#neokad

And... I think they did too good of a job at that.

First off, for those who did not play IaS, let me tell you first that you absolutely should, especially since it’s decently short, at around 20 hours! But if you did not and don’t plan to, there is no story connection between two of those games - although some enemies and assets are reused in LS, and the battle system s largely the same. In fact, let’s start with that! I am very relieved to say that combat in LS is possibly even more fun than ever! It still uses the same base as in IaS, as you still have a normal attack command, as well as skills that can be physical or magical special attacks, as well as special buff and debuff skills. Y’know, typical RPG stuff. However, just like in IaS, this otherwise very simple combat is complemented by the absolutely lovely Momentum mode, which is a bar separate of your normal Active Time Battle bar. It fills up whenever you complete an action OR wait before you choose a command. If it fills completely, you can store a special orb tied to that character (up to three, in fact), which you can then activate along with an attack/skill for extra damage or effects if you can time it right! This mechanic is in short, AMAZING. It makes you think about when to use that extra boost, when to attack enemies or use skills, and the fact that you need to time it makes battles very engaging!  But keep in mind, all of this was also present in Setsuna, so how did they make it better here? Well, Lost Sphear actually allows you to move your characters around the map when battling! This allows you to place them to avoid attacks, as well as hit enemies as efficiently as possible! LS also introduces Momentum Boosting, which allows you to customize whatever skill you chose to put on your party member with special effects, like healing or elemental damage! Those two changes, while it makes experimentation and battling even more satisfying, does make regular battles even easier than in IaS - though you CAN make the game harder in the settings at any time if you find regular battles to not be exciting enough! That, and the bosses are usually decently strong anyway :P

Another notable feature are the Vulcosuits! These are a new combat feautre you obtain relatively early in the game. While using them spends some pretty limited VulcoPoints, it does boosts your stats, and most importantly allows you to perform special attacks either alone or with a party member (and you can have up to four of them in a battle instead of three now!) This is a pretty cool system, and I’m glad that they incited you to not overuse it by limiting the VPs you can get. But sadly it also makes so that you cannot do combo skills with a partner like in IaS, which I always thought made battles more fun and strategic too ;-; If I’ll fault LS’s gameplay somewhere else, it’s how it had a tendency to spare you of checkpoints sometimes. It’s not a very constant issue, but I sometimes had to fight a boss after not having a save point given to me for minutes - and it made me lose 40 minutes of progress once, so that was fun :/ But besides this and a couple of annoying bosses, I can say that the gameplay in LS is overall better than its prequel!

Sadly, gameplay isn’t what’s the meat and potatoes of any JRPG, so what kind of setting are we dealing with this time? Well, this is where I think Lost Sphear starts to fall flat. After a mysterious flashback sequence, we start off in the small village of Elgarthe, where we meet with Kanata, Lumina and Locke (no, not the treasure hunter). As we do, a strange phenomenon starts to occur, where we see the entire town being enveloped in snow-like mist, which translate to the town being “lost”. Curious to see why this even happened at all, our main trio, which is quickly joined by the strange, emo Van, set out in an adventure to not only find out more by visiting the capital of this game’s empire, but also to restore whatever lost things they come across. Why? Because Kanata - for reasons I will not go into - has the ability to make things return to how they are if he has enough connection/memories tied to them! (As a side note, you can even gain some stat bonuses/effects of your choice by restoring specific points on the map This setup is decently interesting, but to me? I feel like it’s not enough to really keep me engaged ;-; It’s certainly not bad, of course not, but I found it a bit boring and cliché at times to be honest. Without going into specifics for spoiler reasons, it’s a lot of “the empire is bad” and “we can save the world” and “we’re the good guys”, which while not horrible plot devices, aren’t very engaging either.And that same point extends to the characters as well ;-; I do think some of them are quite good, but even then I did not really fall in love with anyone, like I usually do in most RPGs I play, which... well, sucks. There is a few characters with neat backstories and events happening to them (such as Van, Galdra and Lumina) but overall even these three just didn’t have enough to them for me to become attached ;-;

And welp... this goes true for the music and art of LS, too. Now, I wanna say that the soundtrack to Lost Sphear was actually pretty good overall! Just like in IaS, the village themes are beautifully peaceful and relaxing, and the battle theme has a nice ring to it as well, to give just a few examples. And this time, the composer actually learned the existence of instruments other than the piano! However, I do think that the minimalistic soundtrack for IaS was a lot more memorable overall - not just for how much it stood out for that reason, but also because I think the compositions themselves were just a bit more memorable ^^ But I get that most people prefer variety, and music taste is pretty suggestive anyway :P And I also get that a more standard soundtrack - which is still good, mind you! - would fit better in a less unique world - and speaking of...

