Anna's reviewsZola2026-03-22T00:00:00+00:00https://reviews.anna.lgbt/atom.xmlVagrant Story2026-03-22T00:00:00+00:002026-03-22T00:00:00+00:00
Anna
https://reviews.anna.lgbt/vagrant-story/<blockquote>
I play PSX games with an emulator, and I like to use downsampling with a CRT
filter while I play. This does make games look significantly nicer, but I
know some people prefer the original look. The images in this review all
feature a slider to let you see both the downsampled look (sans CRT filter)
and the original look.
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</blockquote>
<h2 id="summary">Summary</h2>
<p>Crawl through some dungeons while chaining attacks over and over to one-shot all
the enemies... after spending two minutes in menus before each fight. Vagrant
Story is a SquareSoft dungeon-crawling RPG with an interesting, compelling
story, perhaps the best graphics on the PlayStation, and great gameplay.</p>
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<img
src='https://reviews.anna.lgbt/vagrant-story/images/01%20-%20start%20of%20game.8x.avif'
alt='Screenshot of the game. The main character, a man in what can generously be called "light armour" consisting of a white sleeveless shirt, brown shorts, brown boots, and black gauntlets, is standing facing southwest from a sort of isometric camera perspective. He has brown hair with two spikey... fronds sticking out from his head. He stands in a brown/tan wine cellar with wine barrels and boxes containing bottles of wine. There's a limb status indicator in the bottom left of the screen, a minimap in the bottom right, and HP/MP and risk meters in the top left.'
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<img
src='https://reviews.anna.lgbt/vagrant-story/images/01%20-%20start%20of%20game.1x.avif'
alt='Screenshot of the game. The main character, a man in what can generously be called "light armour" consisting of a white sleeveless shirt, brown shorts, brown boots, and black gauntlets, is standing facing southwest from a sort of isometric camera perspective. He has brown hair with two spikey... fronds sticking out from his head. He stands in a brown/tan wine cellar with wine barrels and boxes containing bottles of wine. There's a limb status indicator in the bottom left of the screen, a minimap in the bottom right, and HP/MP and risk meters in the top left.'
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<figcaption>
<p>Ashley at the start of his time in Leá Monde.</p>
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<h2 id="story">Story</h2>
<p>You play as Ashley Riot, Valendia Knights of the Peace Riskbreaker,
investigating a cult known as Müllenkamp and its leader, Sydney Losstarot. If
that sounds like a lot of information to process all at once, prepare yourself;
this game thrusts you deep into a story without any preamble. You will learn all
you need to know through conversations between characters, revealing the
factions, players, and relationships at work in the story.</p>
<p>Ultimately, multiple factions end up at the ruined city of Leá Monde,
headquarters of Müllenkamp, in pursuit, seemingly, of Sydney. Once inside the
city, however, the characters' interpersonal relationships take the spotlight.
We witness a character story set in a city full of darkness that infuses itself
in the city's inhabitants. As characters' motivations come to light, you can't
help but wonder if they were corrupted by darkness or if the darkness only laid
bare their base desires.</p>
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<img
src='https://reviews.anna.lgbt/vagrant-story/images/10%20-%20where%20is%20your%20soul.8x.avif'
alt='A close-up of Ashley in a doorway. There is a text bubble showing that the speaker is off-screen and saying "Where is your soul, Riskbreaker?"'
>
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<img
src='https://reviews.anna.lgbt/vagrant-story/images/10%20-%20where%20is%20your%20soul.1x.avif'
alt='A close-up of Ashley in a doorway. There is a text bubble showing that the speaker is off-screen and saying "Where is your soul, Riskbreaker?"'
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<figcaption>
<p>Sydney asks Ashley a difficult question after the game's first boss.</p>
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<p>Either way, the story is full of surprises, and every cutscene is a delight to
behold. Similar to Final Fantasy XII, the English localisation was done in a
more archaic style, further pushing the story to feel almost like a play. The
characters all feel realistic; no one acts in an inconsistent manner when you
understand their motivations. Keeping up with who's who and what they want,
however, can be a challenge. I can't imagine anyone who played this as a kid
really came away understanding the story.</p>
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<img
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alt='A blonde man in armour with black and red trim talks to another armoured man who is facing away from the camera and towards the blonde man. The blonde man has a text bubble that says "Here comes on of Parliament's watchdogs. You, go back and silence his yapping."'
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alt='A blonde man in armour with black and red trim talks to another armoured man who is facing away from the camera and towards the blonde man. The blonde man has a text bubble that says "Here comes on of Parliament's watchdogs. You, go back and silence his yapping."'
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<figcaption>
<p>George Lucas teaches us that the children yearn for politics.</p>
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</figure>
<h2 id="gameplay">Gameplay</h2>
<p>Vagrant Story's gameplay is certainly unique and engaging. The core of the
gameplay is running around Leá Monde and dispatching any enemies in your way.
