Before to go with the prologue, I just want to mention that the intro story music is really good because now, every time I listen it, it reminds me all the moments I had with the game and my glitch hunting experience. This is also the base of the best song in the game which I will talk about later. Next, the title screen I really wonder who did NOT dance on the title screen theme? It's my favourite title screen song; it's just so catchy and the best is I HAVEN'T STARTED MY FILE! (which has a play time of 99:59 and doesn't count anymore
). So right after you passed the intro, this game is already shaping to be awesome.
Prologue:
From the tutorial standpoint, it's really the standard ch type and so, I have nothing to say. But, even there, it has good details. The pianta that talked in the background was pretty funny and overall, you are just experiencing for the first time the overworld which is rogueport. Just that is awesome because if you look very carefully, it was again very detailed. What I mean by this is that they are some elements that just enhance the vision of this city like graffiti, trash can and sort of "back street" kind of passage. It really has its feeling which is a town of thief. This is further proved by talking to the npc (stuff like over gambling, credit card fraud and even one who steals half of your coins). I could go on and on but you get the idea: everything in this town is there for a purpose. I want also to point out that I really WTF??? on the "curse" joke. They are just silly and I like it.
Overall: standard ch but still has details.
Ch1
Again, pretty standard for a tutorial ch but this one is really good. First, the music is like the main theme but it's not really the main theme. It's just good to remake music without actually be the same music. I like the design here: really colourful like sunshine is you just feel happy by looking at it. I liked the mayor's jokes here (he think your a thief and he can't ear / remember your name). I liked how the game teach you how items are usefull without actually explicitly tell you; you have to tattle and get that you have to use a POW block the game doesn't tell you. The quiz is good but the last question is misleading "What question number is this?" I'm not surprised if some got this wrong. The dialog with koops is cute
it's little detail like this that I like. Hooktail was decent (again, another curse jokes they don't get old they get better). For the boss, well, nothing impressive but I like his design it's a giant DIY, perfect for the paper design. His theme is again standard but still I like how he eats the toad and tries to scam you little humour here. Nothing to say for the ch end but I need to say: the music when you get the crystal stars and the ch end theme really translates perfectly the accomplishment feeling.
Overall, standard but better than the first game.
The peach message ringtone is GREAT (it's my skype ringtone
)
Bowser transition are hilarious as always (the mario bros gameplay with the steak was a big WTF??? moment.)
Peach transition are ok (btw, no she's not naked when she take her shower I checked with free look on emulator).
Ch2
Right when you get there, the arstyle is very different and just get you a calm feeling the design on the ground is creative. Flurrie meeting moment is hilarious. The music here is almost explicit to what is trying to represent and the little flower on the corner on the screen with the big kiss really makes the player confused but it's like the DK rap, it's awesome anyway. And the great tree... yeah the gameplay isn't that good. With 11 punies, it's fine but not with 101. It became really annoying and the original idea was being pushed too far. It's not bad, just not done the good way and could have been better. HOWEVER, this boss, the music is so good. The boss makes up for the bad great tree gameplay and it's the best part of the ch. Nothing interesting with the end but I liked the reference to pm64 at the ch4 (when you beat general guy, the shy guys run away and one just fall like one of those x naut in the end of ch2 in ttyd).
Overall, the weakest ch but it's great (this also means that the worst of this is game is great imagine the best!)
Ch3
It's really funny how this ch is the best in normal play but the worst as a glitch hunter
. Anyway, I want to explain one thing before saying how this ch is the best. There's 2 ch in the game that I would call "break" ch. See, since the beginning of the game, there's a ch, you do things, go to a "dungeon" thing, beat the boss and get the star. Will that be nice to not change this but have a little break of this concept? This is why those ch are there; they are there to bring fresh and new concept that removes you the dangerous part of the ch. I just love this idea and I don't think I see this often in rpg so it's good. For the ch yeah it's the best but why? Well, you need to fight 21 times which would sound pretty annoying right? NOPE! They have random conditions so you don't feel that's it's the same thing and actually makes this really enjoyable. The backstory has good suspense (and I like how your controller vibrate when you get a message from X). The yoshi egg theme is the weirdest music in the game. Rawk Hawk music is great and simple and the boss has a good mechanics and great theme (it's a mysterious theme).
Overall, the best ch what else?
