An amazing game, best thing I've played in a while. The more I like a game, the more I have to say about it.
This game takes so many of my favorite things, as well as a bunch of artistic inspirations I have yet to familiarize myself with, and wears them on its sleeve. I played the original Resident Evil games before this, and doing so was probably the best decision I could have made. So much of the gameplay choices evoke previous survival horror tropes, and as someone who has recently dived headfirst into the genre, this game's strengths outweigh even its own inspirations.
Aesthetically this automatically became one of my favorite games. Evangelion and Ghost in the Shell seem to be the two biggest inspirations, but I also love how the series took itself in an even darker direction (somehow) with its fascist authoritarian setting. The way the game theatrically relays its story is so evocative of Evangelion and I love that. I was also a huge fan of the way the story tells its story in a completely non-linear way, in a way that ACTUALLY MAKES SENSE if you're paying attention to the subtext!!! I also love the lovecraftian influences (none of which I have read- I'm sorry for larping) of which I have enough passing familiarity to appreciate. It's actually surprising I haven't seen something combine the aesthetics of those two yet, because they fit together so naturally.
The art direction of this game is beautiful. The pixel art is gorgeous and the way the screen moves based on in-game stimuli is a nice touch. The sound design is also beautiful, both in its music and sound effects. I loved using the radio for puzzles.
Unfortunately the one aspect this game disappointed me was its combat gameplay. The lock-on is finnicky and unreliable, and I often died to enemies walking up to me and killing me because the aim would lock on to the wrong enemy. I played on the hardest difficulty to 100% this game, and even though its encouraged to avoid enemies when you can, I often found myself avoiding enemies just because I didn't trust the game to let me get rid of them. The bosses were also a mixed bag, with the first one being the worst example of my main complaint to date, while the second one was just a health sponge I killed with little effort. Ironically the final boss made up for it, being the most fun I had with the combat system the whole game. Overall not a deal breaking experience for me, but it's worth mentioning.
This game is a MUST play for anyone into the same sci-fi tropes as me, and I will forever hold a special place for it in my heart.
Also, the yuri was amazing. I need more wlw queer media injected directly into my veins STAT