The world of LS is a lot more typical of what you would find in a RPG - you’ve got your remote villages, your massive empire city, your port areas, and so on, all presented in a grassy setting. I know this is a very strange statement to point out, but despite Lost Sphear having some very pretty shots from time to time, I really feel like it matters when you compare it to its ancestor. One of the things I loved about IaS was its snowy, setting, which blended perfectly with the minimalist piano soundtrack to create a breathtaking atmopshere. And while what’s there still works - and is much more varied for sure - I feel like a lot of the soul was lost in the atmopshere given to the player. And honestly? I think this sums up the game very well.

Lost Sphear is a good game. But that’s exactly why it was so disappointing to me. It’s just “good” and ultimately forgettable. IaS, while not perfect, blew me away with its charming cast, beautiful music, breathtaking setting, unique story and fun battle system. And while that last part is still there and mostly improved, this game, by being so much more by the books, is not nearly as interesting ;-; The story is fine, but I do feel like I’ve heard most of it before. The characters are okay, but they just don’t do enough to be nearly as likeable as I want them to be. The graphics and audio are both solid too, but again it’s just not the same. Don’t get me wrong, Lost Sphear is a solid time. But as far as RPGs go, I feel like the player should be impressed, and LS... just doesn’t do it. I definitively recommend going through I am Setsuna first <3

Rating: 7.2/10

I'd actually like to start this humble review with this analogy: What surprised me the most while replaying this game, is how its overall structure and world are. I feel like the best way to describe this game is like this: A perfectly balanced mix - as all things should be - between a classic Zelda quest, and the much more revolutionary Breath of the Wild. Now, I gotta say, it may be strange to some people to compare an older title to a newer one to describe it, but I promise it'll at least somewhat make sense at the end of this review... I hope O_O

But hey, we might as well review the plot early as usual! Well, there honestly isn't a lot to this story as usual for most Zelda games, but it is pretty solid regardless. Basically, as the ambient intro of the game teaches you, the ancient land of Hyrule got flooded by the gods, as Ganondorf tried to conquer the land with no Hero opposing him. And ever since that event, the world has been flooded with the Great Sea, only leaving many small islands and some people behind to rebuild the world. And so, many years after this happened, we find this game’s Link on his 12th birthday, wearing the “Hero of Time’’s clothes for the occasion as a longheld tradition. BUT, as this supposed happy day happens, his sister Aryll gets kidnapped by a giant flying bird to the Forsaken Fortress - as many other young girls. Naturally, Link tries to go save her with the help of Tetra - another young girl that escaped captivity thanks to her crew of pirates. With the help of her companions and their ship, Link sets out for the fortress, but as he is clearly underpowered, he gets demolished there by none other than Ganondorf, and washes up ashore, unconscious on Windfall Island, greeted by... a talking red boat! And this same boat tells him he must collect the Three Pearls of the Gods in order to gain access to the Master Sword, to finally save the kidnapped girls! This is not the whole plot of course, as I’m hiding some actual plot twists from you, the reader, buuuut I will say that while it’s not the most developed tale out there, it’s well done! But I feel like what drives this the most is certainly the art style and the characters themselves. See, I firmly believe this game has the best Link in the ENTIRE SERIES, no questions asked! He’s expressive, funny, endearing and he just looks so dang adorable! Part of his charm is definitively thanks to the situations he’s put in, but I think it’s mostly because of the game’s artstyle. IT’S BEAUTIFUL

Yes, granted, it’s not nearly as detailed as many games you’ve probably played, but the cartoony style they chose for Wind Waker really makes the locales pop out, and made the slapstick in the game that much more endearing! Plus, some of those shots just look, well, breathtaking really.

Speaking of character expressions and slapstick, I also believe Wind Waker possesses a very memorable set of NPCs as well! Be it the employee in the battleship game with his twofaced personality, or anyone involved in the many sidequests all over the islands, I’ve built lots of memories just traveling all around the sea, reading and delivering letters, just to get to know those people more! And it turned out that a good chunk of them gave me a good time!

