Recent reviews by Dratyan

If you're annoyed by any of:

-Fortnite's building
-PUBG's slowness and clunkiness
-3rd person in general
-Warzone's TTK

Then Apex is the BR for you.

First game I've ever played. Mostly a Doom clone, but comes with a charm of its own and some tweaks. Great for nostalgia!

What is the meaning of existence? Everyone's asked themselves that question at least once. If you've found yourself asking it multiple times, NieR: Automata is the game for you. If you haven't, it may make you question it.

Real authorship in video game development is hard to come by. More often than not, the creative minds behind the AAA publishing cycle are locked behind barriers of creativity impairment, where original ideas are dilluted by industry standards until they are eventually all but lost. However, every once in a while, when stars align and you have a liberating studio like Platinum Games joining forces with a mastermind like Yoko Taro, games like NieR: Automata can see the light of day.

In incresingly bleak times, where the true purpose of one's life is put to the test at every turn; where the values of family, labour and religion are ever more often being questioned, authentic works like this game are bound to be more abundant. If we, one at a time, debunk society's reasons to be alive, what is left at the end of it all? That is the question NieR: Automata tries to answer, adding 9000 years to our own plight. Does it answer it? Not really, because there isn't a definitive solution. Does it add to that questioning, while instigating players to themselves reflect on such a relevant philosophical inquiry? Absolutely. Through the struggle of the main android cast, light is shed upon our main existential struggle, culminating in an humanist tale that couldn't have been told in any medium other than a videogame.

The game's soundtrack is all but perfect. At any point of the game, it's dynamic, poignant and relevant to what is being seen in the screen. Few games put their music at their forefront like NieR:Automata does, with its lyrical and orchestral tunes overpowering both visuals and gameplay alike. It is never distracting, but always present.

Gameplay-wise, it's up to the standards that Platinum have set along the years. Although, unlike Vanquish or Bayonetta, the mechanics, by themselves, will probably never take the spotlight like the rest of the game's elements do. You'll never be bored playing it, but if you mute it and skip the cutscenes, what's left might not be enough to hold your attention for 30 or more hours. The game may not run as smoothly as an aficionado would like, but it's never distracting.

NieR: Automata could be an once-in-a-generation game. It does everything well, while being an outstanding achievement in soundtrack and addressing its very relevant themes in a profoundly touching way. I would recommend it to anyone who's looking both for videogames that transcend this absurdly competitive medium without selling out, while also offering a satisfying, emotional and thought-provoking story.

is ok

I have to admit that I avoided Dark Souls for an unhealthy amount of time. Rarely playing games above the normal difficulty, the appeal of it being a really hard and unforgiving game wasn't the most compelling. I'm glad I changed my mind though, because I may have had missed out on a game I now consider one of the best of the decade.

The gameplay is fun and engaging. The art, hauntingly beautiful and original. The soundtrack, breathtaking. But what really makes Dark Souls a masterpiece, by perfectly uniting all its elements, is the world of Lordran. Its cohesive design made me question every videogame world I'd experienced up to that point. From the wastes below the very backbone of the land up to the very top of the tallest tower of the tallest castle, the world's vertical and intrinsic design never fails to maintain its authenticity and unimpaired flow. After transversing the map not too many times, I could - and still can, months after actively playing the game - definitely draw a convincing transcription of it, with all its shortcuts and intersections. In a journey through Lordram, rarely does it feel like an area is forgettable or unused.

Dark Souls has no narrative. There are no quests, maps, or journals. What it has is the world of Lordran. The story is presented to the player through unusual elements. Item descriptions. NPCs - that have their own agenda. And most importantly, through the other main elements of the game: music, visuals, gameplay. You are never given a codex or anything like what most RPGs have. You have to pay attention and intentionally pursue the story elements to make any sense out of it. Or you can ignore that and go slay a wide array of creatures and superbly designed bosses - it's just as fun. As is taking part in the clever and unique co-op and PvP elements. To top it all off, the atmosphere through most of the game is unmatched. But that comes as no surprise after praising the world and its cohesiveness for so long.

A must-play if I've ever seen one, Dark Souls is as a fresh experience as it is a throwback to a kind of fun recent videogames seemed to have forgotten.

By the same creator of the hits "Super Meat Boy" and "The Binding of Isaac", "The Basement Collection" is little more than a compilation of short, simplistic and experimental games that were developed mostly separately in a small amount of time. These games offer some interesting mechanics allied with the typical art style seen on most of Edmund McMillen's works. The most interesting part of all of this, perhaps, is that by successfully completing these small games(which isn't such a hard task) a big amount of behind-the-scenes content is unlocked, including artwork and audio/video clips. Given the low price, this collection is a must-buy for anyone interested in the indie game development scene, and also recommended for those that are looking for short, "flash-like" games.

Bastion is yet another example of games where the gameplay itself is only a secondary part of the experience. Hacking and slashing through hordes of repetitive creatures in an isometric 3D environment would've been quite dull, weren't for the appealing art style, the always present and distinguishing voice-over narration, and the excellent soundtrack. The story, while supported by an interesting lore that can be seen reflected throughout the art of the game, doesn't get really interesting until it's final third, concluding in a very satisfatory ending. Although a console port, Bastion works well with a keyboard/mouse setup and didn't present any technical issues whatsoever. A great - and quite short - game, definitely worth experiencing.