Final Fantasy XVI Japanese RPG Game Thoughts(PS5)

 

    Final Fantasy 16 is the newest entry into the beloved series. The game was produced by Square Enix. The game first started development in 2015 after the release of FF15, which was met with criticism. This game had much of the same amount of concerns since the trailer didn't look too interesting, nor did the game teaser include elements such as turn based combat, diversity, etc. Final Fantasy was also met with more hate when it's release didn't have original Japanese voice acting causing the sales in Japan to be lower than normal. It being a Sony Playstation exclusive only also didn't help either.

   This Final Fantasy's story is very simple: You take down the crystals that govern your world in order to escape from an illness that turns people to stone. I don't want to go into too much detail about how the game unfolds because that will spoil a lot of the surprises that will be coming your way as you play. I will say that this is one of the darkest Final Fantasy games I've ever played. 

    The gameplay is very different from the previous entries to the series. Controls play more like an action game with less finesse. There's a cheat you can use if you don't ply action games often however, I would suggest that you just practice using the controls. The game's charm comes from not using the cheat equipment. Once you get familiar with mechanics, you will get quicker with reactions. Final Fantasy remake uses the same strategy of knowing when to switch between characters.(well in this case, it Eikons.)  You don't have a party that you can control in this game. So, you're pretty much alone. If you die, the game ends while your characters never die..... They do get hit though. The world isn't an open world per say.... The landscape is straight forward with a few stray paths that might lead to a chest or a random overpowered hunt monster that will whip your ass in the beginning stages of the game. Everything in the world looks great- including towns and your hideout. It just seems a little hallow when you're just getting use to how the game works. Quests also come to mind when thinking about the world. Much of the first handful of quests feel very boring but let me tell you now, Make sure you still make time to do them so you can get access to things that will make the game much easier going forward. Things like the ability to have your own Chocobo as well as more healing items came in handy. Some quests will also give you a more in depth look at the state of the people and the realm. Some scenes are really disturbing/ sad. Back to the hunts. I will leave the monster hunts until the latter half of the game. Those monsters will blow through you in the beginning of the game. You won't stand a chance. 

   Final Fantasy tries hard to accommodate old school fans of the series when the game really didn't have to. The game hold your hand so much that if you die, you can come back to life with all potions restocked AND the boss at half health if you died at a halfway point. This caused a lot of players to say that the game is too easy. I think that aspect of this game is easy but there is still a challenge to how you choose to play. Certain enemies are damage sponges too. I think I should put that out there....

   My biggest complaint was that the developers cared too much about making the game too hard for old fans to play. They should have believed in theirselves more.  The story, soundtrack, characters, and world, made me feel like I was playing a Final Fantasy game no matter what people have to say. 

My Love Mix- Up!( 消えた初恋) Manga Thoughts Vols 1-9

 

    My Love Mix-Up is a 2022 Japanese manga series that was created by Wataru Hinekure and drawn by Aruko. The series was extremely popular not only in Japan but internationally as well. It's popularity spawned a live action drama along with awards for prestigious manga categories. The series is nine volumes.  

   A boy tries to help his friend confess her love to the boy that she likes. She puts her note in an eraser and he tries to give the eraser to the boy however, the eraser falls on the wrong desk, causing a misunderstanding that none would have imagined......

     My Love Mix Up is the type of series that you can read without sweating the small stuff. The story doesn't take itself too seriously unless it's about the pains of growing up. There's a lot of comedy that hits the mark every time because the jokes flow well with the characters's situations. What I enjoyed most about this manga was how the story tries very hard not to fall into the usual Yaoi tropes that most readers know all about by now. This isn't an x-rated story nor does it deal with the stereotypical issues of sexuality labels.  No homophobia exists in the story either. Most if not all of the problems have to deal with communication. The main leads are very young, so the idea of dating the same sex is approached in a pure way. A lot of the relationships are a bit shaky due to their ages but, I'm addicted to the warm fuzzy feelings that each volume of My Love Mix-Up gave me. I actually went "AWWW" when i found out that volume nine was the last volume. The ending was just was as warm as the whole series which made me happy.  

    The art uses various sketch techniques to show a fine edge to the character faces while also symbolizing youth. Other panels are more haywire when the comedic elements come into play. Watercolors being used for the covers was a nice eye pleasing touch. 

     My Love Mix-Up is a manga series I would recommend for readers who want a realistic take of young love between two boys. It's short and sweet. I've defiantly have to go check out the live action drama soon....