Hey, hope you’ve been doing well. Didn’t play a ton this week but I do have a couple interesting things to talk about.
This week I…
Started:
Digimon Story Time Stranger: I’ve been recommended this game by three separate friends in the last week so I downloaded the demo and played for a short time. Seems quite promising. I was a PokĂ©mon kid through and through and never really interacted with Digimon until much later, so the franchise has always had a certain mystique and allure to it. It’s like this strange alternate universe where the cute elemental animals that I grew up with were replaced with robot dinosaurs and anime girls with guns. Playing this reminded me that I never actually finished the previous game in the series, Cyber Sleuth, so I think I’ll try and finish that first before diving into this one.
Dread Delusion: A retro open-world action RPG proudly inspired by RPGs of the late ’90s and early ’00s, most apparent being Morrowind. The combat is simple but inoffensive; the real draw of this game is the world. It’s set in this wonderfully strange archipelago of floating islands that blends elements of traditional fantasy, sci-fi, steampunk, and that delicious PS1-era horror aesthetic.
You’re a prisoner sent by the land’s governing body to quell unrest between rival factions but quickly find yourself caught up in a greater plot involving a dead god and an antagonist set to usurp that god’s power to gain immortality. The world is inhabited by groups of religious zealots, clockwork automata, bandits, and ancient god cults. The sky is blood red and the landscape is covered in ancient ruins, giant mushrooms, and… wait a minute…
Morrowind comparisons aside, the game does manage to feel unique and intriguing in its own right. I’m a big fan of psychedelic art, and Dread Delusion exemplifies the “acid fantasy” genre beautifully.
Continued:
Hades II: Not much new to report; I’ve done just about everything except for the epilogue, to unlock which I apparently just need to grind out surface route runs until a certain boss gives certain dialog. I’ll complete it eventually but I’m a bit burnt out currently.
Trepang2: Still having fun with this one. Mission design is hit-or-miss so far, but the core gameplay is satisfying enough to make up for it. I’m genuinely impressed with the depth of movement- I’ve even stumbled upon a few useful movement techniques completely organically.
Revisited:
FINAL FANTASY IX: It’s been getting colder lately and I always get an urge to revisit a warm, nostalgic JRPG when the season starts to change. FFIX absolutely stole my heart when I played it for the first time in 2018, and now it’s stolen my heart all over again. It’s just such a beautiful game with some of the most compelling writing in the series. The whimsical setting and goofy characters keep things fun without detracting from the game’s darker and more serious themes; something it certainly doesn’t shy away from.
I’m playing the PS1 version this time around and I’m finding the lower resolution really brings out the beauty of the handcrafted backgrounds and overall storybook aesthetic. The PC release didn’t look bad, but it’s clear the textures weren’t intended for high-resolution displays. The transitions from gameplay to FMV aren’t quite so jarring either.
In my opinion this is without a doubt the best Final Fantasy game. The series is no stranger to complex, emotional stories, but few entries are as thoroughly realized as FFIX. It’s a perfect sendoff for the “classic era” of Final Fantasy made even better if you’ve experienced the games that came before it. If you only play one game in the series… honestly I’d say take your pick of IV, VI, or VII. But after you’ve learned what Final Fantasy is, FFIX will show you what Final Fantasy can be.
I’m going to go play more FFIX. See you next week.
-Warren