The <em>way</em> that you dispatch enemies, though, is the most interesting part. The
game presents you with a fair amount of weapon types: swords, axes, polearms,
maces, two-handed maces, greatswords, greataxes, staves, and crossbows. Each
weapon is made of a "blade" and a grip, and both parts have their own stats and
<em>affinities</em>.</p>
<p>All equipment has the capacity to have affinity biases. If a sword has an
affinity biased toward fire, for example, it will be strong against enemies with
a water affinity. In addition to elemental affinities, there are class
affinities (such as human, beast, or dragon), and there are damage type
affinities: blunt, edged, and piercing. Every blade component specifies if it's
one- or two-handed and if it will create a blunt, edged, or piercing weapon, so
finding a grip with an affinity for that damage type is important. Keep in mind
that both components also have normal stats like strength.</p>
<p>Lastly, there are gems, which can be slotted into weapons and shields. Gems
provide various effects: they can, for example, change affinity, increase chance
to hit, or increase chance to evade. Gems can be swapped in and out of weapons
and shields at any time, even in combat, and doing so will make up a big portion
of preparing for boss fights later in the game.</p>
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<img
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alt='Screenshot showing the "attach gems" menu. A weapon called "Sharpie" is having its gems changed. The three gems attached to the weapon are called "Braveheart", "Titan Malachite", and "Talos Feldspar". The cursor is on a button labeled "OK". The menu has a toggle to switch between showing the weapon's class, affinity, and type. Currently selected is affinity, showing 61 physical affinity and negative single digits for the rest.'
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<img
src='https://reviews.anna.lgbt/vagrant-story/images/02%20-%20gems%20menu.1x.avif'
alt='Screenshot showing the "attach gems" menu. A weapon called "Sharpie" is having its gems changed. The three gems attached to the weapon are called "Braveheart", "Titan Malachite", and "Talos Feldspar". The cursor is on a button labeled "OK". The menu has a toggle to switch between showing the weapon's class, affinity, and type. Currently selected is affinity, showing 61 physical affinity and negative single digits for the rest.'
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<figcaption>
<p>A screen you will be coming back to many, many times in your playthrough.</p>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>This only begins to scratch the surface of the nuance and depth of the systems
in the game, and if it sounds complicated, that's because it is. Be warned that
the game will not hold your hand for any of this. None of this will be explained
to you naturally, and, in fact, the first moment you can control Ashley, you
will be in a fight with no tutorials whatsoever. Either read the physical manual
or press triangle to open the menu to read the in-game manual, but read
<em>something</em>!</p>
<p>Now, after all that, the combat boils down to using spells and attacks. You can
set up chain attacks and chain defences, which can be used after successfully
initiating an attack or after getting hit, respectively. Pressing circle while
in battle mode opens a targeting sphere around Ashley, and you can select which
body part on any enemy within that sphere that you would like to attack. If you
successfully hit that body part, an exclamation mark will flash on the screen at
some point in the attack animation; this is your indication of when to chain
another attack.</p>
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<img
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alt='A screenshot of the targeting interface in the game's battle mode. There is a green sphere formed by five vertical and five horizontal circles, and our character is in the centre of the sphere. Two enemies are also in the sphere, and a list of their body parts shows on the left and right sides of the screen in different colours on each side. Both have the body parts "R.ARM", "L.ARM", "HEAD", "BODY", and "LEGS". R.ARM on the right side is selected, causing one of the enemies' arm to glow. The UI shows that the attack will do 119 HP with a 100% hit chance.'
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<img
src='https://reviews.anna.lgbt/vagrant-story/images/04%20-%20targeting%20soldiers.1x.avif'
alt='A screenshot of the targeting interface in the game's battle mode. There is a green sphere formed by five vertical and five horizontal circles, and our character is in the centre of the sphere. Two enemies are also in the sphere, and a list of their body parts shows on the left and right sides of the screen in different colours on each side. Both have the body parts "R.ARM", "L.ARM", "HEAD", "BODY", and "LEGS". R.ARM on the right side is selected, causing one of the enemies' arm to glow. The UI shows that the attack will do 119 HP with a 100% hit chance.'
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<figcaption>
<p>His arm will be sore in the morning.</p>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>By pressing triangle, circle, or square at the appropriate time, you can execute
whichever chain attack you've bound to that button. You can change these at any
time by holding L2 for the quick menu and swapping the binds, which can even be
done in combat. In theory, you can chain attacks infinitely so long as you get
the timing right. Doing so, however, increases your <em>risk meter</em>. As risk goes
up, your chance to hit decreases and your damage taken increases. Balancing
risk, managing weapon and shield affinities, chaining attacks, and upgrading all
your equipment are the core systems you will engage with in Vagrant Story.</p>
<figure>
<video
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aria-describedby='desc-videos-chain'
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<source src='https://reviews.anna.lgbt/vagrant-story/videos/chain.mp4' type='video/mp4' />
<p id='desc-videos-chain'>Video showing attacks being chained on an enemy soldier. Ashley performs an initial attack, then an exclamation mark flashes on the screen and the text "PERFECT!" appears. Another animation plays with another exclamation mark and text that reads "GOOD!". The process continues with "EXCELLENT!", "COOL!", "PERFECT!", and finally "SLOW!". The last attack was a miss. The chain combo ends.</p>
</video>
<figcaption>
<p>It doesn't really seem fair that Ashley can do this.</p>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>With all that said, and acknowledging that I personally enjoyed the hell out of
this combat system, I do have some gripes. Firstly, this game has a <em>lot</em> of
menuing to manage affinities. The menu animations are fairly slow, and you need
to move through several submenus before (or at the start of) nearly all boss
fights and even several normal encounters in order to set up your gear. If you
neglect doing this, your chance to hit will be very low, sometimes 0%, and your
damage will also be very low. Later bosses have HP in the high hundreds, so it
can make fights very tedious without preparation.</p>
<p>The menuing itself, though, is also tedious. In the back half of the game, every
time I found myself setting up my gear, I was thinking about what it would look
like if this game found itself getting the Ivalice Chronicles treatment that
Final Fantasy Tactics got. Perhaps you would press a button in combat to open a
submenu displaying both your weapon and shield as well as the gems they have.
