January 2017 Catchup

As I mentioned in a previous entry, I really wanted to go back and revisit a lot of (or all of?) the games I played over the past couple of years because I haven't discussed them at all on this blog! And that's a shame because I've built up a lot of thoughts over time. I'd say I definitely finished more games than typical during this period of time because I wasn't really taking any time off to write about them or to produce content in any way--but that just led to this sense of unease because I didn't have any outlet with which I could discuss them.

The first game I finished in 2017 was a game I'd been working on-and-off for a decent chunk of the latter end of 2016. I'd planned on starting a Persona marathon of sorts leading up to the release of Persona 5. The only entry in the series I hadn't played at that time was Persona 2: Eternal Punishment. I'd played the other half othat particular duology (Persona 2: Innocent Sin) quite awhile back because its PSP remake was fairly slick and well done. Unfortunately, Atlus elected not to localize the similar remake of Eternal Punishment, so I decided I might as well go back and play the PS1 version instead since it's likely it's the only version we'll ever get.

I think my reception of Eternal Punishment was really damaged by playing the PSP version of Innocent Sin first, even though that game is chronologically first of the two. It has so many quality-of-life improvements that really make the game a lot more fun that it felt incredibly glaring when I came back to Eternal Punishment. The plot is at least interesting and is a continuation of the wackiness from the first Persona 2 title, but the repetitive dungeon-crawling, tedious combat interface, muddy graphics, and refusal to explain basic gameplay mechanics really drags it down. It also takes forever to open the map (which I had to do frequently), the random encounter rate is stupidly high, pitfalls that drop you to the previous floor are extremely common, combat is very slow-paced even with animations turned off, and collecting essential items is extremely tedious and almost requires consulting a guide.

It's hard to say if the PS1 version of Innocent Sin had similar problems but at this point I feel confident that I've played the only version of that game that I need to play. If for some reason I ever have an opportunity to play the PSP remake of Eternal Punishment (whether it be through a fan-translation or some highly unlikely localized rerelease) then I definitely will, but this version of the game has aged extremely poorly. Although I did finish the game, I didn't particularly enjoy it at any point. Everything I admired about the game was also present in Innocent Sin. The only thing Eternal Punishment has going for it is a higher difficulty level, but it's difficult in such a frustrating way, I can't say that is much of a saving grace.

It was around this same time in early January that I played through a short adventure title on PC by the name of Oxenfree. Now, this one I really enjoyed because it felt really engaging and engrossing. The story itself, concerning a spooky visit to a place called Edwards Island, is interesting, but I found myself much more drawn in just by the interaction between the game's characters. The dialogue is really funny and well-written, and I like how it's delivered by the voice actors too. It really helped me to be invested in their outcomes and made the decisions I made feel more impactful. I'd really recommend it and I'd like to play it again, maybe on PS4 this time?

On literally that same day, I finished Evoland, a game I'd heard about for some time but never really pulled the trigger on. It's been awhile, but I think I decided to grab it because it was on sale and the concept seemed reasonable intriguing. It's essentially a hybrid RPG that moves through the various eras of game development. You'll start with a game that resembles the 8-bit Legend of Zelda titles and transition into 16-bit styles, flirt with turn-based RPGs, and eventually end up with full 3D graphics. It's a game that features a lot of callbacks to a lot of retro RPGs and I really dug that about it, but it tends to be a little awkward and hamfisted in its approach.

It also has kind of an unfortunate script that feels as if it were written by someone without a strong grasp on the English language. If i recall correctly it comes from a French developer so that may have something to do with it. It's a very short and unpolished game but I really adored the concept and felt it was worth playing for that alone. I liked it enough that I decided to check out the sequel, Evoland 2: A Slight Case of Spacetime Continuum Disorder.

Now, Evoland 2 is a whole different ballgame. While it shares some similarities with its predecessor, it really evolves on them and matures them in a lot of really exciting ways. Evoland 2 is not content to take us through different RPG genres but instead flirts with a wide variety of other genres as well, including fighting games, shmups, tactical RPGs, and even straight up puzzle games. The graphical style is also considerably more polished in all forms, from its slick 8-bit, 16-bit, and 3D styles. It also involves time travel, which while typically pretty difficult to pull off, is presented in some pretty fun ways here. The script is also massively improved and pretty interesting! I can't recommend this little-known game enough. It's worth completely skipping the first game just to try this one out if you don't have time for both. This is another game I'd happily replay. I only wish it were available on consoles instead of just PC and mobile.

I only beat four games in January, but I happen to remember I was deep into a playthrough of Persona 3 PSP in a continuation of my P5-prep marathon after finishing up Eternal Punishment. I'll talk about that one on my next entry as we get into February 2017!