Momodora: Reverie Under the Moonlight (2016)

I'm currently in the middle of using a month of PS Plus to try out a bunch of games and see if I like them enough to buy, but I decided to start this up since it's been sitting in my Steam library for quite a while and I really don't play enough platformers these days.

So far it's solid! But I hate that rapid fire trying all those PS Plus games the past couple weeks has made my first reaction to frustration with a game to be the temptation to drop it and move on because I nearly did that a few times tonight while playing this for the first time, even though it's one I've wanted to get to. I'm gonna try and stick this one out though. I don't love the movement and the designers seem to love having enemies throw projectiles at you from offscreen but the art is nice and the whole thing has a pleasant simplicity to it. Probably the type of game I would have had an easier time loving years ago when I was playing a lot more indie platformers.

Started playing this game yesterday. I've been meaning to play it since 2016 cuz it seems like my kinda game -- indie, anime aesthetic, dark souls & metroid-vania inspired, and really nice art.

First impressions:

90 minutes into the game and I'm feeling pretty underwhelmed with it so far. It's definitely not a bad game, as the positive scores show, but it feels pretty mediocre. I am clearly biased because sound design has a big influence on me, and given this game's passive soundtrack (so far) and the stock-esque sound effects, it's adding a cheap quality to the experience.

All that said tho, I'm still gonna keep playing because I like more than I dislike. The quick-paced open-ended progression, while feeling casual and unfocused, definitely gets me in a more retro-gaming flow -- like I'm playing mega-man or something -- especially considering how easy it is to die. I guess just the 3 years of waiting to play this game has sorta primed my expectations unrealistically (as waiting to consume any form of media usually does to my experiences).

A great metroidvania game. It's really good in its minimalism. Had to replay NG+ because I really wanted that 100% map completion.

I was at 98% of the map and thought the boss room would be the last 2 percent. It wasn't.

Fire arrows FTW.

For sure I love exploring and unlocking things. I hate backtracking. The graphics, side characters and optional boss battles were 10/10 though. My favorite boss battle was Pardoner Fennel. Great dialogue, aesthetic and fighting moves. Then her Touhou-style sister. The way she bends down and starts praying to the lord halfway is amazing. I even stopped attacking for a moment because it made me feel a little bad.

The controls and fighting mechanics were great once you get used to them. By the last "dungeon" I was already moving and dodging comfortably.

Oh, also, the music was phenomenal.

Hm. With this and Fortune Summoners, I get the feeling that I really do tend to lean towards metroidvania, right?