You could swap them right there, and you could even slot in gems that are
currently equipped on other items <em>without</em> having to unslot them first. The
inventory could be made unlimited so you don't have to putz around with the item
box and having to save, which is very slow in this game, after every item box
interaction.</p>
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<video
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aria-describedby='desc-videos-gems'
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<source src='https://reviews.anna.lgbt/vagrant-story/videos/gems.mp4' type='video/mp4' />
<p id='desc-videos-gems'>Video detailing the achingly slow process of equipping gems on a weapon and shield. The menu is opened, "Items" is selected, "Setup" is selected, "Attach Gems" is selected, "Shields" is selected, "Oval Shield" is selected, the first gem slot is selected, and then "Undine Jasper" from the list of gems is selected. The second slot is also switched to "Marid Aquamarine" after scrolling down the list. Finally the cursor is moved to "OK" and then "YES" confirming the gem attachment. This kicks the menu all the way back to the "Setup" menu. From here, the process repeats, but "Weapons" and "Sharpie" (the weapon name) are selected instead. Sharpie has three gems, but only two are swapped out. The selected gems are "Salamander Ruby" and "Ifrit Carnelian".</p>
</video>
<figcaption>
<p>You may need to do this twice during combat, and pray you don't need to swap gems between weapons, which requires unslotting them before equipping them.</p>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Between the menuing and the very slow spell and ability animations (and you will
be casting many spells nearly every combat to buff/debuff), I had to knock this
game's gameplay score down. I nearly stopped playing the game when I unlocked
teleporting between save points but realised that it cost MP based on distance,
meaning I would need to chart a course between point A and B, wait for my MP to
regenerate after each leg of the journey, and also potentially clear out the
enemies at each stop, as well. Fortunately, I did a little reverse engineering
and made a <a rel="external" href="https://www.romhacking.net/hacks/9520/">patch for the game to set teleport costs to zero</a>,
which renewed my interest and led me to complete the game.</p>
<figure>
<video
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aria-describedby='desc-videos-buffing'
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<source src='https://reviews.anna.lgbt/vagrant-story/videos/buffing.mp4' type='video/mp4' />
<p id='desc-videos-buffing'>Video showing the long process of applying two common buffs to Ashley. First, the quick menu opens, the sorceror spells menu is selected, the "Herakles" spell is selected, then Ashley is selected as the target. The cast animation takes about seven seconds. This process is repeated, but "Prostasia" spell is selected the second time.</p>
</video>
<figcaption>
<p>You will end up casting these two buffs before many, many fights.</p>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Speaking of patches, I would also recommend anyone looking to play this game use
the wonderful
<a rel="external" href="https://www.romhacking.net/hacks/6964/">patch that inverts the first-person camera Y-axis controls</a> as
well as the shoulder camera buttons. Inverting them makes the game's controls
as expected for a modern player. Both the camera patch and the teleport cost
patch are compatible with each other and can be applied in any order.</p>
<p>My last gripe is with the layout and direction in the back half of the game.
Now, it is possible that I am just dumb, but soon after you unlock the ability
to teleport, it starts to become very unclear where you are <em>supposed</em> to be
going to advance the story. I ended up having to pull out 'ol reliable,
GameFAQs, to get me where I needed to go throughout the third act of the game.
If you figure out where you're supposed to go, the pacing is actually pretty
good, but the lack of direction ended up drawing out the later portions as I
struggled to find the next story trigger.</p>
<p>Despite my issues with the game, though, I still think the gameplay is very fun,
and it remains satisfying to get done with all the menuing before a boss so you
can walk up to it and one-chain it to death.</p>
<h2 id="graphics">Graphics</h2>
<p>Now, the graphics in Vagrant Story are much easier to talk about: they are
excellent. They are, perhaps, the best graphics that were actually published on
the PlayStation. There were several moments in the game where I felt awe both
for the beautiful scenes and the technical accomplishment of the scenes. The
character models are fantastic and detailed, and I'm not sure that any
PlayStation game can match the facial expressions displayed in Vagrant Story.
The environments are rich and detailed, as well, and they can be beautiful or
haunting.</p>
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<img
src='https://reviews.anna.lgbt/vagrant-story/images/11%20-%20grand%20cathedral.8x.avif'
alt='First-person view of a cathedral behind a gate. It has three visible towers and plenty of windows. In the foreground are some leaves from trees behind the camera, and the gate in front of the camera has a closed double door.'
>
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<img
src='https://reviews.anna.lgbt/vagrant-story/images/11%20-%20grand%20cathedral.1x.avif'
alt='First-person view of a cathedral behind a gate. It has three visible towers and plenty of windows. In the foreground are some leaves from trees behind the camera, and the gate in front of the camera has a closed double door.'
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<figcaption>
<p>Leá Monde's grand cathedral is quite a sight.</p>
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<img
src='https://reviews.anna.lgbt/vagrant-story/images/14%20-%20statue.8x.avif'
alt='A statue in front of a wall overgrown with ivy. The statue is a man with a sword in his right hand and a shield in his left. He's holding the sword by its pommel and facing it down as if he's leaning on it. He's holding the shield in a similar manner by its side.'
