of enemies without hitting the ground and it feels so damn good. On top of that, Berserk Boy takes from ZX by having you earn alternate suits from defeating bosses, each with their own unique movesets that you can swap between whenever you want. From a ninja suit that lets you shoot tons of Kunai, to a Harpuia-esque suit that lets you fly around, the sheer amount of variety in Kei's movepool by the end of the game leads to some of the best 2D character action combat I've seen in quite some time.

But while the movement is great, the level design isn't quite as strong. It's not bad, not in the slightest. The game will have you doing fast-paced platforming sequences and fun combat encounters that get more complex as the game goes on, and there is a fair share of neat setpieces that show up every once in a while, usually involving Kei's techie friend Dizzie showing with a vehicle that you can use to wreck everything in sight. However, the problem is that these levels can end up feeling pretty samey a lot of the time. Despite each world having a unique aesthetic, there aren't any world-specific mechanics, you'll still be dealing with the same elevated platforms, rails, and suit-specific switches. And even with the difference in biomes, the entire game takes place in the same-looking mechanical bases. The penultimate world, the Sky Fort, does try to remedy this with more open exterior areas, platforming across airships, elevator fights, and shmup segments, but even there the repetitiveness can still be felt, especially with how long the levels can be. The bosses are a lot better though, especially the act bosses, though that's too be expected when the combat is this good. They're fast and have a lot of attacks, though some fights can cross the line into Pyribbit territory where they're invulnerable for way too long. Also, I find it really strange that some of the boss fights don't come at the end of the level, instead having a lengthy platforming sequence right after them.

Berserk Boy also has quite a lot of side content too, particularly if you're a fan of exploration and collectathons. Each stage has five Berserk Badges to find, along with a number of citizens to rescue ala Gravity Circuit or Mega Man X5. There's a ton of hidden areas in each stage that are fun to scout out, and since you can teleport between checkpoints, combing a level for everything doesn't feel too time-consuming. I've seen a lot of complaints that the true final boss and ending is locked behind getting 50/75 of the Berserk Badges since you will need to backtrack for some. Personally, I thought the requirement was lenient enough that going back for Badges didn't really take much of my playtime, and it all clicks into place once you realize the true final boss is just straight-up a Super Sonic fight, which are almost always locked behind collectibles. Berserk Boy also has a few other neat bits of side content like an upgrades system and multiple difficulties, along with a whopping 15 EX stages that really bring on the challenge. They're short but brutal time trials with entirely new level design, but I sadly wasn't super encouraged to play them for what I believe is Berserk Boy's biggest issue.

Berserk Boy has a ranking system for its stages, and it's actually fairly well-implemented and generous. It's pretty much entirely score-driven, all about fully exploring the levels and racking up massive combos for more points, and you're penalized for dying. It's pretty reasonable and when everything goes well, going for an S rank can be really fun... but there's two problems here. First off, dying often felt completely out of my control. The vast majority of my deaths in this game weren't due to me lacking in skill or anything, but because of me jumping down a pit because I thought a secret was hidden there. Maybe that's just a me thing, but there was some seriously poor secret signposting at places, like how some pits have a danger symbol telling you not to fall while others don't, or how some ladders extend through the bottom of the screen but don't lead to anything. It's also very easy to get stunlocked by two hazards if you get hit in just the wrong space, which always led to some serious frustration for me. But even for the deaths that were my fault, the real biggest issue with going for an S rank, especially in the EX stages, is that there is no restart feature, and dying and being sent back to the start of the level doesn't reset the timer or your death count. This means that if you want to get an S rank and die, you have to exit out of the level, go back to the map screen, and reselect your level, all the while waiting for a few loading screens. This absolutely sucks, and it kills any replay potential this game could've easily had. And since there's really no reason to do the EX stages other than to go for a high rank, I didn't really bother doing most of them as a result.

As for the presentation, Berserk Boy looks really good, with an asterisk. The actual spritework is flat-out fantastic, it's detailed, fluid, and looks great in motion. I will say that I'm not enamored with the character designs, though. Maybe Gravity Circuit's sleek and badass-adorable robot designs left a bit too high of a bar, but I don't really love the chibi bobblehead look that a lot of the characters have in Berserk Boy (except Ice Kunai for some reason? She's the only one with normal proportions). I'm also not huge on the voice acting. Berserk Boy does that thing the Shantae games did where only certain lines are voice acted, but the voice-acted dialogue is usually different than the dialogue written on the screen so it feels pretty tacked on. Dizzie was voiced by Milla from Freedom Planet though, so that's pretty cool at least. On the other hand, the soundtrack by Tee Lopes is predictably phenomenal, easily my favorite thing about the game besides the combat. Berserk Boy's soundtrack really shows off how versatile Lopes is as a composer, as he goes for a synthy futuristic style akin to One Step From Eden or the Mega Man X games. From the tense X5-esque Welcome To New Hope City, to the smooth Electric Flora, to the rocking The Resolve, to the chill and infectiously-catchy Icy Echoes, to that godly STEEL_PLUS ass solo in Frost Song, Berserk Boy has got a lot of bangers. Tee Lopes has really been killing it this year and the fact that he also has Metal Slug Tactics down the pipeline too? I could not be any more excited.