Well, let’s talk about those travels, shall we? Wind Waker got (in?)famous over the years for having sailing. Lots of it. And especially in the original Gamecube version, it made travelling slow and boring to some as a result. Basically, you needed to constantly change the direction of the wind in order to travel as quickly as you could. Suffice to say, switching the wind’s directions this often got irksome pretty quickly : P Thankfully, the HD port on the Wii U does give you an optional Fast Sail in a side quest! As early as the second island in the game! Which means that those who found the sailing unbearable in the original will have a better experience ^^ But regardless, there’s a lot of sailing in this game, which is what replaces running/rolling around on the overworld. And instead of having different regions, they’re all replaced by 49 islands of different sizes and importance! And this is where my BOTW comparison will shine~ I think this game is pretty close in spirit to Breath of the Wild in some ways. Sure, unlike in that game, you’re locked to a certain sequence of items/dungeon/progression, just like a classic Zelda experience! BUT!  Wind Waker also allows you to explore 40+ non-important islands, and sailing between them in anticipation of what you might find there is suuuuch a good feeling! Plus, there’s many treasure chests to loot (both major and minor) while you’re travelling on the big blue. Due to how much you can find in your way off the main quest - while being far away from the suggested path the game wants you to do at the moment - gives this game a very open feeling despite still having a linear quest to it! And I think this element of discovery and exploration in a linear format - coupled with the great visuals and ambience the sailing offered - made this game so, so, so much fun to play <3

But what about the gameplay and dungeons themselves? Well thankfully, they’re both quite good as well! What I like most is how much of an improvement swordplay got compared to Ocarina of Time. Not only are the enemies generally more diversified in strategies and design, Link also received many new moves to his arsenal, and those made combat so much more intense and exciting! Though it did make the game very easy overall thanks to having so many options... alongside you not taking very much damage for most of the game :P Still, the dungeons made up for this! They’re quite fun and pretty well paced, and each offer some quite nice ambience as well!  Although I will say that the late part of the game has two dungeons with pretty similar concept, which while fun in their own right, did feel a little uninspired despite them having clever puzzles :/ On a semi unrelated note, the intro sequence at the Forsaken Fortress has you playing a stealth sequence, and you coming back to it later while able to defend yourself was a high point for me!

I do want to leave a quick note about the music, and honestly? It’s pretty great as well! Like I pointed out earlier, the dungeons create some very fitting atmosphere, but as soon as you’re outside them, many of the main islands have some very pretty, energetic music that is PERFECT for a Zelda game (especially Dragon Roost Island), and the Great Sea theme is very adventurous and grandiose, which motivates you even more to set out and explore! Though it’s somewhat strange that many smaller locations have no music at all, which makes sense to be fair, since those islands are usually pretty small from the outside ^^

Overall? I expected to only like this game, but I ended up adoring it! The Wind Waker is a marvelous journey that leaves a lot open to the player about how they approach the game, while still giving you enough of a compass to never be lost! And a competent story with charming characters and great music certainly help to make that adventure all the more memorable! Though I suggest you all should play the HD version if you can, since it has the fast sail and better looks. BUT, it also heavily tones down the infamous lategame Triforce fetch quest. (While it did not make much sense story-wise since you could just do spoiler without it before, I didn’t find it all that bad in the HD version since you can do some of it before having completed all other dungeons in the game ^^ But yes, HD or not, this is a grand adventure! Play it! 9/10

As far as the story goes, I'd say it's pretty typical - and even similar between both games. At the beginning of each story, the game's respective oracle, Nayru or Din, get captured by either Veran or Onox, and it's up to Link to collect eight various artifacts that will break a magical barrier keeping him from the omnious castle of the big bad guy of the day! Just like many games of the era, there is little to no story progression (though I think there's slightly more development in Ages compared to Seasons) but on the flipside, there's nothing here that struck me as dumb or bad, just... not very detailed.And while that's definitively fine for the era, let me say this: I feel like Link's Awakening had something much more interesting going on. I won't spoil it for those who haven't played it or its remake, but I feel like the Oracle games are much lamer and less inspiring in that regard, and combining that with how not much changes in the plot unlike in LA, I couldn't help but be disappointed by this.

And honestly, I'll hold the same opinion for the soundtrack as well. Again, it's not bad! But first off it reuses a couple of tracks from LA, including the overworld theme which... didn't really sit well with me. But although the dungeon and village pieces set a nice tone for the game, I think LA did that better thanks to having more memorable tracks overall ^^

However, fear not! Those games have some very nice improvements regardless! Like I said earlier, the engine is very similar to the one used in LA, but the game looks much more colourful and bright than its ancestor, and I did find the menus to be a bit faster and more responsive as well. Plus, the screens can actually scroll now! Hurray!But what about the game itself? Well, one common point brought up by players of those games is how Ages is centered on puzzle solving, while Seasons has a more combat-oriented approach. Let me tell you right now that this is NOT true at all. I'd almost argue Seasons has more puzzly action, but that might be stretching it a bit :P Either way, I think both games are very similar in structure, story, and dungeon/overworld design, But thankfully, most of it is pretty fun! The dungeons are especially good, with some very clever and creative puzzles. I would even argue they are the best in the entire series overall gameplay-wise, though not very memorable as setpieces. I will say, I had to look up a walkthrough many times, and although I felt dumb for not realizing what to do on my own many times - and the games are also pretty good at giving you a general direction of where to go - I do feel like the solutions to certain challenges can be pretty cryptic and offputting.