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alt='A statue in front of a wall overgrown with ivy. The statue is a man with a sword in his right hand and a shield in his left. He's holding the sword by its pommel and facing it down as if he's leaning on it. He's holding the shield in a similar manner by its side.'
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<p>A pretty statue featured in a cutscene.</p>
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<img
src='https://reviews.anna.lgbt/vagrant-story/images/12%20-%20undercity%20river.8x.avif'
alt='A screenshot of Leá Monde's undercity. This area is shockingly blue, and this first-person view shows the camera on a platform looking out over a river. On the other side of the river is another platform, making it seem like the platforms were once connected. On the far platform are some wooden boxes and a lamppost giving off blue light. There is a staircase leading down on the far side, but the landing is not visible.'
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<img
src='https://reviews.anna.lgbt/vagrant-story/images/12%20-%20undercity%20river.1x.avif'
alt='A screenshot of Leá Monde's undercity. This area is shockingly blue, and this first-person view shows the camera on a platform looking out over a river. On the other side of the river is another platform, making it seem like the platforms were once connected. On the far platform are some wooden boxes and a lamppost giving off blue light. There is a staircase leading down on the far side, but the landing is not visible.'
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<figcaption>
<p>A room in the undercity cut in half by a river.</p>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The character models have very expressive faces that can change expression and
even bleed, and I was frequently blown away by how good everyone in this game
looks. Things that I had assumed were mistakes or platform limitations turned
out to be intentional, though I can't say more than that without it being a
spoiler. The only minor nitpicks I have are that there are some depth issues
where shadows may clip into characters and a few small holes in certain models,
but I'm not really sure how noticeable those would have been at the time this
game released.</p>
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alt='A man with blonde hair wearing a suit of armour has a text bubble saying "Ever the choirboy!" The camera is below him and looking up.'
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src='https://reviews.anna.lgbt/vagrant-story/images/03%20-%20ever%20the%20choirboy.1x.avif'
alt='A man with blonde hair wearing a suit of armour has a text bubble saying "Ever the choirboy!" The camera is below him and looking up.'
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<p>Look at that face! Such detail! The close-ups are even better, too.</p>
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alt='Ashley, a man with long, blonde hair, metal arms, and no shirt, is looking up. There is a text bubble showing him saying "So this is a Riskbreaker."'
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alt='Ashley, a man with long, blonde hair, metal arms, and no shirt, is looking up. There is a text bubble showing him saying "So this is a Riskbreaker."'
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<figcaption>
<p>I may be a lesbian, but Sydney is pretty hot.</p>
</figcaption>
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<img
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alt='A battle mode screenshot showing a list of magic spells and a cost indicator. Currently selected is "Degenerate", but also visible are "Herakles", "Enlighten", "Psychodrain", "Invigorate", "Leadbones", "Prostasia", and "Tarnish". In the background, Ashley can be seen standing in front of a minotaur with a long, two-handed mace. The UI explains that "Degenerate" "Temporarily decreases target's strength."'
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<img
src='https://reviews.anna.lgbt/vagrant-story/images/07%20-%20minotaur%20spell%20list.1x.avif'
alt='A battle mode screenshot showing a list of magic spells and a cost indicator. Currently selected is "Degenerate", but also visible are "Herakles", "Enlighten", "Psychodrain", "Invigorate", "Leadbones", "Prostasia", and "Tarnish". In the background, Ashley can be seen standing in front of a minotaur with a long, two-handed mace. The UI explains that "Degenerate" "Temporarily decreases target's strength."'
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<figcaption>
<p>Even the enemies look nice and detailed.</p>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The art style has a strong direction and works very well with the story and
setting. The ruined city feels appropriately ruined, but there are some really
pretty locations left to find. The haunting undercity feels oppressive, as well,
though that feeling may also come from the amazing audio design.</p>
<h2 id="audio">Audio</h2>
<p>Last, but certainly not least, it's time to discuss Vagrant Story's audio. One
of my favourite video game composers, Hitoshi Sakimoto, composed the soundtrack
for this game, and it's a banger, as one might expect from one of his works. You
can really feel his style in this game; certain tracks evoke memories of Final
Fantasy Tactics or Final Fantasy XII, which does make the retconning of the
setting feel more natural.</p>
<blockquote>
While Vagrant Story was directed and produced by Yasumi Matsuno, creator of
Ivalice, he intended that any references to Ivalice in Vagrant Story be fan
service. After his departure from the company, it was later retconned that
Vagrant Story actually takes place <em>in</em> Ivalice.
</blockquote>
<p>The soundtrack is much more understated than games like Tactics or XII, however.
Many of the tracks you'll hear in-game blend into the background and act almost
entirely as ambiance. Many areas feature no music at all besides birds chirping
or water rushing. The stand-out tracks heard during some cutscenes or important
battles are excellent and feel right at home with Sakimoto's other works, but
the more subdued tracks fit well and are just as important in setting the tone
and providing the appropriate atmosphere in the game. The use of sparing and
often subdued tracks makes moments where the music is highlighted even more
memorable.</p>
<figure
class='nearest'>
<div class='compare'>
<img
src='https://reviews.anna.lgbt/vagrant-story/images/13%20-%20keane%27s.8x.avif'
alt='Ashley standing in a metalworking shop. There is a drawer on a workbench, a chest, several tools lying around, some barrels, and various boxes of wine. A glowing circle on the ground represents a save point.'