Berserk Boy is a frustrating game because it gets so much right. The developer absolutely nailed the movement and combat, which is arguably the most important part of a game, but the just fine level design and numerous issues involving the side content hold it back from being something truly extraordinary. I'd still recommend you check this one out for the movement alone, though, and I think a lot of these issues can be pretty easily ironed out with updates if the developer wants to stick with it.

3.5/5 Stars

2024 Games I Played: Arzette: The Jewel Of Faramore

Recently, I decided to get two games from earlier in the year that I had previously missed out on, those being Arzette: The Jewel Of Faramore and Berserk Boy. I'll review Arzette first since it was the first one I played, and boy, is it an interesting one.

With the indie scene came a lot of throwbacks and attempts to recapture the magic of various gaming series, and I'm all for it. I've always been for allowing indie developers to take from their inspirations, iterate on them, and toss their own unique spin onto it, but Arzette: The Jewel Of Faramore mines from a well I expected to be left completely untouched. Arzette made waves when it was announced to be a throwback to the infamous Legend Of Zelda games for the Phillips CD-i, a trilogy of games so despised that most people's reaction to hearing its name is either to groan in disgust or burst out laughing about the copious amounts of YouTube Poops made from them. It almost felt unbelievable that a developer would want to base their game off of the Zelda CD-i games, let alone that it would be actually good, but these devs had a bit of a history with the series. These guys already remastered the original CD-i games, so if there's anyone equipped to make a good game inspired by Zelda CD-i, it's them. When Arzette did release, it got some shockingly enthusiastic praise, which was the lynchpin that convince me to eventually get the game. And now that I've beaten and 100%'d Arzette, was it actually good?

Arzette: The Jewel Of Faramore's best aspect is easily the presentation. The devs at Seedy Eye sought to replicate the iconic visual mish-mash of the Zelda CD-i games while still adding a bit of polish, and they really nailed it. The cutscenes have the same loose feel and constant zooming in and out that Zelda CD-i's infamous cutscenes have, though I will say they're not quite as unhinged. There are some legitimately well-made bits of animation and charming expressions buried within these cutscenes, you can tell the animators are legitimately really talented, and that's not a bad thing at all. If anything, it reminds me more of the webseries Sparkle On Raven which similarly tries to replicate an infamous "so bad it's good" series while also sprinkling it some genuinely impressive animation to catch the viewer off guard. Similarly, the actual gameplay segments have the same blend of pixelated characters and painterly backgrounds, but it all looks a bit more visually-pleasing. The Zelda CD-i games had a pretty big issue where it was hard to differentiate the background, foreground, and walls, but the level art in Arzette is so crisp and clear that I didn't really have that problem here. And the actual spritework for Arzette, the other characters, and the enemies is actually really well-done and fluid. The soundtrack also does a great job at capturing that early 90s CD audio sound I love so much, though some of the stage themes did blend together for me a bit.

Arzette: The Jewel Of Faramore manages to strike this incredible balance between being incredibly sincere and reverential towards its source material, while also throwing a number of cheeky jabs at it without feeling self-aware or cynical in the slightest. There's a lot of references and deep cuts towards the original Zelda CD-i games, to the point where the devs even brought back Link's original voice actor as the tutorial narrator, but it comes off more as legitimate fanservice and not just picking at low-hanging fruit. The character designs are legitimately fantastic, to the point where I kinda want to know all of their stories. What's up with that fairy in the mountain area? Or that frog voiced by Vinny Vinesauce? And I'd pay good money to play a whole game about Zazie The Demon. There's full voice acting for every NPC too, and I love how hit-and-miss it is. There are some perfectly solid performances, but then here comes Remy The Rat who sounds like someone is eating their microphone and I love it. But I think the best thing about Arzette that really brings every aspect of its presentation together is Arzette herself. She's a genuinely fun, charming, likable, and fleshed-out protagonist with a memorable design. She's pretty much the only normal person in the room at any given moment, but she's never self-aware. Arzette is a balancing force for the absolutely insane NPCs she comes across, but she also rolls with the punches and takes their insanity at face value which leads to some really fun interactions. Also, like half the female characters seem to have the hots for Arzette which makes this a very funny game to play right after The Thousand Year Door.

