Recent reviews by LSRoserade

I haven't played the game too much (launch day review), but I'm really enjoying myself so far! I've played a few of the earlier versions, and I really like the way that it's turned out. I still have a lot more content to get through (which I'm happy about), and with a roadmap to add more content throughout early access, I'm excited about the future of Ratatan as well!

The game is great, and literally all of my (relatively minor) complaints are getting fixed in the patch they're rolling out sometime next week (mid September 2025).

If you're reading this review and you haven't played Hollow Knight first, I'd HIGHLY recommend that you start with the first game to get a hang of the base movement and learn some lore. Both the lore and the difficulty seem to expect you to be familiar with the first game, and it leads to a really smooth and engaging experience. Silksong is an amazing sequel, and I look forward to many more hours of Silksong in my future.

If you want to know what all the hype is about, then go play through Hollow Knight. All 112% of it. I doubt you'll be disappointed.

One thing to make clear:

PATAPON AND PATAPON 2 ARE BASICALLY THE SAME GAME. START WITH PATAPON 2.

Patapon 2 took the first Patapon, refined systems, balanced levels, and added content on top of it. For that reason, I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THAT YOU START WITH PATAPON 2.

Also, I’d highly recommend switching to at least normal mode for Patapon 2. The difficulties seem to change more than they did in the original. It’s under “options” on the main menu where you choose which game to play.

I played these games a TON on PSP/Vita, and Patapon 2 is my second favorite video game ever. That being said, I didn’t like Patapon 1 all that much, even though that’s the first one I played (I never would’ve touched Patapon 2 unless I’d been told that it fixed all my problems with the first one). The two games come together, so you can play it if you want to, but I want to make clear how big of a difference the QOL changes make between the two games. Because of this, I’m mainly going to talk about Patapon 2 going forward.

I love seeing the Patapons on a bigger screen and with near instant loads, and I’m super happy for this port. I’m impressed with the changes to the difficulty as well. The game is automatically set to easy, and I was disappointed at my first playthrough on this difficulty. For me, a lot of the fun of the game is gearing my army to overcome problems. You also get new things for reclearing a lot of the levels. On easy, however, bosses often die before they get many attacks out, and that makes it even harder to farm for resources if you do decide to strengthen your armies. My normal mode run seems to be clearing bosses a lot slower, even when I stay in hero mode, so I’m excited to finish my normal mode run and do a hard mode run to see what’s changed!

My only problem with this game is the rare stutter. I’m playing on steam deck, so idk if it has something to do with that, but the game will very rarely stutter a bit. Happened maybe 3 times my whole playthrough, but figured I’d mention it.

Edited to address the difficulty changes, which I didn’t realize was a thing until I decided to do a second playthrough just in case. I thought it was the weapons they start you with. Also added extras based on my finished playthrough since I just wanted to get a review out for people unfamiliar with the game when it was still new. I mention this for the comments lol.

TL;DR
Start with Patapon 2 (which is amazing and you should get it), and change difficulty to normal for standard experience. Unfortunately there’s no co-op on pc, but you get the first game as well that you can play if you enjoy the series and want some more story :)

This is a phenomenal puzzle game with a very interesting story! The demo is the first few levels, and saves transfer over, so there's no reason not to try it and see if you like it (spoiler alert: you will).

Also this game has the best fictional dog. You know you want to meet the best boi!

I got this game because I'd heard a lot of good things about it, and I've really liked other metroidvanias like Hollow Knight, Ori, Guacamelee, Noreya, and more. For me, this game just wasn't very fun.

The first big issue I have with the game is how needlessly complex it is. You start the game with a grappling hook, a jump, a dash, a heal, a parry, an attack, a talisman dash move, and you quickly gain more things. While this isn't necessarily a bad thing, most of the mechanics feel rather lackluster. The grappling hook, for instance, is only for platforming and can only be used at special grapple nodes. You also get a drone very early on that allows you to hack systems hidden in the walls instead of just ones on the ground, which doesn't add anything except for an extra few button presses to send out and recall the drone. The drone also has some movement sections, but those could easily be reworked to be done by the character. These things might sound nitpicky (and really they are), but all of these systems that don't add anything to the game just makes it feel cluttered, confusing, and unrewarding. More buttons to remember also makes it harder to get back into the game, and it often takes me a few minutes to remember all of the controls and how to use them again.

In addition, I had to look up a lot of the systems because I couldn't figure them out from the UI. The game has a pop-up window that explains things (which is how I knew that I wasn't doing things properly), but even reading the in-game explanations wasn't enough for me to fully understand all of the systems. I understand that this is subjective, but I don't like overly complicated systems, especially when I don't feel their impact when playing the game.