>
<div class='above'>
<img
src='https://reviews.anna.lgbt/vagrant-story/images/13%20-%20keane%27s.1x.avif'
alt='Ashley standing in a metalworking shop. There is a drawer on a workbench, a chest, several tools lying around, some barrels, and various boxes of wine. A glowing circle on the ground represents a save point.'
>
</div>
<div class='separator'></div>
<input
type='range'
value='50'
min='0'
max='100'
step='any'
/>
<noscript>
<input type='checkbox' />
</noscript>
</div>
<figcaption>
<p>Get used to the song in here; you'll be spending a lot of time in workshops like this. At least it's a good song.</p>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>As for the sound effects and UI sounds, they are all satisfying and adequately
perform their functions. Everything sounds nice and as expected, and the only
gripe I had with sound during the game is a particular dark-affinity attack that
makes a piercing screech sound. That sound sucks, but I suppose having one
annoying sound in a sea of okay or great sounds is acceptable.</p>
<h2 id="conclusion">Conclusion</h2>
<p>Vagrant Story is a game that deserves more love than it got. Play it. Don't be
afraid to look up a walkthrough or FAQ about some of the more complicated
systems. Enjoy the great soundtrack, exciting and interesting character drama of
a story, and of course, the feeling of beating a boss in ten seconds with no
recourse. That last one never stops feeling good.</p>
<hr />
<h2 id="extra-screenshots-gallery">Extra screenshots gallery</h2>
<p>I think this game looks great, and I took a lot of screenshots, so here are a
couple extras I didn't find a place for in the main content of the guide.</p>
<figure
class='nearest'>
<div class='compare'>
<img
src='https://reviews.anna.lgbt/vagrant-story/images/06%20-%20targeting%20crossbow%20soldier.8x.avif'
alt='Another screenshot of the targeting interface in battle mode. Only one enemy falls within the targeting sphere: an armoured soldier with a crossbow. He's about to take 123 damage from Ashley's attack.'
>
<div class='above'>
<img
src='https://reviews.anna.lgbt/vagrant-story/images/06%20-%20targeting%20crossbow%20soldier.1x.avif'
alt='Another screenshot of the targeting interface in battle mode. Only one enemy falls within the targeting sphere: an armoured soldier with a crossbow. He's about to take 123 damage from Ashley's attack.'
>
</div>
<div class='separator'></div>
<input
type='range'
value='50'
min='0'
max='100'
step='any'
/>
<noscript>
<input type='checkbox' />
</noscript>
</div>
<figcaption>
<p>You brought a crossbow to an axe fight.</p>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<figure
class='nearest'>
<div class='compare'>
<img
src='https://reviews.anna.lgbt/vagrant-story/images/08%20-%20congratulations%20minotaur.8x.avif'
alt='Ashley is in the background behind a screen that reads "CONGRATULATIONS".Below that it says "Score: 003,363,600pts." and "Map Completed: 003%". Below those is displayed "Riskbreaker Rank: Destroyer", and below that is "BONUS: HP+4".'
>
<div class='above'>
<img
src='https://reviews.anna.lgbt/vagrant-story/images/08%20-%20congratulations%20minotaur.1x.avif'
alt='Ashley is in the background behind a screen that reads "CONGRATULATIONS".Below that it says "Score: 003,363,600pts." and "Map Completed: 003%". Below those is displayed "Riskbreaker Rank: Destroyer", and below that is "BONUS: HP+4".'
>
</div>
<div class='separator'></div>
<input
type='range'
value='50'
min='0'
max='100'
step='any'
/>
<noscript>
<input type='checkbox' />
</noscript>
</div>
<figcaption>
<p>I did it!</p>
</figcaption>
</figure>
Easy Delivery Co.2025-10-25T00:00:00+00:002025-10-25T00:00:00+00:00
Anna
https://reviews.anna.lgbt/easy-delivery-co/<h2 id="summary">Summary</h2>
<p>In Easy Delivery Co., you play as a cat employed to deliver packages to and from
various businesses across three regions. While navigating the snowy roads and
managing to keep your packages in the truck bed instead of on the road, you
slowly discover that not everything is as it first seems.</p>
<figure>
<img
src='https://reviews.anna.lgbt/easy-delivery-co/images/bridge.webp'
alt='Screenshot of the game. A first-person view of the cabin of one of those small work trucks. It's a right-side drive truck and your character has his two paws on the wheel, though you can't see any arms and the paws are mostly blob shaped. In the rearview you can see two packages stacked on top of each other, and through the windshield is a snowy, dreary landscape with a bridge immediately coming up. The HUD displays your character's energy, money, the current time, and the amount of gas left in the truck's tank. The current radio station also appears.'
>
<figcaption>
<p>This game will have no underlying themes about capitalism, I'm sure.</p>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2 id="story">Story</h2>
<p>The story in Easy Delivery Co. is slowly revealed to you as you make deliveries.
The pacing is very good; you remain interested and hooked by the dialogue from
shopkeepers throughout the entirety of the game. From the first delivery you'll
be handed a thread to pull to unravel a mystery that spans the entire game. Each
subsequent delivery pulls a little more on the thread, revealing the workings
hidden within.</p>
<figure>
<img
src='https://reviews.anna.lgbt/easy-delivery-co/images/you%20look%20like%20seb.webp'
alt='Screenshot of the game showing your character, now in a third-person view, inside of what looks like a cramped dining establishment. There is an NPC saying "Jeepers, you look like the spitting image of Seb."'