So the presentation is great, but how's the gameplay? Did Arzette prove that the Zelda CD-i formula had some actual potential? Well, kinda yeah. Structurally, Arzette feels a lot like Shantae: Half Genie Hero. It's a level-based metroidvania where each area is in its own disconnected stage on a map screen, but you'll need to backtrack to and hop across them to find all the collectibles as you slowly gain more abilities. It's not a particularly groundbreaking formula, but it works, and managing to clean house and get a full 100% was an incredibly satisfying experience. There's even a few sequence breaks if you're into that kind of stuff. As for the moment to moment gameplay, it is a pretty standard action-platformer where you slash away at enemies, but it feels quite nice. Arzette's movement is tight and precise and you can comfortably land jumps, and her sword slash has a very generous hitbox so you don't have to worry too much about whiffing. And with that metroidvania format, you gain new abilities and moves at a pretty regular basis, and can get quite powerful at the end. My favorite weapon is the color gun you get that can destroy certain blocks and enemies depending on the bullet type, which I don't even think was in the CD-i games, it's just entirely unique to Arzette.

However, I do have some issues with Arzette on a gameplay level, some of which are new and some of which are fundamental to the Zelda CD-i games. You can't really control the camera which is a pretty big issue in the more vertical stages, which often had me making blind leaps. If you could move the camera up or down with the D-pad, this could've been pretty easily fixed. The game alsohas a pretty bad case of "reverse difficulty curve", as your limited health and low defense meant you can die really easily the early game, but by the endgame, you can pretty much tank through anything since you have so much health, defense, and movement options. Thankfully, Arzette has a very generous checkpoint system and no penalty for death, so I was never all that frustrated with the game even when I was dying a lot. While I praised Arzette's metroidvania structure and how satisfying fully completed it was, I do have to say that the backtracking can be pretty rough, as you will need to revisit pretty much every stage at least three times each. Most of the stages are thankfully pretty brisk, though, so it's more like the level revisits in Ufouria 2. And finally, I do have to say that I think Arzette is a bit too short and left me wanting more by the end. Despite having an impressive 15 areas to explore, I found myself fully 100%ing the game within three hours.

Despite all these issues though, I had a really pleasant time with Arzette: The Jewel Of Faramore. It's a wonderful love letter to the Zelda CD-i games with an impeccable presentation, and it's also just a polished and fun search action game that has its flaws but remains enjoyable and breezy throughout. Arzette was definitely one of the best surprises of 2024 so far, and it did really convince me that the Zelda CD-i games did have some actual potential. And even more, I think Arzette still has room to grow and get even better, and I'd definitely be on-board for a sequel if it ever happens.

4/5 Stars

Why I Love The Mega Man Zero/ZX Legacy Collection

It took me a while before I got around to giving the Mega Man series a proper chance. I definitely respected the character and his games, but as a kid, Mega Man games felt way too impenetrable. However, when the Zero/ZX Collection came out and all of my friends were singing its praises, I knew I had to finally take the plunge. Of course, I ended up loving the Zero games so much that I went on a full-on Mega Man binge, and even made reviews for nearly every major game in the series on this very blog. However, even after almost two years, the Mega Man Zero/ZX series still stands tall as my favorite section of the franchise to this day.

The Mega Man Zero and ZX games are a subseries made by a still burgeoning Inti Creates, a team of ex-Capcom staff that would slowly grow into one of the most consistent indie teams when it comes to delivering fun, retro-styled action platformers. They'd later work on Mega Man 9/10, the Azure Striker Gunvolt games, the Blaster Master Zero series, Gal Guardians, and the Bloodstained spinoffs, but I still think the Zero/ZX games are their peak. Collectively, they are not just incredible action platformers with some of the best movement the genre has to offer, but they boast some of the best story-telling in the entire Mega Man franchise. And the Zero/ZX Legacy Collection shows off just how well they work together, complete with tons of extras and side content, and a helpful and optional checkpoint system for people like myself who hate lives. It may seem like I'm cheating here, but I can't just pick my favorite Mega Man Zero game, they are a package deal. Since I've already done formal reviews and the collection boasts a whopping six games, I thought I'd instead do quick runthroughs on what each specific game contributes to the series as a whole.

Mega Man Zero is definitely the weakest of the six games, but that does not mean it's not without merit. As hit-or-miss as its level and boss design can be at points, one thing Mega Man Zero nailed right from the start is that movement. Zero's control in these games is simply incredible. It's fast, precise, and tight, and the way every move fluidly transitions into each other leaves so much for wild combos that raise the skill ceiling. Even in Zero 1, it can feel so rewarding to slowly grow as a player, learn the boss patterns and level design quirks, blaze through everything, and finally get that damn S rank. Another thing Zero 1 nails early on is the atmosphere. The Mega Man Zero games have struck that perfect balance of being heavy and serious without feeling shamelessly edgy or cynical. They revolve around a fairly realistic war conflict between the humans and Reploids, which is always treated maturely and with nuance. And Zero 1 in particular stands out for how small scale and personal it feels. When the game starts, the resistance is on really hard times and Zero is a bit of a last resort for them. But as you complete missions, the resistance's influence begins to spread, which you can visibly see through how the game's interconnected world evolves over the course of the game. None of the other Zero games have that kind of world design, but it works so well for what Mega Man Zero 1 is trying to do. I also need to praise Toru Nakayama's art direction for the series that's already immediately established in this first game. The blend of cute chibi, sheer badassary, and ridiculously intricate tech makes for one of my favorite aesthetics in all of gaming.