As far as overworlds go, once again while they're fine, I didn't find neither Labrynna or Holodrum very memorable. The major difference between those two - besides the layout and name - is how you travel in those places! What I mean is, in Ages/Labrynna you'll be able to time travel just like in A Link to the Past, and solves problems that way! While in Seasons/Holodrum, you'll be able to change the seasons on the overworld in order to change how the environment is laid out around you! This does make traveling in those overworlds very prone to backtracking/back and forth, but it felt pretty satisfying to figure out how to go through on your own!Like I said earlier, the gameplay is overall very similar to LA, but I'll say that it overall feels better as well. The engine has recieved a nice upgrade, but this is mostly thanks to what I think is the biggest strength of the Oracle duo: THE ITEMSTHEY ARE SO MUCH FUN!

They give you some very creative and unique spins to items you're very familiar with in the Zelda series, such as a Magnet instead of a Hookshot, and they build up on some already very fun puzzles! I'll also add that many cool items from LA come back as well, such as the feather! There's also a few new mechanics unique to this game, such as Gasha seeds (basically planting seeds over the world to gain treasures later) and rings (which can grant you unique effects when you wear them). I do like the ring system overall since it makes Link more customizable, but I wish that more than a few rings were actually useful ;-;Lastly, let's talk about what makes those games stand out even more from the rest: Secrets! Basically by completing one of the two games, you can gain a secret password that you can enter in the other, which grants you a few benefits, such as one more heart at the start, plus skipping a part of the intro sequence. Furthermore! You can talk to certain special NPCs, which will grant you shorter passwords that you can then give to another NPC in the opposite game, who will then give you an otherwise unavailable upgrade for both games! This not only makes the games feel special by being physically connected, it also boosts their replay value since you can totally play those games in the reverse order next time you dabble with the oracles!

But overall? I definitively think well of those games, but I find them pretty hard to rate. On their own, they're fun to play but nothing special otherwise. I did find Ages slightly better than Seasons thanks to a better narrative and dungeons, but they're both about as good as each other really :P But together? The Oracle games are a very unique experience that, while I still think they aren't as special as LA for their setting alone, are still memorable thanks to the games being linked!

This game for the most part featured some of the most fun stages in the classic series! Each of them had unique, cool elements that made them stand out, fast paced and intense to go through, and for the most part, it was still well designed and fair! I think this game might also feature the best set of special weapons in the classic series, if not the whole franchise! I found myself almost overusing weapons for once due to how useful almost all of them were - which rarely happened in other games! - and it just made the game that much more strategic and fun! MM11 also contains my new favourite weapon in the series, the Blazing Torch! IT'S SO SATISFYING TO BREAK THEIR SHIELDS WITH THIS ONE

As far as the double gear system goes, I found it to be very fun, albeit a little *too* powerful as well ;-;The Speed Gear especially makes some tricky platforming challenges very "cheeseable", but I'd be lying if I said I didn't *enjoy* spamming it. The Power Gear was overall less useful, but I like how all weapons (and not just your buster) are souped up as well! It reminds me of the X games for that reason <3 But once again, it really cheeses many bosses in the game - which is a shame, since I found them to be especially cool to fight without the gear, or even the special weapons!So yes, gameplay-wise, this game is absolutely phenomenal! But they were still a few hiccups in the level design. Bounce Man's stage is a great example of that sadly, with the yellow platforms being... well, very awkward to use

The rest of the game doesn't stand out quite as much - but I don't think it really needed to, to be fair :P The VA is surprisingly okay, and while the graphics did look somewhat cheap to me at first, the artstyle itself grew on me the more I played! And I honestly can't even explain why -_-Sadly, I think the big flaw of this game is, shockingly, the MUSIC. I don't think it's bad per se, but... I legitimately only remember three or four songs from the game (which were good, but not fantastic) and I found the rest to be pretty forgettable. I think the synth instruments might explain that, but still :/But regardless, Mega Man 11 was a great time overall! With some fun, interesting level design, extremely useful weapons, a cool double gear system, and decent presentation, I honestly think this one might me one of my favourites in the classic series!Please play this one if you can! It offers multiple difficulty modes and is available on most platforms too <3