>
<figcaption>
<p>Who's Seb?</p>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Nearly immediately, you meet a dog on the side of the road who eventually
invites you to meet him at his house in a different area, which is not currently
accessible to you. This is a nice hook and gives you an immediate goal besides
delivering packages and making money. Once you're able to meet him, you realise
that most, if not all, of your main goals are given to you by the dog, which
keeps things simple but not uninteresting.</p>
<p>To go further would spoil the story, but the eccentricities of the shopkeepers
around the towns — who are all the same based on the shop, regardless of
town — soon reveal themselves to be something deeper. There are quite a
few clues pointing to the heart of the mystery, and the reveal pays off well. In
my opinion, though, I don't like the final reveal. I like the concept, but it's
a bit too modern for me. Hard to talk about without spoiling it!</p>
<figure>
<img
src='https://reviews.anna.lgbt/easy-delivery-co/images/talking%20to%20dog.webp'
alt='Third-person view screenshot showing your character outside, truck not visible. He's standing next to a log fire and a dog NPC. The NPC is saying "Hey there, 'new guy'."'
>
<figcaption>
<p>This dog hums the main theme of the game when you get close.</p>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2 id="gameplay">Gameplay</h2>
<p>You pick up the package, put it in the truck, and drive it to the destination.
This game will definitely appeal to a certain type of person, and perhaps the
average FPS player will find this game "boring". If you like the routine of
doing deliveries and the challenge of driving on snowy roads, though, you'll
love it. Furthermore, the radio really helps make the driving nice and relaxing,
which I'll talk about more in the audio section.</p>
<figure>
<img
src='https://reviews.anna.lgbt/easy-delivery-co/images/second%20pickup.webp'
alt='Third-person screenshot where your character is holding a package above his head. He's next to the back of the truck, and the UI is showing the word "place" at the truck bed. In the background is the dog and fire from before.'
>
<figcaption>
<p>This is the core loop of the game right here.</p>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The game makes excellent use of simple maps and visual cues. Accepting a job
shows you where the pickup is on your map, but opening your map requires pausing
the game. You won't be following a line on your minimap, but you'll be
memorising a list of steps to take to get to your destination. The map also does
not show your current location, so relying on road signs and knowing the
direction you're going in are paramount to keeping track of your location. This
is excellent and really keeps you in the world.</p>
<figure>
<img
src='https://reviews.anna.lgbt/easy-delivery-co/images/quick%20map.webp'
alt='First-person screenshot inside of the truck with a UI overlayed. The UI is titled "jobs.exe" and shows a minimal map of the area. Various points of interest are marked, but your location is not. The bottom of the UI says "Deliver the package to Weston".'
>
<figcaption>
<p>The pin on the map here is the dropoff point.</p>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>After you've followed your directions and consulted your map a few times, you'll
know you've arrived when you see the shop with its light on out front. The
pickup location has its light on, and the destination is marked by a dropoff
icon on your HUD, which only appears when you're fairly close to the dropoff.
Besides this, there is no indication of where to go besides markers on the map.
I find this extremely engaging and an excellent use of in-world visual cues. It
feels very natural to navigate this way, and it makes you feel like the world is
more real than it is.</p>
<figure>
<img
src='https://reviews.anna.lgbt/easy-delivery-co/images/weston%20dropoff.webp'
alt='Third-person screenshot outside of the truck. Your character has some packages held over his head. He's facing toward a dropoff marker on the UI.'
>
<figcaption>
<p>This marker appears on the HUD about 150m away from your destination, and it moves to the exact location when you get very close.</p>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>After driving up to the pickup location, you'll want to get out and walk into
the store, but you'll need to be quick about it! Being outside will cause you to
start freezing, eventually leading to your death. Heading inside or getting into
your truck will warm you up. You'll chat to the shopkeeper for a minute, and
they'll put the package on the floor for you. You have to pick up the package,
go outside, lower the tailgate (or lower it while you're walking in like me),
put the package in the bed, <em>raise</em> the tailgate (or the package will slide off
the bed and onto the road when you accelerate), and get into your truck.</p>
<p>With package in truck, the map will show you your destination, which you'll
probably want to memorise some basic turns and steps to get to. Switch the radio
on and go driving! The game is lenient with you and allows parts of your package
to fall off the truck, which is good! The packages slip and slide very easily,
and the game would be very boring if you had to go extremely slowly to keep the
whole package together. So long as any part of your package makes it, you'll get
the full payment. However, if your package completely falls out of the truck,
you'll have to recover it, which lowers your tip.</p>
<p>This is just the core gameplay loop. You'll also be able to make campfires,
brew tea and coffee, gamble for cosmetic items, find bobbleheads for your truck
dashboard, fish, cook soup, and I'm sure even more! You'll also have to gas up
and discover that gas prices differ in each town. Driving around, you may notice
some radio towers, and you can go into them and turn them on to widen the radio
signal and expand the station's track list. There are upgrades for your truck
that are mandatory for story progression, as well.</p>
<figure>
<img
src='https://reviews.anna.lgbt/easy-delivery-co/images/coffee.webp'
alt='Third-person view inside of a cosy log cabin. Your character is facing the camera and holding a mug of coffee. The dog from earlier is here, still humming. There is a wood-fire stove in the corner that is currently lit.'