Mega Man Zero 2 bumps everything up a notch. The level design is more dynamic and interesting, the weird elements of the first game like the life system and weapon upgrades are toned down or removed, EX Skills and forms are introduced to give the player more customization options, and the pretty meh Triple Rod has been replaced with a sick-ass grappling hook in the Chain Rod. Mega Man Zero 2 can certainly feel like the most unforgiving game in the series especially when it comes to its completion requirements, but it makes up for that by simply giving you way more options than the first game did. The story is also a decent bit more involved thanks to the expansion of the Cyber Elf lore, the introduction of fascinating new villain Elpizo, and a pretty shocking plot twist near the end of the game. Zero 2's biggest success, in my opinion, has to be in the boss design. MMZ2 has easily my favorite boss roster in the series, they're all super varied, fun, and engaging to learn. In particular, the Anchus Brothers fight near the end of the game is probably my favorite non-final boss in a Zero game. Another area where Mega Man Zero 2 excels is in the music. Zero 2's soundtrack goes full on metal and it's all the better for it, with the first half in particular packing in a ton of my favorite tracks in the series back to back (Departure, Gravity, Ice Brain). Zero 2 is by no means the peak of the series, but it marks the point where the Zero series becomes fully confident in its vision.

Over time, Mega Man Zero 3 has slowly settled in as my personal favorite of the Zero/ZX series, specifically in terms of the gameplay. Zero 3 is the game that has perfected and refined the formula in every conceivable way, and all of its improvements and additions are welcome. The sheer amount of missable stuff in Zero 2 is pretty much gone, the Cyber Elf requirements are looser thanks to the satellite elves, the Recoil Rod is arguably Zero's best and most versatile weapon in how it's used both as a movement tool and for pushing enemies around, the chips are a brilliant replacement for the forms in Zero 2 and give you even more moveset customization, and the secret disks are the best collectibles in the entire subseries and are a joy to collect. Mega Man Zero 3 is my personal favorite Zero game to 100%, it's all made so satisfying. On top of that, the level design is phenomenal from start to finish, there's such a great sense of flow to all of them. Stages like the Aegis Volcanic Base, Oceanic Highway Ruins, and Snowy Plains prioritize speed in ways that no other Mega Man Zero game comes close to doing. And to top it all off, the story and writing got a massive boost in quality with the introduction of one of the cruelest villains to ever grace a video game, Dr Weil. Throughout the game, Weil forces Zero and Ciel to make some truly gripping decisions, culminating in a stunning final boss that really solidifies Zero's character development over the course of the series. Mega Man Zero 3 is the most complete Mega Man Zero game, and it's quite possibly the greatest Mega Man game ever made.

Mega Man Zero 4 makes a lot of big gameplay changes, some for the better and some for the worse. I think it's the best game for casual players thanks to the Easy Mode, EX Skills not being locked behind rankings, and the streamlined Cyber Elf system that offers more leniency and less grinding. But even if Zero 3 and possibly even Zero 2 might hold up a bit better for experienced players, Mega Man Zero 4 is still no slouch with a ton of really memorable and inventive stages and boss fights. I'd even say it rivals Zero 2 as my favorite overall boss lineup in the subseries! But where Zero 4 really shines is in its overall presentation. Mega Man Zero 4 has hands down the best writing in any Mega Man game, and that includes Battle Network 3. It delves deeper into the human/Reploid conflict than any prior game, offering a look into the human and Reploid perspectives through the great new characters Neige and Craft. As climactic as Zero 3 feels, I love how personal Zero 4 is, returning to that smaller scale resistance scope that made the first game stand out. The dialogue between the characters is so pointed and loaded, every line feels like it's packed with meaning. And the final act ends both Zero and Ciel's stories on the perfect note, it's one of my favorite endings in any video game period. And on top of all that, Mega Man Zero 4 has some of the lushest spritework on the GBA and a mature and melancholy soundtrack that still stands out as my favorite in the Zero series, wimpy-sounding GBA guitar be damned. Tracks like Esperanto, Holy Land, Max Heat, Deep Blue, Straight Ahead, and Falling Down are just too good. While Zero 3 still wins out in terms of gameplay, Zero 4's narrative and atmosphere left such a massive impact on me that it's come dangerously close to topping it at points. Both games are incredible, and rank as the high point of the franchise for me.

