Recent reviews by ConstNullPtr

The original game is probably the best of 'modern-retro' JRPG genre. And likely one of the best cRPGs, ever.
Sure there are a lot of other worthy contenders these days, but nothing blends style, visuals, gameplay, story and heart as this game. That feeling you felt when playing Chrono Trigger for the first time ? Check. Characters that stay with you for years ? Check. It's not too-long, and contains precisely the content that needs to be there.

The expansion is a wonderful addition to that - it truly builds on the original, but isn't a slap-on extra adventure. Definitely more than I expected!

Also, if you have a Steam Deck, and you haven't played this game yet, do it - it's perfect for the platform.

On the surface - the game is perfect fun, enough of a challenge for an occasional player plus a lot of (twisted) humour.
The combat is adorable, and even if you fail it's not the end of the world or 'good luck next time' type of deal - you still get some loot, and while you do have to try again at that boss, it doesn't feel like a grind and more like actually learning how to best beat the game - sort of like Dead Cells or Hades - which admittedly have far more involved combat mechanics, but both realise a similar game loop style.

Outside of combat and exploration, the village building aspect is meh, or maybe more of a wasted opportunity - it's there, but it doesn't really _do_ anything, especially past mid-game or so. At least in terms of doing anything positive, that is - your followers will still annoy the heck out of you, so you're just doing crisis management and running off on random errands for no good reason. It is still enjoyable for at least half the game, and if you feel like decorating your village / ever-growing graveyard (unless you opt for some other ways of managing that), there are options to continue doing so throughout the game.

... and then the game makes you go through really tough choices. Making a weird meal, and forcing someone to eat it? Sacrificing a follower? Sacrificing a friend? There is some deep, and sometimes dark stuff here. I appreciate this, and feel like the game offers something to think beyond the base cartoon violence, though I have mixed feelings about including that for the intended audience of 12+ - my 13 y.o. progeny was particularly upset about a game requiring certain sacrifice in order to get a complete follower collection. That felt cruel.
The adult aspects are not just about violence - especially the way we usually associate game violence with, which is more about desensitising and ignoring the gory aspects. Here the game actually pushes you through the whole emotional deal - definitely something both adult and younger players will think over for quite some time. For a game that's involves anthropomorphic animal characters, that's quite an achievement I think, even if it needs to be enjoyed with care.

This game can be crazy fun, but with a focus on 'crazy'.
It's a technological marvel at some level, but the novelty of all pixels doing something at the same time does wear off.
But... I've been coming back to it ever since it was in very very early stages, and it's been improving on content, variety of challenges, and it can be entertaining, in addition to already being spectacular.
In any case, it's worth it for experiencing the mechanics alone.
There is nothing quite like it. Not in a genre-defining way, just... really unique.

Puzzles + programming + (obsessive/compulsive) optimisation, this is one title to go back to over & over again.

11/10