Euphoria Gremlin
5 logs · 2 posts
Euphoria Gremlin
@euphoriagremlin
Writer, reviewer, community moderator. Check out my full reviews on my site, The Almighty Backlog!
Joined October 2026
Euphoria Gremlin
5 logs · 2 posts
@euphoriagremlin
Writer, reviewer, community moderator. Check out my full reviews on my site, The Almighty Backlog!
Joined October 2026
Euphoria Gremlin on Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic10/10
In my mind, this CRPG take on Star Wars is among the very finest pieces of media ever to b…
CommanderShepard on Inkonbini: One Store. Many Stories8/10
Coffee Talk'un market hali desem hiç de yanlış olmaz. Müşterilerle yapılan diyaloglar hem…
In my mind, this CRPG take on Star Wars is among the very finest pieces of media ever to be set in George Lucas's galaxy far, far away. Bioware's work here is exemplary, a huge story that spans the entire galaxy as you fight to end a vast war that threatens the entire Republic. Set some 4000 years prior to the original trilogy, we find the stars beset by an unending horde of Sith. We play as a rookie ensign in the Republic army who winds up wrapped up in a plot by the Jedi to finally defeat the unhinged power of Darth Malak. Central to the narrative is the presence of Darth Revan, a Sith defeated prior to the events of the story but whose influence still ripples throughout the conflict. After escaping a planet besieged by the Sith, we are tasked with reassembling a map to an ancient weapon, gathering myriad allies to our cause and delving deep into the roots of the war. The writing is a major strength here; while the trappings are as familiar as ever when it comes to Star Wars, the galaxy still feels new thanks to the setting far divorced from the usual time period of Rebels and Imperial might, with a ton of fantastically written characters that have held an indelible influence in the wider Star Wars canon even to this day. Combat is classic CRPG fare, with a vast array of options at our disposal as we level up our character, specialising them into Star Wars themed versions of the standard warrior / mage / rogue builds. While the pace can be a bit lumbering and there's a lot of clicking and inventory management to put up with if you're not a fan of this style of RPG, for me it's a comforting and familiar approach to gaming that I adore coming back to again and again. Check out my full review! The Almighty Backlog, review #5: https://thealmightybacklog.wordpress.com/2018/01/29/off-the-backlog-star-wars-knights-of-the-old-republic/
The concept of a game free of violence, focused purely on exploration in service to a narrative, is a perfectly noble one. However, despite the evocative setting, Submerged doesn't quite hit the spot. Our story here is very simple, as we follow a young girl explore a half-sunken city to find medicine for her sickly brother. The setting is the real charm, as crumbling skyscrapers poke out from the lapping waves, and strange creatures emerge from the depths. I always find watery post-apocalypses fascinating, and Submerged's world is no exception. However, it falls apart when it comes to the gameplay. The sailing is perfunctory, and the platforming isn't much more involved either; you're mostly just jumping between handholds until you get that day's objective. It highlights the main problem here; it's challenge-free as well as combat-free. There aren't really any collectibles to find, so if you're not engaged by the narrative, there's little to keep one playing beyond the nice aesthetic. Check out my full review! The Almighty Backlog, review #4: https://thealmightybacklog.wordpress.com/2018/01/22/off-the-backlog-submerged/
While clearly embedded in a fairly standard paradigm of open-world action, Mad Max manages to carve a unique niche for itself due to its focus on vehicular combat, and uses the deeply evocative world of its oil-obsessed desert post-apocalypse to draw the player in. The plot itself is nice and simple, as any Mad Max product ought to be, as Max finds himself at the mercy of the warlord Scabrous Scrotus. His car is destroyed but luckily for him a mad blackfinger has built a new one, the Magnum Opus, and he needs Max to pilot it. The game ties itself into the Fury Road continuity through referencing that film's villain, but otherwise the player needs no extra knowledge, and that lets the plot delve deep in the weird mysticism of the setting as well as embracing the franchise's penchant for ultra-violence. Central to the game, and a big reason why it works, is the Magnum Opus itself. The entire thing revolves around the constant cycle of upgrading it with plunder and salvage picked up as Max marauds across the wasteland. While the physical combat isn't a ton to write home about, the game roars to life when you engage in vehicular combat, allowing you outfit some brutal weapons to the Opus. Check out my full review! The Almighty Backlog, review #3: https://thealmightybacklog.wordpress.com/2018/01/15/off-the-backlog-mad-max/
While Wolfenstein has always been a series happy to play with the facts of World War II, as a rule series protagonist BJ Blascowitz does at least tend to come out on top in the end. The New Order pushes us straight into the realms of full-on alternate history however, presenting a Nazi-controller Europe in the 1960s, into which BJ awakens and does the one thing he knows best - and it's a thumping good game to boot. The first clue things are going to be a bit different is that we begin in the last year of the war - in 1946. The Allies mount a desperate last-ditch assault on a Nazi doom fortress and it all goes wrong. BJ falls into a coma, and doesn't wake up until 1960, where he immediately finds himself embroiled in a ragtag underground resistance against the Reich's rule. There's a surprising amount of care put into the storytelling here, both in terms of the wonderfully evocative environments we explore but also in our tiny group of fighters, all of whom know they're up against utterly impossible odds. You're probably here for the gameplay first and foremost though. The New Order tries to offer players a balance, with lots of opportunity to sneak around and thin ranks or avoid major combat altogether by knifing enemies in the back, but if you're ham-fisted like me you'll inevitably end up in pitched gunfights. Thankfully, these are excellently done; weapons have a ton of kick to them, and there are some very fun options that take advantage of the magitek alternate history of Wolfenstein. At its gory best, it's a modern FPS with the sensibilities of a boomer shooter. Check out my full review! The Almighty Backlog, review #2: https://thealmightybacklog.wordpress.com/2018/01/08/off-the-backlog-wolfenstein-the-new-order/
Despite the criticism, I think Final Fantasy XV remains a strong entry into the franchise and one that, should you manage to connect with it emotionally, can be incredibly cathartic. Our protagonist this time around is Noctis and his 3 bodyguards, Gladiolus, Prompto and Ignis. Noctis is due to be married so he and his buddies take off on one last boyband road trip, but as they do the empire of Niflheim invade his home, kill his dad and nick his family's magic crystal. Noctis suddenly finds himself forced into a quest for a set of magic weapons in order to win back the crystal and save the world. One of the criticism leveled at XV is that its story isn't well-told and that's true to a degree; the choice to make XV an open world adventure does take a lot of the impetus out of the narrative. Worse yet, the open world falls apart in the final third and we're shoehorned onto a very linear track for the last hours of the game which feels jarring. But what fun those preceding hours are! Much of the game is spent driving around in the gang's car before hopping out to fight enemies or do quests - or, yes, to do fishing, the most important activity in an RPG. There's a lot to do in XV's world but equally important are the moments spent outside, just driving with Noctis' friends. This is where so much of the incredible character work in XV comes out; the four friends are exceptionally well-written and realised, and engaging with them is a joy. Whether you can connect to the cast like this - and whether you can accept sinking into the peace of driving and enjoy the atmosphere - will go a long way to defining your final opinion of XV. For me the strength of writing absolutely carries XV, although I'm also still a fan of the real-time combat and brilliant world-building. Check out my full review! The Almighty Backlog, review #1: https://thealmightybacklog.wordpress.com/2018/01/01/first-blog-post/