Mega Man ZX stands out for being one of the most ambitious Mega Man platfomers ever made, a large open world game that actually lets you explore the world of Mega Man in its entirety. Sure, the actual navigation could use some work, but the sheer magic of being able to hang out in a city filled with Reploids, doing sidequests for them, partaking in minigames, and going out in the field to do missions just isn't something I could really get from any of the Classic, X, or Zero games. The movement and combat is still on point, if not even more fluid, and the addition of Biometals that give you entirely new movesets you can swap between at will adds so much extra depth and combo potential to an already incredible 2D character action series. I've always had a soft spot for the story of ZX too, both for the way it tackles the aftermath of Zero 4 and for its great new characters like Aile, Vent, Prairie, and of course, Prometheus and Pandora. And of course, I can't go without mentioning the phenomenal soundtrack to ZX, going for an sweeping yet energetic synth vibe that really emphasizes the game's scope and leaves you bopping your head throughout the entire game (Green Grass Gradation, Sky High, Industrialism, Wonder Panorama, Gauntlet, and Snake Eyes being the highlights). The ZX scores are such a massive improvement over the Zero soundtracks, they're just incredible. Despite being my second-to-least favorite game in the collection, I still absolutely adore ZX and think it's a super underrated DS gem. Just a testament to how consistently fantastic these games are.

And finally, there's Mega Man ZX Advent, one of the most criminally overlooked Mega Man games, in my opinion. While the story isn't quite as strong as ZX's, the gameplay improves on its predecessor in almost every way. The world layout is a lot more like the first Zero game, centering itself on a small but densely-packed base that branches out into all the different missions. This not only makes the game feel a lot more streamlined and easy to navigate, but allows for the missions in question to involve a lot more crazy setpieces from a train chase to hopping across rockets to digging through a junkblock-filled maze. The Biometals are still here, but you can also now transform into all of the bosses you defeat, which not only increases your arsenal even more but also lends a metroidvania aspect to the game where you can use boss abilities to unlock more parts of the world and find more collectibles. The boss roster itself is also one of my favorites in the collection, ZX Advent is really just non-stop action with hardly any downtime and I love it for that. And to top it off, I'd say the soundtrack rivals if not exceeds that of the first ZX game, with tracks like Destiny, Through The Lightning, Bullet Drive, Overloaded, In The Wind, Whisper Of Relics, Oriental Sentinels, and Trap Phantasm ranking among my favorites in the entire franchise. ZX Advent gets passed off a lot, but I genuinely adore it. It's leaner, meaner, and tighter than the predecessor and ends the collection on an incredibly strong note... even if that note is sadly a cliffhanger.

Overall, I love the Zero series so much. They really have everything I love about the Mega Man series all amped up to eleven, between their tight precision platforming, ridiculously fleshed-out combat system, consistently show-stopping bosses, addictive replayability, gorgeous spritework, soundtracks that range from good to incredible, and of course, the best-told story in a Mega Man game that actually managed to reach a satisfying conclusion. Zero 3 and Zero 4 are my favorites, but I doesn't feel right to exclude all the others. The Zero/ZX Legacy Collection was how I played all of these games, I experienced the Zero/ZX games as one continuous narrative, and it will be how I continue to experience these games for years to come.

Why I Love Legend Of Zelda: Majora's Mask

It took me a while to figure out if I wanted Majora's Mask on the list. On one hand, I think this game is a borderline masterpiece and one of the most affecting pieces of art Nintendo has ever put out. On the other hand, it's a game so brutal and anxiety-inducing that I often have a hard time sticking it to the end, let alone even replaying it. Of course, that's part of what makes the game so artistically brilliant, and considering I just made a review praising Super Paper Mario for being purposefully obtuse at points since it served the narrative, I think it would feel wrong to not list Majora's Mask among my favorites.

 

Majora's Mask is such an interesting Nintendo project to look back on. Once again, I praised the hell out of Super Paper Mario for being uncharacteristically raw and experimental for the company, but Majora's Mask feels even more radical. Nintendo gave themselves a single year to make a sequel to the most critically acclaimed video game of all time, completely reinventing the mechanics and tone while also repurposing all of Ocarina's assets. I can't even begin to imagine how controversial it must've been when it released, knowing how averse the gaming landscape is to change and stagnation, Nintendo put out a game that essentially did both at the same exact time. It's especially interesting to look back on Majora's Mask with Tears Of The Kingdom out. That was another Zelda sequel that primarily reused assets from a previous game, but I found TotK to be a massive disappointment in part because of how high a bar Majora's Mask set.