Which leads me to the combat. Once you understand the mechanics, it feels fine against random enemies. That being said, the flaws start to show during boss fights. Before this game, I didn't realize how big of an impact movement had on making fights flow. In this game, you parry attacks then use your talisman dash attack, attack a few times with your weapon, then repeat. This makes the fights almost feel turn based, as you input the parry button (or dodge for unparryable attacks) at the specific times for that specific move, then it waits for you to do your attacks, and then it retaliates. Since you never need to move for most fights except to turn around, there's never any variation in how you respond. This isn't a problem with normal enemies that die quickly, but the bosses have enough hp to make the fights long enough to grow boring. Once you see the attacks a couple times, it becomes predictable and easy, but it still takes quite a while to finish the fight. This issue is exacerbated by second phases with completely new attacks, which could very well kill you and make you replay the attacks that you already know. I usually have fun fighting bosses, which makes it even weirder that I find fighting bosses in this game so tedious, but I do. There is a story mode where you can adjust different stats like enemy health, which is nice for those that want to customize their experience.

Unrelated, but the game also randomly spawns tentacles to drag you into tutorials, and they always catch me off guard. The tentacles are integrated into the designs of some things and they are explained in the story, but it still feels jarring to me.

If the game still sounds interesting to you so far, then good news! I've played as far as I have mostly for the story. it starts out rather interesting, and there's a lot of optional dialogue that I've been having fun reading. I'm not sure if I'll finish the game since I normally play games for the combat/platforming which I haven't found particularly interesting, but the occasional story moments have been intriguing enough to keep me going so far.

To me, the game isn't particularly interesting. It looks pretty and has an interesting story, but the rest of the game feels rather mediocre, and the number of buttons that the game uses makes it difficult to get into (all four triggers, all four letter buttons, and up on the dpad at 3 hours in, most of which were there from the start). I understand why some people like it, but the combat is VERY different from every other game I've heard it compared to, and I didn't see any reviews like this one when I bought the game. That being said, if what I've said doesn't bother you, then buy it! A lot of people really like this game, and while it wasn't for me, it very well might be for you :)

This game is an amazing blend of strategy and intrigue, dragging the player deeper into the characters and world with each conversation. If you love puzzle games and/or a good story, then this game is a *must play*. It has quickly become one of my favorites, and continues to tempt me in ways that no game ever has -- even after my first (~6 hour) playthrough.

After getting every achievement, there's still a part of me that wants to run around this world in the hopes that there's something new I might discover. This game is magical in a way that is truly inescapable.

I knew essentially nothing when I got this game, but I was going on a road trip and wanted something new to play. Best decision I've ever made.
That being said, Hollow Knight definitely isn't for everyone. The game is difficult, and metroidvanias are defined by new abilities unlocking routes to new areas, meaning that returning to old areas to unlock new secrets is to be expected. I find it exciting to find new things (often entire areas) taunting me from a ledge I can finally reach. The map also helps by showing where you haven't been, but I get that it isn't for everyone.

My Experience:
(Minor Spoilers: a few early boss/area names)
Expectations often affect a player's experience with a game, and I went into Hollow Knight knowing next to nothing. Circumstances are also important, and I first played this game on my switch during a long car ride. That being said, I fell in love with Hollow Knight before I even reached the end of the first segment of the game where the world truly opens up to the player (City of Tears). But before that, I took on an optional boss called the Mantis Lords.

For context, I often give up in games when things get difficult. Mechanics often feel too clunky for me to feel invested in improving, be it the controls, the hit boxes, or the gameplay itself. Hollow Knight, however, felt different.
Every time I died, I learned a little bit more about the boss, and while I really don't like repeatedly dying and walking back to the boss knowing that I'll only repeat the cycle, it was oddly fun. The game expected me to struggle, and I did. The game also reminded me that I'm playing a metroidvania, and it's okay to come back later. I ignored it, but the reminder was there. Upon defeating the Mantis Lords and them unlocking a new area for me to explore, I started to realize why Hollow Knight is such a great game: the world exists regardless of the player.
Most games block the player until they reach a certain point, with each upgrade scripted to align with the path that the developers intend for the player to tread. Hollow Knight, however, gives the player a plethora of places to explore, and this fight is the first example of that. The world isn't built to stop you -- it's built for its inhabitants. And, as such, there are a lot of places that you can go.

One point to touch on: you make the map. You have to find the map maker in each area, he sells you a piece of paper for that area with a few squiggles indicating important locations, and after buying a quill from his wife, you can fill out the rest by going there. Another thing: I am TERRIBLE with directions. And, lastly, the way out of the first area was literally the very last pathway that I checked. You can always tell where you haven't gone because the rooms that you've explored will indicate their exits on the map, and while I had some trouble in the first area, it wasn't a problem in later areas. I mention it mostly because a lot of people quit in the first area before they even see what the game has to offer. However, if the whole game was like the first area, I wouldn't be writing this review. It's a metroidvania. They get better with abilities.
Another point to touch on: some people claim that you need a wiki to beat the game, and while I can't speak for everyone, I didn't use a wiki to look stuff up until after I'd beaten the game. I missed about 80% of the content my first time through, including entire areas and abilities, but I found most of them without a wiki as well. I mostly just wanted to see what others thought about the game lol.