Ch4
The third best ch. First, the artstyle is as unique as the ch2 was. It quickly sets the creepy mood here. Another curse joke those are very appreciated but what makes this ch that good is how it fools you. Short dungeon boss is very easy so it sounds like it would suck right? Nope it does the opposite. Doopliss steals your identity in a weird fashion (I'm curious what was you're reaction after this well made fake? they even got to save your game). This is why this ch is good it makes you backtrack so you are more and more scared about getting your identity back and you can't even leave the town because of it. You are trapped without your identity this is really creepy and embarrassing. It doesn't even ends there because you need to fight against your own partners! this ch is really special and unique.
Overall, great ch uses the backtracking efficiently and makes you scared.
Ch5
I did like the transition to it and when you get on the boat, I liked the big cutscene there. There isn't much to add about the island itself and the quest before grotto but bobbery is funny sometime. The grotto is quite good you really want to explore this dungeon. We find again our best tutorial jokes the curse joke (sadly, it's the last one). The boss here is incredibly well made. His music mixes intensity and jungle feels perfect! He also changes form of attack which makes you change your strategy every time making this boss better. It's not the end after you beat it because you will then proceed to a beautiful ship battle cs and we see again the ch2 boss theme; what a great way to end a ch. I also like how Cortez becomes friendly to you by giving you this transport service.
Overall, Great ch, boss and dungeon is well made.
Ch6
The second best one and the last break ch. Except that this is literally a break on a train. To be really honest, the only reason this ch is so good is the humour in the text. Pennington being as incompetent as the one in pm64 was in the first game but here, add humour and you get something really funny. Other thing is the toad ghost if you read the diary (which you were instructed to not do), you literally game over! I'm not joking this is a quick shortcut to the game over screen and it's just hilarious. Riverside station is ok but after I learned that there was an unused music for this part, I found this quite disappointing. The music would have been this instead of silence:
Sadly, this didn't end up in the final release but I would have been goof for this part. The boss is pretty standard as it's theme but still I liked his design. The rest isn't really interesting.
Overall, Best text in the game which made this ch very good.
Ch7
Let's face it: the general white hunt just SUCKS. It's even more annoying than the ch6 from pm64 there's WAY TOO MUCH moving between ch. But after it, it's awesome. The canon part with the hype music and the moon physics are good ideas. And I like so much the foretress music you really feel that you are on the offensive. Tough, navigation here is quite annoying but it's manageable. The boss again has the ch2 boss theme and it's still great. Even if it's just an upgrade of the ch2 boss, it's still feels different enough. Also, this moment when TEC died...
Overall, Great ch despite its beginning.
Ch8
The best way to end the game? by putting the best elements in the game combined. There's a creepy mood but here, it's 3x times more present than ch4 because there's an evil feel there. The puzzles are well tough and I liked the riddle tower. Goomtail, despite being a stronger boss than ch1, can be a little difficult. The road to the bosses makes you use the best of your partners which again very good to end the game. When you fight grodius, well, for the main vilain of the game, it doesn't seem powerful. Bowser as the same thing (but his theme is really intense and good). Seems easy until you realize that this is not the end. This final boss is the best boss in the entire game (again good to end the game like this). First phase, REALLY creepy, and difficult. Second phase just enhance this feeling. And here, the best part of the game, just before the last phase, you get an Earthbound ending thing where all the people from the different ch pray for you. AND THE MUSIC IS AMAZING (this is almost a fact). This music can only be descrived by one word: encouragement. It represent a long term progression with ups and downs but you still feels that there's progress somehow. What makes this music even better is that it's based around the one from the intro you need inspiration to make a totally different music but based on the same melody. It even tops the Crono theme in Crono trigger. Even today, this is the best encouragement song I've ever heard and I don't think it will change. Then, we arrive at the final battle and again, the music is AMAZING. It's really intense and creepy and it changes alot which makes this even better. I can't know how this boss is difficult because I got very lucky on my playtrough but I think that the difficulty matches the intensity of the music. The ending is very smooth it almost disappoints you that it ends because of all the good moments you had. The partner thing at the end is funny and the credits theme is good. And sadly, this is the end because every masterpieces has to end one day.
I have nothing to say about the post game other than the fact that it's detailed since most of the npc has new replica.
Now I want to talk about stuff in general:
I like how they play with the text (make the text moves, shake, go from the foreground to the bubles, etc...) and the font (if you want it, it's "Hey gorgeous" really good font). What is good is that the game is presented as a comic which not only respect the adventure feeling but also the paper artstyle. Fun fact, there's 2 mb of texts in the whole game. Quite impressive.
By talking to the npc in rogueport, you feel that the town gets more and more depressed until you beat the final boss when everyone is happy. I just like this detail.
The newsletter is hilarious.
I just like the overall UI graphics it's colourful and feels 2d like papers.
I like how this game feels so fluid and smooth (especially the 100 enemies thing).