>
<figcaption>
<p>Coffee keeps your energy up much better than energy drinks.</p>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2 id="graphics">Graphics</h2>
<p>Do you like PSX games? This game is that aesthetic. It plays well and looks good
at lower resolutions, which is good considering my computer could barely pull 90
FPS around 1080p. After playing this game, though, I ended up playing Symphony
of the Night because I wanted more of the PSX look. It nails the style.</p>
<figure>
<img
src='https://reviews.anna.lgbt/easy-delivery-co/images/entering%20weston.webp'
alt='First-person view inside the truck. There's a street sign that's illegible but has some text overlayed above top it that says "Weston". In the distance is another sign that is marked "To Easton" in the same manner. A dropoff indicator on the HUD shows that the delivery point is 160m away.'
>
<figcaption>
<p>You're gonna see a lot of this sort of thing while driving.</p>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The weather effects are very nice, and when you're caught in a blizzard at
night, you'll definitely want to slow down so you can see. It's pretty in the
day and appropriately dark at night. Your headlights light up the road nicely
when you remember to turn them on. It's all as you would expect in the weather
and lighting department.</p>
<figure>
<img
src='https://reviews.anna.lgbt/easy-delivery-co/images/driving%20at%20night.webp'
alt='First-person view inside the truck. It's now night outside, so things are darker. To the left side is a steep cliff with no guardrail. The truck's headlights are on. In the distance is a red light.'
>
<figcaption>
<p>It's pretty moody at night.</p>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The stores and other buildings all share the same textures, which is fine.
They're low-res enough that it doesn't really matter, and it fits the aesthetic
well, in my opinion. Things are pixelly in an intentional way, and I find that
some of the models and textures exhibit classic PSX emulation distortion. This
is actually fixed in newer PSX emulators, but I think it works well for the
game's style.</p>
<p>The graphics don't feel like they're just cashing in on a PSX trend like many of
the PSX-style horror games you can find on itch. It feels like care was put into
the design, and that makes everything gel together much more cohesively. There's
also a nice CRT rounding in the corners of the screen, which is configurable.</p>
<h2 id="audio">Audio</h2>
<p>The soundtrack in this game, which you can purchase separately, is stellar. From
what I understand, the tracks on the radio were made specifically for this game,
and they are very well done. There are multiple radio stations for different
genres, including lo-fi and electronic. There's also a talk radio station where
none of the talking is intelligible in case you want non-musical background
noise, which I did avail myself of a few times.</p>
<p>The truck sounds how I expect a truck to sound. All the sound effects are
balanced well and appropriate. I really had no complaints about the sound
effects while playing, and I found them all to increase immersion into the game
world. The talking sound effects are Animal Crossing-esque, though I don't think
there are sounds for each letter specifically.</p>
<p>The radio on lo-fi is very relaxing while driving through the snowy, dreary
landscapes. I did actually end up changing stations to not fall asleep, but
never did I feel the urge to mute the music in-game and play my own music.
Especially when you continue to expand the track selection by turning on
additional radio towers, you just want to listen to the radio.</p>
<figure>
<img
src='https://reviews.anna.lgbt/easy-delivery-co/images/radio%20tower.webp'
alt='First-person view inside the truck. It's daytime again, and the truck is climbing up a mound of snow toward a small shack with a radio tower next to it. A street sign says "Upton Radio Tower".'
>
<figcaption>
<p>A radio tower building you must enter in order to switch it on.</p>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2 id="conclusion">Conclusion</h2>
<p>You should play Easy Delivery Co. I don't think I can do it justice in a review.
It is satisfying and relaxing to play. I lost track of time when I'd sit down
and just get in the flow of doing deliveries. Having to interact with the map
and actually process your surroundings instead of just following a GPS really
makes it easy to get absorbed into the game, and that's a sign of a very
well-made game! Give it a try and unravel its mysteries!</p>
Pullblox (Pushmo)2025-10-24T00:00:00+00:002025-10-24T00:00:00+00:00
Anna
https://reviews.anna.lgbt/pullblox/<h2 id="summary">Summary</h2>
<p>Pullblox, known as Pushmo in North America, is a game about pulling blocks out
of a wall to save children that have become stuck in the blocks. It's a
puzzle-platformer, and the children are, in the grand scheme of things,
unimportant to the point of the game: solving some pretty damn good puzzles.</p>
<p>This is one of those games where you play it for a little bit and come away
saying "now <em>that's</em> a <em>video game</em>".</p>
<figure
class='nearest'>
<img
src='https://reviews.anna.lgbt/pullblox/images/solving%20combined.avif'
alt='Screenshot of Pullblox showing the 3DS top and bottom screens. The top screen shows a Pullblox puzzle partially solved with the player character standing inside a cubby made by a block that has been pulled out of the wall. The bottom screen shows a minimap of the puzzle with icons for your current position and the goal position. It is marked as a two-star difficulty puzzle.'
>
<figcaption>
<p>Working on solving a puzzle in Pullblox.</p>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2 id="gameplay-and-story">Gameplay and "story"</h2>
<p>You play as some sort of sumo-wrestler-lookin' guy. He works (?) at a park run
by an old man, but some sort of rascal has gone and reset all of the Pullblox
puzzles, trapping the children who were playing them inside of the blocks. None
of this really matters, but it sets up a reason for why your sumo man is doing
what he's doing, and it gives each puzzle a goal, though no reasoning and a flag
for a goal would have worked just as well.</p>
<p>The real meat of the game is pulling blocks out of a wall and climbing them to
find your way to the child trapped in the puzzle. Each block can be pulled out
to a maximum distance of three blocks away from the wall. You can jump between
blocks, and you can even jump across one-block gaps, which enables the puzzles
to pull off some clever tricks. You're able to pull and push blocks while
standing to the side or front of them, provided you have enough room to move
with the block, but you can't move blocks that you're standing on top of.
