Tim_Rattray

I gave it a shot on Switch and while I'm not going to front like it's a incredible experience, I do think it's gotten more flak than it deserves. It's a great game for kids and the difficulty does ramp up a nice bit to where even adults will have to think (though it takes a while to get there). The Pokémon theming is better in some parts than others, and most of the puzzles are pretty generic, but again, I think it works well for its target audience of kids and needs to be considered from that perspective.

@tameshiyaku I really appreciate this comment (and everyone else's; I'm reading them all). I made a conscious effort when writing this to make sure that it's clear how therapy of various forms were the backbone of working through issues. The games provided guiding lights and moments of clarity that worked in conjunction with therapy.

Therapy and medication are incredibly important, and I want to make sure I take a moment to underscore that here in the comments.

Undead, undead, undead

@CaleBoi25 I love all of them but I'm all in on Deep Cut. "Future" is a theme that I feel could be explored well in Splatoon (I want to see their vision of fashion trends to come), and also I unapologetically stan Big Man.

@Notsoavid It’ll be soggy, that’s for sure

Definitely wouldn’t mind seeing Killer Instinct Gold! Any way to put that franchise in the spotlight is appreciated.

MK Trilogy would also be cool. I wonder if that remastered collection that was finished but never released would factor into that not being put on the app either, though.

This was a good excuse to finally make a Blue Sky account!

@Ralizah When writing something like this, I have a word count to stay within and a lot of points to make within that so there's only so much detail I can go into on each. So, I think your analysis is apt. I do know from personal as well as watching internet discourse that there are definitely people who avoided it because it didn't have the social elements that attracted them to the series via Three Houses, but beyond that, the insight here is astute and also correct. (FWIW, I also really enjoyed Engage, at least for its combat and the Emblem ring maps.)

@DanijoEX-the-Pierrot you should check out some of my other work! It’s focused on using games to do exactly this.

Yeah, the comparison to the Xbox studio closures nails it. Square Enix is following the trends of the industry, and it hurts a bit more/is more jarring because they're at the epicenter of an entire genre. I feel that a strong Square Enix is crucial to a strong JRPG appreciation in the cultural consciousness as so many of their franchises pave the way for other companies to thrive. Like, if this restructuring happened during NieR Automata's development, it's not a stretch to say that would've been axed, yet it became an unexpected hit and now action RPGs gain popularity (or fail) due to comparisons to it.

(Also, Rebirth is also my game of the year... sorry not sorry)

@Diogmites Absolutely none taken! It was extremely expressive and I’m humbled that my piece brought out an emotional response from others.