All tagged Analysis

Persona 3 Reload Review: Style, Substance, and Synergy

Persona 3 Reload doesn’t need to exist, but I’m glad that it does. This remake is a case of refinement over reinvention - aside from a fresh coat of paint and a couple additions here and there, Reload is ultimately concerned with presenting Persona 3 in a way that’s on par with Atlus’ more recent titles. In that context, Reload is as great of an execution of this mission as you can get.

"Exhibiting Forgiveness" Review: Exceptional Emotional Examination of Trauma, Hatred, and Forgiving without Forgetting

Exhibiting Forgiveness is an emotional adventure that smartly and gracefully investigates how the broken relationships of the past can inform the new relationships we build in the future. This film excellently reveals information to its audience in a way that humanizes the very real pain experienced and brought about by its characters in honest, profound way.

Four Years On, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild Still Feels Magical

Breath of the Wild offers an unprecedented amount of adventure to the player - so much so that, even after four years, there are still many more adventures that the game invites players to embark upon. Breath of the Wild is ruthless in its devotion to keep players coming back to learn more and make more discoveries about it. That, above all, is what makes the game so unique and so magical, no matter how much time passes.

Final Fantasy VII Remake and Cyberpunk 2077: Two Opposite Sides of Hype Culture

There is no one-size-fits-all strategy to announcing a project, nor is there a one-size-fits-all strategy for promoting a game pre-release. However, the differences in CD Projekt Red and Square Enix’s approach to marketing their biggest titles of 2020 do highlight that some strategies are more healthy and responsible than others. In an age where hype culture is so prevalent in the realm of gaming and in a year where two games suffered significantly different fates in large part due to how they were hyped and presented to the public, the term “hype responsibly” rings ever true.

Assessing World and Narrative Size in The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening

Link’s Awakening is but one example of how smaller-scale design can nevertheless make a world feel as believable and immersive as it is tightly constructed and uninterested in wasting the player’s time. Through its tight design and consideration for making an experience that provides a consistent feeling of progression and gradually expanding sense of freedom and exploration, Link’s Awakening ended up provides an adventure that I recall very fondly - an assessment that is in large thanks to the title’s size.

"The Art of Self-Defense" Review: A Profound Dissection of Masculinity and Cyclical Violence

Through its dark humor and brilliantly realized characters, The Art of Self-Defense manages to say a lot about violence and masculinity without every coming across as full of itself or preachy. Self-Defense is a film that very much understands what it is and the kind of story it’s trying to tell, and doesn’t attempt to be anything that it isn’t. What results is a film that is tightly focused, funny, and intelligent.