It's been a long time since I last wrote.
So I finished two games and a drop.
Cronos: The New Dawn
Good level design, gameplay, and atmosphere (better than the new SH!)
It's a bit like Dead Space, but be careful because the game is a bit hard; it can quickly become frustrating. (There's no choice for difficulty, only when you finish the game on NG+.)
There's a problem with the RNG, sometimes mobs (the most powerful ones) or crates don't give anything. You have to be very careful with your ammo.
Another thing that's quite frustrating is the inventory, which is never big enough, even when you upgrade it. You end up having to throw away or ignore items.
I'd add that a map would have been needed because some levels are large (the second one) and can be difficult to navigate. It's also good to check if you haven't forgotten a collectible.
I don't really like the main character's voice. As for the story, I don't think it's worth a NG+.
Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter
I wasn't expecting anything from it and was pleasantly surprised. I knew it by name but never wanted to get into it because of the turn-based nature.
The remake mixes fast-paced combat with turn-based combat, and it does it well, even if you'll always choose the TB because it's more advantageous.
The gameplay is dynamic; what's good is that you can choose your character placement. You can therefore avoid certain attacks, whereas in a basic TB, it's down to RNG/luck.
The music is nice, but nothing outstanding.
I know it's the same developers, but the structure of the game reminds me of YS (map, NPCs, etc.).
I liked the cast, all the characters are cool and funny in their own way. The dialogues are fun (the passage through the castle or the theater scene), and I really liked the change in dialogue for some NPCs.
The game can be quite complicated even on normal, I had to restart several times against some pretty annoying bosses (like a penguin, lol).
I can't wait for the sequel !
Now, Silent Hill F
It was a total disappointment, which is a shame because I was curious about the transposition of a SH game into a Japanese universe.
The game's name is only Silent Hill, but otherwise it's nothing like that.
The gameplay is horrible, I ended up dropping the game because of it.
It's stiff, sometimes your weapons hit the wall (making them bounce) while you're aiming at enemies. Enemies can chain you, which gets annoying.
The SH2R game was criticized for that, while it's much better and less rigid than this SH.
It's a huge regression.
The game plays like Souls, which is absurd. You have to pay attention to your stamina/sanity, which becomes very restrictive (especially stamina).
The bosses are terrible and are HP sponge even on the lowest difficulty.
It's possible to dodge enemies, but most of the time, the game forces you to kill enemies especially in the final part.
Enemies can also respawn, which is very annoying for exploration or solving puzzles.
The music is subdued, even absent. I like the main theme, though.
I hated the other world.
It's already too "smooth" as a place, but what's more, it's a constant torture. It's long, boring, repetitive, and doesn't really add much in itself.
At some point, you don't even have to think about the puzzles anymore.
(spoil) I'm thinking of the one with the circles marked with a symbol or the doors to go through with only enemies to defeat.
The level design is pathetic.
Not to mention the haphazardly placed altars.
You'll have two not very far away (like 500 meters) and for 15 or 20 minutes, there won't be any altars, so there's no way to save.
There are some oppressive moments but nothing is scary, it's not at the level of SH2R which was really scary at times.