Gameplay:
(Minor Spoilers: vague ability generalization for an early ability)
You start out with very simple controls (move, jump, attack in any direction, and heal), and they really don't change that much. You get a few new abilities throughout your journey, but the game is always simple. Movement is as much about traversing the map as it is about being able to dodge boss attacks and position yourself to deal damage. The only thing that I don't like about the gameplay is how they incorporated a subset of abilities called spells.

Spells and healing both cost a resource called soul, which is gained from attacking enemies. Spells deal considerable damage, while healing allows you to survive. Gaining soul from hitting enemies (and then being able to heal with that soul) allows you to explore without feeling the pressure of needing a save point like in games such as Dark Souls. This healing also adds a layer of strategy to boss fights, as you not only have to avoid attacks and strike the enemy back, but you also want to find spaces between attacks where you can heal. I also like how, as you get better at the game, you can clear enemies/bosses faster by using excess soul. My main problem with the system is that, when you're NOT good at the game (me when I started), you need your soul to heal. Also, if you're not used to casting spells, the delay that most spells have can make you get hit when you use them, which means that now you need to heal. Right after you spent your soul on spells. I really like the idea, but it took me several playthroughs to both realize the usefulness of spells and actually be able to utilize them effectively.

Difficulty:
The game is hard, but the game is also fair. I have beaten almost every boss in the game hitless, and while some are extremely difficult, they are also interesting puzzles to solve. Failing to solve them sometimes makes them WAY more difficult, but there are also multiple ways to solve them. Most of the time that I watch someone fight a boss, they fight it just a little bit differently from how I and others I know do it. Even when I follow someone's guide to a boss, I often adapt their advice into things that work for me, which I think is neat.

Story:
The story is hidden in the occasional optional dialogue, optional lore tablets, and the world itself. I got exactly none of it my first time through (pointy bug go STAB), but the story for Hollow Knight is woven into nearly everything in the game, which makes it all the more fun to learn about. Thanks mossbag (search "mossbag" on YouTube)!

Replayability:
(Minor Spoilers: late-game boss appellations)
There are a few diverging paths in the game that both give achievements, with one unlocking an Invincible, Fearless, Sensual, Mysterious, Enchanting, Vigorous, Diligent, Overwhelming, Gorgeous, Passionate, Terrifying, Beautiful, and Powerful boss. I'd recommend playing through the game once, and if you like it enough to play it again, look up which paths you missed. There are 3 choices you can make in a given playthrough, and they all have achievements tied to them.

TL;DR - Closing Thoughts:
(Minor Spoilers: early boss and area names)
Hollow Knight is a difficult metroidvania. If that doesn't sound like fun, then you might not like Hollow Knight. However, if you're willing to give it a try, the game is MASSIVE, meaning that it can seem slow to start or particularly daunting to some. To combat this, the game slowly introduces you to the beautiful yet cruel world of Hallownest, not truly setting the player free until they beat the City of Tears (4th major area, which should give you an idea of the game's scope). While you should have a good idea of what the game is like by the time you beat Hornet in the 2nd main area of the game, that is often past Steam's refund window, which is something that seems relevant to mention since metroidvanias often feel slow in the beginning when you have yet to unlock movement options that unlock new areas.
I don't 100% games. Even when I really like them and the 100% isn't particularly difficult. However, I just couldn't put Hollow Knight down. I've played it off and on for years now, and with that final achievement, I'm finally writing a review.
If you're reading reviews, you already know what to do: just get the game.

It's a good game. There are linguine bodies and it's wonderful. Honestly 10/10 just for that. And I actually like the areas in this one! DS1 made me sad whenever I entered a new area lol. DS2 is also amazing, but the butterfly wings make everyone mad at you due to poison (RIP blacksmith), so automatic 5/10. This and Elden Ring are my top 2 recommendations for this series on PC. RIP Demon's Souls and Bloodborne (mostly Demon's Souls).

My only complaint is that the enemies are placed to cause you as much agony as possible, and since you only get more healing when you rest, I don't actually want to go off the beaten path. Like, it's still cool, but why do so many people like hanging off of cliffs by their fingertips? Does everyone really want to commit murder *that* badly? Idk the lore, so if they do, then I respect the dedication, but it seems a little crazy to spend your life clinging to the ceiling and hoping that I walk by.

GREAT

great game