But what makes Majora's Mask so special and unique? Once again drawing comparisons to Super Paper Mario, I'd say it's because of how seamlessly it weaves together its gameplay and narrative. The actual moment-to-moment gameplay of Majora's Mask is pretty much identical to that Ocarina Of Time, which in turn means it's somewhat stiffer and more limited than the games from Wind Waker onward, barring some nice quality of life improvements like being able to skip text faster. The real star of the show are the two main mechanics that were used as the game's selling point: The timer and the masks. Masks were already a thing in Ocarina Of Time, but in Majora's Mask, Link could now use these masks to transform into other species with entirely unique movesets. Deku Link was small and weak but he was nimble and could glide around and shoot ranged attacks, Goron Link is slow but strong and could roll up into a ball to roll down ramps and participate in races, and Zora Link is predictably very good at swimming fast underwater. Each of these forms are really fun to play as and add a nice amount of gameplay variety, and the game has you swapping between all of your forms quite a bit by the end.

The timer is the more interesting and controversial mechanic. In a series so focused on exploration, Majora's Mask only gives you three in-game days to complete each dungeon before having to reset to the start. There's a big emphasis on time management here, especially with the game having an abundance of sidequests each requiring you to be at the right place at a specific time. It's not as punishing as it sounds in that there are a lot of shortcuts you can create as you make more progress in each major area, and you get some Ocarina spells pretty early on that let you speed up and slow down time, but there is this everpresent feeling of stress that's really unique to this game specifically. It's 100% not for everyone, and even I need to be in the right mindset for Majora's Mask sometimes, but it's a fun and fresh take that really forces the player to optimize their Zelda gameplay in a way that no other game seems to require. Zelda as a series has always been fairly easy outside of Zelda II, so Majora's Mask being a legitimate challenge thanks to this timer really helps it stand out. I'm also just generally a sucker for engaging time management as you can tell by my love of Pikmin 1 & 3, and considering how close the two games released and how much of the development team they share, I wonder if Majora's Mask had any influence on Pikmin.

So we already have a few really fun and unique game mechanics set in place for Majora's Mask, but the real brilliance is how they inform the narrative. The reason why Link only has three days to save the world is because he finds himself in a small town named Termina that's going to be crushed by a giant, terrifying moon in three days. All of those sidequests I mentioned involve you getting to know the many residents of Termina, with many of them grappling with their impending fate. And every time you rewind time, all of the good deeds you've done end up getting reverted. No matter what, you can't help everyone, and it almost feels like you're just delaying the inevitable. To say Majora's Mask is a heavy and mealncholic game would be an understatement, there's a reason it's not a game I find easy to replay. At its core, Majora's Mask is a game about death and the inevitability of it, and even the masks play into this. Some of them contain the spirits of those who have passed away, and certain storylines have you take on the mask's original forms to help those that knew them move on. 

It's such uncharacteristically bleak subject matter for a Nintendo game, but writer Yoshiaki Koizumi handled it all with so much elegance. He's the same guy who made the stories for Link's Awakening and Super Mario Galaxy which are also in my Top 100 lists, so it shouldn't come as much of a surprise that Koizumi is one of my favorite video game writers of all time. He's a master at taking these lighthearted Nintendo franchises and using them to convey mature themes without losing the appeal of the series. For how dark and oppressive it is, Majora's Mask might actually be one of the wackiest and most whimsical games in the series. There's so much surreal and bizarre imagery, from garishly colorful settings like the Astral Observatory and Deku Palace, to some of the strange sidequests you have to do (UFOs anyone?), to the wide array of wacky and memorable NPCs you meet, many of whom are eerily carried over from Ocarina Of Time.

And actually, I want to talk more about that. Majora's Mask reuses a lot of Ocarina Of Time's assets, but it's always in such creative ways. The environments are almost entirely new (unlike in TotK), but it's the characters that get carried over. Most of the NPCs you meet in Termina are essentially parallel versions of NPCs from Ocarina, almost the same but with slight differences that gives them an uncanny feel. Some bit characters from Ocarina end up getting a much larger role, most notably the Happy Mask Salesman who's given a far more important and intimidating presence, and the Skull Kid who goes for a fairly goofy kid you play minigames with to one of the most terrifying villains in the entire franchise. I'd even argue that the characters in Majora's Mask are better than the ones in Ocarina, they're so much more fleshed-out thanks to their sidequests, and since you spend so much time in Termina's central Clock Town, you get really attached to them. I adore Clock Town, it's an absolutely fantastic hub, and it's cool to have a Zelda game that revolves so much around a single location.

The best example of Majora improving on Ocarina in terms of writing and character development is your partner, Tatl. I don't hate Navi like many others do, but I find her pretty lacking in personality or depth. Tatl, on the other hand, takes Navi's infamous sass and amps it up to eleven. She's an absolute jerk to Link at the start of the game and borderline an antagonist at first, who only accompanies him because she gets left behind by Skull Kid. However, as Tatl continues to travel with Link and gets to know the people in Termina, she actually develops and softens up while still having some killer snark. She's the first Zelda partner to have a real character arc and remains one of my personal favorites.

