A running shelf of Steam review writeups, pulled from the games that stuck with me enough to actually say something about them.
10/10
One of my all-time favorite games now. The worldbuilding and dialogue are on a completely different level, and even outside the main case the side content is strong enough that I think the game would still be incredible without its central mystery.
7.5/10
The whole game revolves around questions, discovery, and finally getting that moment where everything clicks. I respect it a lot, but the exploration loop wasn't always my thing, even though I can absolutely see why so many people call it a masterpiece.
10/10 soundtrack, 10/10 art, 10/10 gameplay, 8.5/10 pain
Finally getting 100 percent on Steam only made me more confident that this is one of the greatest games I've played. Please do yourself a favor and play Celeste.
8/10
One of my favorite Final Fantasy games so far. The cast is weirdly split between phenomenal and underdeveloped, but the characters who do land are excellent, and the game has some of the best level design, setting work, and music in the series.
8/10
I bounced off it once, came back, and then ended up loving it. The story is phenomenal, the characters are extremely well-written, and the balance between absurdity and sincerity is almost perfect. I still don't love beat 'em ups, but this won me over anyway.
9.5/10
I did not love the first game, so I was not expecting SC to become one of my all-time favorite JRPGs. The side quests, worldbuilding, story, and soundtrack all hit extremely hard, even if I still think the combat has more drag than it should.
6.5/10
I hated about ninety percent of this game until the final chapter, and then the ending completely changed my relationship with the series. The pacing is rough and the gameplay is repetitive, but it did its job well enough to make me care about what came next.
9.5/10
The cast and social atmosphere are incredible, and this might actually be the best slice-of-life side of the modern Persona games. I still prefer Persona 5 for its gameplay, but Persona 4 Golden makes a serious case for itself through its character interactions alone.
12/10, go play it right now
I had already loved it on another platform, but replaying it just confirmed that it is one of my all-time favorite games. It still embarrasses most modern releases in its genre, and it somehow costs almost nothing compared to what it gives you.
11/10
Genuinely one of the greatest games I've ever played. The pacing can drag and Royal's extra content feels awkward at first, but the late-game payoff is worth it. It's still a must-play.
9.5/10
This might be the greatest 2D platformer I've ever played, if not for Hollow Knight and Celeste already existing. The action, time-control mechanics, music, aesthetic, and storytelling all come together incredibly well.
8/10
This is the game that got me into metroidvanias. The first half is amazing, the pixel art and soundtrack are fantastic, and I still recommend it even though I think the second act drags hard compared to the opening stretch.