Pulling out a block with a child trapped inside will free the child, but you
must reach the child to save them and complete the level.</p>
<figure
class='nearest'>
<img
src='https://reviews.anna.lgbt/pullblox/images/flag.avif'
alt='Screenshot of Pullblox showing only the 3DS top screen. The player character is standing on the edge of a block below a flag. The flag is reachable by jumping onto a block next to the character and then jumping again onto the block the flag is on.'
>
<figcaption>
<p>Flags, in fact, <em>do</em> appear when replaying a level.</p>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>You can hold the L button to rewind time through a fairly long history, allowing
you to experiment and fail without penalty. The rewind feature, I think, was
really a mandatory inclusion, as this game would quickly go from fun to
frustrating without it. The R button allows you to move the camera around the
puzzle to see things not currently in your field of vision, and you can also see
a visual overview of the puzzle on the bottom screen, as well.</p>
<p>Later in the game, more elements are introduced such as "manholes" which allow
you to teleport to a matching manhole and buttons that push all blocks of the
same colour as the button out to their maximum distance. These additions really
give extra depth to the puzzles, and they're very easy to learn how to use. The
game in general, I feel, is easy to learn but insidiously difficult in a
pleasing manner.</p>
<figure
class='nearest'>
<img
src='https://reviews.anna.lgbt/pullblox/images/manholes.avif'
alt='Screenshot of Pullblox showing only the 3DS top screen. The player character is standing on the ground in front of several blocks. Some of the blocks have an icon of a ladder on them, and one block is pulled out so that there is room above and below two ladder icons. Hatches with ladders coming out of them have appeared where the icons are located.'
>
<figcaption>
<p>Manholes open when they have room to, and you can jump into them to reach otherwise-unreachable locations.</p>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The puzzles start extremely simple and easy, and this is one of the only things
I have to complain about with the game. The "tutorial" levels last for a
ludicrously long time, and if you don't power through them, you could easily
bounce off before getting to the actually-challenging puzzles. Fortunately, the
easy ones are very quick to solve, but the ceremony of starting and finishing a
puzzle probably takes as long as it does to solve one.</p>
<p>Once past the tutorial stage, though, the game finds its stride and offers some
fiendishly clever puzzles that often left me obstinately struggling to solve.
Most puzzles are fairly quick to solve once you understand what you need to do
(or, as is often the case, experimentally moving blocks over and over until
something clicks), and this works very well for the Nintendo 3DS platform. It's
quick to pick up, solve a puzzle, and then put back down.</p>
<p>If you do end up stuck and needing to stop playing, you can also just close the
3DS to put the console to sleep and resume, which works extremely well for
puzzle games like Pullblox. However, there is no way to create a "quick save" or
similar, where your state is saved and then automatically resumed when you start
the game again. Your only option for keeping your progress mid-puzzle is to put
the console to sleep.</p>
<h2 id="graphics">Graphics</h2>
<p>The graphics are nothing to write home about, as are most 3DS titles. The
colours are vibrant and really pop, and nothing is unclear or muddy. Like most
3DS games, some extra anti-aliasing would help, but Pullblox is really par for
the course. The visual style is cartoony and pleasing, and it lends itself well
to a light-hearted puzzler.</p>
<p>There's not much to say about the graphics here: they get the job done and look
good enough that you won't be thinking about them at all.</p>
<h2 id="audio">Audio</h2>
<p>One of my major complaints about the game is the audio. The music for puzzles is
pleasing enough, but when you've done a hundred puzzles, it does start to become
grating. Normal levels have one song, which I would describe as playful and
unintrusive. "Mural" levels (levels where the blocks form a picture) have a
different song, which I would describe as "like the other song but different".</p>
<figure
class='nearest'>
<img
src='https://reviews.anna.lgbt/pullblox/images/elephant%20mural.avif'
alt='Screenshot of Pullblox showing only the 3DS bottom screen. A minimap of the puzzle shows that it looks looks like an elephant.'
>
<figcaption>
<p>One of many mural puzzles.</p>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Fortunately, if the songs start getting to you, there is an option to turn off
the music separate from sound effects. If you don't care about either, you can
just mute the console.</p>
<p>The sound effects, on the other hand, are very nice and very responsive. Sound
effects provide extra indication about how far you've pulled out or pushed in a
block, for example. They also let you know when an action isn't allowed and when
a mechanic becomes available, such as when a manhole cover opens. The sounds
aren't the <em>only</em> indicator of these events, but they add another layer of
confirmation, which is nice.</p>
<h2 id="conclusion">Conclusion</h2>
<p>The gameplay is what's important for this game, and it's nearly perfect for what
it is. The controls work as expected, the mechanics are intuitive, and the
puzzles are quite good once you get past the easy tutorial stage. The graphics,
story (such that it is), and audio are secondary for this game. They're all
<em>fine</em>, and that's all you need for a puzzle-platformer like Pullblox. They do
the job and don't get in your way.</p>
<p>I recommend this game. It's extremely engaging and far exceeded my expectations
for an eShop game.</p>