I have been playing various games lately, two of them on the same system but one of them serves as a pallet cleanser to the other.
Final Fantasy XVI on the PlayStation 5
Yup, they are still making these and they will continue to do so until the end of times, Amen!
This is one of those series of games that even if you have never played any of them, you are aware of it. I have never been married to this series like most hardcore, purist fans but I have played my share of games. This one in particular got my attention and I think it’s got to do a lot with the fighting style. I have just recently picked it up because it was on sale, and. I am glad I did because I am having fun with it.
We all know that the FF series has been shifting further away from its turn-based RPG roots, which I am okay with. Final Fantasy 16’s combat is a straight-up action game, I even dare say that the combat has a Devil May Cry feel to it. It is fast, extremely reflex-driven, and super-fun! With air combos, jump cancels, and a huge arsenal of mighty spells and abilities.
The story so far has been very intriguing, only about 4 hours in so far. It does have a Game of Thrones feel to it but better, GoT is crap! One character that stood out, the voice acting I mean, was Cid’s. For the first hour it was bothering me, “I know that voice, I know this voice”. Turns out it is Ralph Ineson (he is also in the movie THE WITCH from 2015 which if you haven’t watched It it yet, do yourself a favor, stop reading this and go watch It it), and if you have played Diablo IV, that is the voice of Lorath.
Sea of Stars on the Nintendo Switch.
Okay, this one I have been waiting for since it was announced. I am a sucker for good old pixel art, so I was into this game right away. It’s got obvious similarities with classics like Chrono Trigger, so very strong nostalgia vibes here. Full of combat encounters and puzzles that fill up the space between larger story moments and boss battles. Everything about Sea of Stars’ look and feel is nice clean, and easy to follow.
This game definitely evokes the best parts of the ‘90s RPG era.
This game has a demo and it is available on GamePass. But I prefer to play this on my OLED Switch, handheld, and it looks gorgeous!
Blasphemous 2 on the Nintendo Switch
I am a huge fan of this franchise, the team, the art, the gore, the creepiness, all about this game. What I am not a fan of, is how difficult and challenging it is. Still, I own both games in both digital and physical forms, well the second one gets here Tuesday.
Blasphemous 2 is a 2D Souls-like, both revolting and gorgeous, with all-too-detailed death animations, which I love! Though I never finished the first one, yup I rage quit it, don’t judge, this one continues the violent trials of The Penitent One, the last living member of an order that’s trying to put an end to the abominations born from a godlike phenomenon known as The Miracle and that’s all I know as far as the story.
You’ll hack and slash your way through some absolutely beautiful – and discomforting – 2D hallways filled with horrific monsters and random wild-looking “scenes”. Although is “hack and slash”, it is not just as easy. You will have to learn your enemies' patterns in order to effectively move and attack. In this game, unlike the first, you can choose from three different styles/weapons, a one-handed sword, a two-handed sword, and a big mace-looking thing. Upgrading your character’s weapons and health and magic meters, while collecting various buffs and spells makes for a fantastic climb to unparalleled power, and by the end feel like the ultimate unholy warrior.
So far I have died once but that’s because I have barely touched the surface of this game. I have to have patience with this one, but so far, I have not been discouraged.
When I am not playing FF, I am definitely on my switch. And even though I have dabbled between Blasphemous and Sea of Stars on the same system, I think I will try to finish Sea of Stars first and then continue onto Blasphemous 2, until I rage quit it, lol. Or like I have said, use one as a palette cleanser to the other but Sea of Star is definitely the longest game of the two.
