Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night | Review

I was a bit too young for Castlevania games when Symphony of the Night first came out.

We were a Nintendo family, and didn't really move to Sony until the PlayStation 2. Because of that, I try to catch up on many of the games I missed during my childhood; games like Metal Gear Solid, Ape Escape, and other gems. Symphony of the Night came onto my list very recently when I became enamored with Castlevania as a whole. And while I can get the experience, I'm excluded from the feeling gamers got in 1997 when Symphony of the Night birthed Metroidvania.

But as I played through Bloodstained- as I solved the puzzles, fought the secret bosses, and got the best ending- it made me feel something. I didn't get that feeling people got when they played SOTN for the first time, but what I felt playing Bloodstained must be the same thing.

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Final Fantasy XIV: Shadowbringers | Review

(The following review will not contain spoilers for the game being discussed. If you feel any information or images divulge information best left hidden, feel free to tell me on twitter @ Lyneriaa.)

I earned my first achievement, according to my trophy list, for Final Fantasy XIV on March 16, 2015. I had been recommended the game by some friends, with the odd promise that it was like no MMO I had played before. I had dabbled in WoW for a time and came away disappointed, and I initially didn't have my hopes for FFXIV either, particularly after the roughest of launches. How wrong I was.

That was four years ago, and to this day I have more time in FFXIV than almost any other multiplayer game. However, my initial expectations for the latest expansion were mixed. Coming off Stormblood, a subpar expansion with the cardinal sin of an uninteresting story(particularly when the story is widely considered FFXIV's best feature),  I was willing to hold off on my opinion until I had seen more.

With each trailer, my curiosity peaked. From the initial reveal trailer that showed the first new job(FFXIV's classes), the Gunbreaker, to the job actions trailer that blew my mind, I was getting more and more excited about what this expansion would- or could- bring to the table. Thanks to the early access that ends the night this review goes live, I've gotten to take in Shadowbringers in full.

Suffice to say, this is the expansion I had been dreaming of.