Back to the gameplay, I also need to praise just how tight and well-designed Majora's Mask is even in terms of the larger Zelda series. The game gets a lot of flack for its shorter length, but I think Majora's Mask makes up for that with how tightly-designed the world is and how much the game encourages going for 100% completion. Ocarina is pretty infamous for having certain locations that just feel way too large, but every area in Majora is super densely-packed with things to do, and all the sidequests I keep bringing up are super varied and fun to do. And it's absolutely worth doing everything you can to unlock that sick Fierce Deity Mask. And don't even get me started on the dungeons. Majora's Mask may only have four dungeons and five bosses, but they are the definition of well-designed Zelda dungeons. All four temples are complex, intricately-designed, and require spatial reasoning to be able to navigate effectively, especially under the crunch of a time limit. As for the boss fights, they manage to completely dodge the common Zelda issue of requiring the dungeon item. While they are designed around the masks and beating them the intended way is still a ton of fun, most bosses are vulnerable to pretty much any item or weapon which means you're often encouraged to defeat each boss in whichever way you see fit (note: this does not apply to the 3DS version, unfortunately). 

As for the presentation, I think Majora's Mask actually still looks pretty great for a Nintendo 64 game. I've seen a lot of criticism sent towards Ocarina Of Time for its drab and muddy textures and I kinda see that, but Majora's Mask is a much more colorful game by comparison. Even with the usual N64 muddy texturework, the more surreal environments and garish color palette makes Majora's Mask stand out to this day. And then there's the soundtrack. I'll be honest and say that I always thought Koji Kondo was a smidge overrated, especially with how often he gets credited for soundtracks other composers at Nintendo worked on. He's made some incredibly catchy and iconic melodies, but they tend to be a bit too simple for my tastes at times, even compared to his contemporaries. That being said, it's also cool to watch Kondo improve his craft from the humble SMB1 soundtrack to more dynamic soundtracks for games like Yoshi's Island and Ocarina, but his magnum opus is easily the soundtrack to Majora's Mask. It goes to depths I didn't think Kondo was even capable of, it's dark and melancholic, balancing Zelda magic with a real sense of tragedy and intensity. Tracks like Clock Town, Final Hours, Astral Observatory, Termina Field, Deku Palace, Pirate's Fortress, Stone Tower Temple, Giant's Theme, Boss Battle, and Majora's Wrath are a perfect example of why I think the music to Majora's Mask is so effective, it's definitely one of my favorite Zelda soundtracks of all time.

Geez, that was a lot, huh? I guess one doesn't just simply review Majora's Mask, it's the type of game that demands analysis and discussion. It's such a dense and brave game, Nintendo took a big risk following Ocarina up with something so depressing, so cruel, so unfriendly, so self-reflective, and so impenetrable for mainstream audiences. And yet, it's hard to deny Majora's brilliance, its innovation, its meticulous and satisfying design, and its emotional heft. I shouldn't have to say that I think Majora's Mask is an even better game than Ocarina Of Time, and it's one of the games I have the most respect for in the entire medium.

Why I Want To Love Napple Tale

Can you say a game is one of your favorites even if you've never beaten it?

Napple Tale: Arsia In Daydream is a Dreamcast exclusive game that really hits on all the stuff I like to see in a game. It's a niche linear 3D platformer with collecathon elements, a creature collecting system, a dreamlike world and atmosphere, a mature story about dealing with death, and a sublime soundtrack by Yoko freaking Kanno, it's practically made for me. The imaginative visuals, the abundance of content, the simple but fun platforming, everything was in place for an all-time classic. And despite only releasing in Japan, it actually had an English translation, and a great one at that!

And yet, I could not beat it. When I tried playing it, I hit an emulator bug where a platform had completely disappeared in a level, leaving me softlocked. I didn't know if there was any way for me to see the game through, so despite my complete devastation, I decided to drop the game there and then.

However, since then, I haven't been able to stop thinking about Napple Tale. While I only played about half the game, the half I did play left such a massive impact on me all on its own. It's still unlike any other platformer I've played, both mechanically and visually. 

I often wonder if I should've put more effort into trying to get around the bug, and if I should come back to the game to see it through to the end one day. It's been a few years, after all, maybe the emulator fixed the issue? Maybe some day, I'll come back to Napple Tale and actually figure out how to finish it. Maybe it'll even rise up the rankings, and I can write another, more fleshed-out Top 100 post that can stand up to all the others.

But even now, I think my Top 100 list would feel incomplete without Napple Tale. Even if I wasn't able to finish it, just discovering it was already a one-of-a-kind experience.

