Nubi, Toa of Gaming 最近的评测

I know it is a tired review cliche to say "I wanted to like this game", but it's really true here. I'm a big Danganronpa fan, so this game, on the surface, should be right up my alley. You've got your quirky, over-the-top cast of 16 teens/young adults, you've got your mysterious entity trapping them in one location and making them play weird "games" etc, but that's pretty much where the similarities end.

My biggest disappointment with Friendly Facade is its lack of choices. There are choices, of course, and it's not like they don't matter, but it's just that when the choices would matter the most, you don't get any. You pretty much only get choices during the various challenges that the Golding Foundation puts you through. Challenges which I found to be creative in their setup, but tedious in their execution. Out of the three chapters that have been currently released, only the challenge in the first chapter did I find engaging, and that was because this challenge gives you more information about the characters – Friendly Facade's biggest strength.

It is a double-edged sword though, because although the characters are fun and memorable, you don't really get any opportunity to interact with them for any reasonable length of time and you pretty much never get any dialogue choices. You just have to sit and watch Maggie, the main character, make terrible decisions (lying to other characters, for instance) and have no input whatsoever. For example, I really like Mat and would have liked to spend more time with her, but the game rarely ever gives you the opportunity to hang out with anybody, and even when it does, those interactions are disappointingly short and have no interactivity to them.

This might be one of those cases where it would've been better for this story to be told in a non-interactive manner, like a kinetic visual novel or a traditional novel. At least that way there is no frustration in not having a choice when you desperately want to have one.

One might argue that the aforementioned Danganronpa is pretty linear too with no real choices, but that game gives you more interactivity overall with you having to move your character around from location to location, examine evidence, and interact with characters in whatever order you choose, giving you more of a feeling of control and immersion, even if the story itself is linear. Plus, that game pairs over-the-top characters with over-the-top stakes (kill or be killed) while Friendly Facade has the over-the-top characters part down, but sets the stakes pretty low. The characters having to compete for money and prevent their deep, dark secrets from being revealed to others just doesn't have the same oomph as the literal fight for survival in Danganronpa does, especially when those deep, dark secrets are actually pretty benign. Even the main character, Maggie, admits that she doesn't really have anything to hide.

I'm aware that the story takes a darker turn at the end of chapter 3, but it is, in my opinion, a bit too little, too late, and although I would be interested in checking out the next project from these developers, I'm not interested enough to finish this particular story.

Where's the kaboom?

There was supposed to be an Earth-shattering kaboom!

I'm preaching to the choir here, but I have to say,
This great interactive musical has made my day!
The story is engaging and the lore is unique,
There aren't many things that I can really critique.
How many titles can you think of that let you choose,
What songs you sing and allow you to play as a Muse?
Not only that, there is romance and role-playing too!
The result is a game that is something truly new!
The birth of a new genre this game may inspire,
Its creativity and charm I can admire!

There is a lot to like here - the underground world is colorful and fun to explore, there are some cute and quirky characters, and the music is nice.

However, the game drops the ball when it comes to its main story. The main problem with it is that there is pretty much no reason for Michael, the main character, to be involved in any of it, and it prevents you from exploring the world and finishing side-quests (the best parts of the game) until you progress further in the story, making it feel like a chore rather than an exciting journey.

You know, I bought the first Punch Club years ago on some Steam sale and then it stayed in my library, unplayed, for several years until about a month ago when I finally gave the game a shot and absolutely loved it!

I was thrilled to find out there was a sequel coming out in less than a month, and I quickly pre-ordered it, even though there was one thing that concerned me about this sequel — its setting.

I have never liked cyberpunk. Not in movies, not in video games, not in anime, not in other forms of media. I don't mind stories taking place in futuristic settings, but the whole dystopian, technocratic hellscape settings that have completely permeated various forms of media in recent years, never appealed to me, but I thought to myself, "I loved the first game so much. I might still enjoy this!" and hoped for the best.

Unfortunately, I couldn't get into it after all. One thing that appeals to me about playing video games is how they offer an escape from reality. Punch Club 2, of course, takes place in a very colorful and exaggerated world, but it still comes a bit too close to how dystopian and dysfunctional our real world is and where it will, most likely, end up in the near future. I just find it too depressing to keep playing and the game's setting really takes away the fun that I, no doubt, could've had if the game was a more straightforward sequel to the original.

This game has potential, but it also has one of the most boring and railroad-y tutorials I've ever experienced. I just couldn't be bothered to even finish it.

I think this game is a prime example of misplaced priorities — the animated cutscenes, voice acting, and the game's overall presentation are all well done, but the actual story is unengaging and boring. The characters, aside from the Aspirations, are also bland and superfluous. The Aspirations are an interesting concept and are fun to interact with, but for most of the game you will be talking to the boring human characters instead.

I feel like the intricate mythology and the esoteric concepts that the game introduces are wasted on the subpar story. Perhaps it gets better in acts 3 and 4, but I simply don't have the patience to keep on drudging through this dull tale.

I just wish I could romance the other characters (Keeva, specifically) as that's why I played this game in the first place.

Of course, the game doesn't promise you can romance the others, so I can't hold it against it, but from watching the trailer, I assumed that the other characters are romanceable too. Otherwise, I don't see the point of them even being there.

The choice of the MC's deity/academic house was an interesting idea, but it didn't really result in anything meaningful aside from the color of the gemstone next to your name. I think more could've and should've been done with it.

Selling out your daughters simulator...

How on Earth does this game have mixed reviews?! The story is great, the art is beautiful, the music is nice, and the characters are all fun and unique!

Dice Rollers also quite accurately portrays the tabletop gaming experience (I've certainly known a player like Maki before...) and manages to tell an interesting story both within and outside the D&D-like game that the characters are playing. I admit I wish there was a bit more focus on romance, but I did manage to get the ending with the girl I liked, Akane, so I'm happy! ^_^