Why I Love Panel De Pon

As a fan of arcade puzzle games, I've raved about Panel De Pon a few times on here but I don't think I've ever went into why I hold this one in particular in such high regard. Panel De Pon is my go-to for whenever I want my VS puzzle game fix because it's pretty much the complete package all around. It's got an addictive hook, low skill floor, high skill ceiling, an abundance of replayability, and boasts an element of artistry in its presentation that helps it really stand out within the genre.

Before I talk about the game itself, I want to clear the air about Panel De Pon. This is a series infamous for constantly rebranding itself in an attempt to appeal to Western audiences, likely because its cutesy fairy protagonists were deemed too cutesy for us. So Panel De Pon for the SNES was localized as Tetris Attack and was modified to feature the Yoshi's Island cast, its sequels for the N64 and GBC were based on Pokemon, and Planet Puzzle League for the DS had no characters. I think Tetris Attack is the best of these localizations since the pastel artstyle of Panel De Pon translates to Yoshi's Island perfectly without losing much of the appeal, but nowadays, I do prefer to stick with the original game because it has a unique identity all its own, more on that later.

Despite being localized under the Tetris name, Panel De Pon has almost nothing to do with Tetris. If I had to make comparisons, it's actually like a more accessible Puyo Puyo crossed with Bejeweled. The main premise is that you have rows of colored blocks slowly creeping up to the top of your screen, and you need to swap them to create matches of 3 or more. However, unlike in Bejeweled, you can shuffle around the blocks as much as you want, so there's a strong focus on creating set-ups for combos to send lots of garbage to the other player's side, which is where the Puyo Puyo influence creeps in. In a high level Panel De Pon match, there's a really frenetic and chaotic energy to this game, where both characters are frantically scrambling to arrange their tiles, combating each other's garbage and quickly adapting to your situation. More than in any arcade puzzle game I've played, Panel De Pon rewards speed, and I find that quite refreshing and fun.

But don't let this description intimidate you, because as I mentioned above, I think Panel De Pon also has a low enough skill floor that anyone can hop in and have a good time, especially compared to the infamously steep learning curve of Puyo Puyo. Being able to freely shuffle tiles around allows for a lot of freedom and a low margin of error for experimentation, and combos are generally easier to construct than in Puyo Puyo. Panel De Pon offers a wide range of difficulty levels for most of its modes too, and while the VS Mode can get quite chaotic, there's plenty of more calming and zenlike single-player modes that make Panel De Pon a great game if I want to play something chill and maybe work my brain a little. And there's a lot of options too. From a dedicated Story Mode, to level-based Puzzles and Line Clear, to local multiplayer, to your standard Marathon and Time Trial Modes, to a wide variety of cheat codes ranging from bonus puzzles to harder difficulties to hidden characters. Oh, speaking of which...

Panel De Pon is one of the many arcade puzzle games of its time to have a cast of characters, not unlike games like Puyo Puyo, Magical Drop, Money Puzzle Exchanger, and throwback indie Petal Crash. However, Panel De Pon's lineup of cute elemental fairies manages to make an surprisingly large impression despite their limited screentime, between their adorable designs, their posing, and the neat character bios you can check out in the Attract Mode. When playing in singleplayer, each fairy you choose to play as gets a big profile shot in the left of the screen that shows off their personality solely through their posing, like the forest fairy Thiana just laying down on the grass or the fire fairy Flare looking like she's gonna burn you if you screw up. And in multiplayer, each character gets a cute little sprite in the center of the screen that reacts based on how you're doing. That's really why I prefer Panel De Pon over any of its sequels. As much of a Yoshi fan as I am, it just feels wrong not playing as the fairies, and it's a real shame that they weren't given the chance to shine that they truly deserved.

And while we're on the presentation, my god is this game absolutely gorgeous. I am a sucker for SNES games with pastel artstyles, and Panel De Pon's lush visuals manage to rival that of classics like Yoshi's Island and Kirby's Dream Land 3. I've already praised how expressive the characters are and how strong their posing is, but even the scenery looks so comfy, with bold yet soft coloring that really puts you at ease. On top of that, Panel De Pon has my favorite soundtrack in any puzzle game. Masaya Kuzume's score for Panel De Pon is catchy (Lip's Theme), groovy (Flare's Theme), comforting (Elias's Theme), and uplifting (Neris's Theme) in equal measure, boasting soft and airy synths (Windy's Theme) as well as some of the wildest slap bass I've ever heard (Ruby's Theme). On a console known for its incredible soundtracks, the Panel De Pon OST is one of my favorites on the SNES, and more people should absolutely be aware of how much of a bop it is.

As I said at the start of this post, Panel De Pon is just the complete package as far as arcade puzzle games are concerned. Whether I want a more laid-back or chill experience, or if I want to play something intense at a high level, Panel De Pon has me covered. Add in that truly lovely pastel aesthetic, the incredible soundtrack, and an adorable cast of fairies, and you get