#Squid Game reviews

[lyrasky]

【イカゲーム シーズン2】第1話 ネタバレ あらすじ 解説 感想 イカれたゲームは終わらない!

yoo-hoo！【イカゲーム　シーズン2】(Squid Game  Season2)が一挙公開になりました！ シーズン1より、イカレ具合がハンパない。 【イカゲーム】で一応完結はしたけどラストで、主人公のギフンが知った事実から、正義を重んじてしまうギフンは、立ち上がる！ 果たしてギフンは悪を退治してこのゲームをこの世から無くすことができるのか？ 今日はLyraが【イカゲーム シーズン２】の恐ろしくも人間���全てを晒した不思議な世界へとご案内致しまする〜。 Continue reading 【イカゲーム シーズン2】第1話 ネタバレ あらすじ 解説 感想 イカれたゲームは終わらない!

[memientom0ri]

Similarities between Inhun/457 and Hannigram; personal analysis of the attitudes that connect these characters 💭

Starting with actor Lee Byung Hun's face. I don't even need to go into details...

• Villain disguised as a hero;

Inho/001 x Hannibal Lecter

Both wear a good guy disguise to get close to and mentally and psychologically manipulate their "target" of obsession, taking actions to impress and defend the target that sometimes make us question their villainy towards the good guy.

Both Inho and Hannibal seem to be desperately searching for a trace of understanding and similarity in someone towards themselves. Hannibal became obsessed with Will when he saw this similarity in him (both characters misunderstood by society, mentally broken and with difficulties in expressing and understanding their own emotions), and just like the cannibal, Inho saw something similar in Gihun, therefore, feeling the need to, somehow, get close to him to keep him under his control.

"But Inho and Gihun are completely different", yes, just like Hannibal and Will; that doesn't stop the characters from identifying with each other psychologically.

In my opinion, Inho saw in Gihun an ambition and confidence that piqued his interest. "But Gihun is not ambitious or self-centered" No, he is not, not materially speaking. Gihun's ambition comes from the will he has over the things he sets out to do. He is ambitious about what he wants and this ambition is accompanied by a hyper-empathy bordering on masochism, considering that Gihun returned to the game not only because of his desire to end it, but because of the guilt of having survived when people died, because of the desire to prevent other deaths. This hyper-empathy also shows up in other scenes, and this is where Will comes in.

• The hyper-empathetic good guy;

Will Graham × Seong Gihun

Unlike Will's hyper-empathy, which manifests itself through his ability to put himself in the Assassin's shoes and mentally experience the murders, Gihun's empathy is blatant, making us feel a little angry and uncomfortable with the situations in which 456 puts himself by thinking more about others than about himself. A scene that left me in agony was in season 2, in the first game, where he runs from the safe area to pick up a man who was shot in the leg. The man would have been killed anyway, but he insisted on picking him up with less than 30 seconds to go.

Unlike 456's blatant empathy, which almost makes him seem naive in several scenes (like when he gives his only extra ammunition to Inho to save himself in the future), Will's empathy is more "dark" and firm. Will doesn't trust people easily, much less Hannibal, while 456 trusts Inho/001 right away and from the first contact they are inseparable.

• Jealousy, Control and Possessiveness

I think that after their faces, these are the characteristics that Hannibal and Inho have most in common. Neither of them want their good boys to have anyone other than themselves. We can see Hannibal eliminating the people who get close to Will throughout the series, but with Inho, we follow the stages and moments of this jealousy until it reaches its peak (the final episode that resembles Mizumono). Inho observed Gihun's interactions with Jungbae (Gihun's longtime friend) in silence, just processing each moment and creating a mental bomb that would explode in the future (like when Jungbae made Gihun laugh, at night in the dorms, and the scene cuts to 001 listening under the bed in total DISGUST).

• Mizumono

Both villains analyzed here need to control their targets of obsession, manipulating them and trying to build a home in their heads, and when they realize they have been "betrayed", that's when the bomb explodes.

Hannibal felt betrayed by Will when he learned that he was helping in a plan against him behind his back (but we know that Will was so confused about his feelings and morality that he didn't even know who to go with), and then killed Abgail in front of him after a heartbreaking speech.

Inho felt betrayed by Gihun when, during a shootout in the player vs. soldier attack, Gihun said he would go inside to find the way out. Inho asked: "Shall I go with you?", and Gihun simply said that Jungbae would go with him. Later, Jungbae asks 456 why he chose him and not 001 who is more skilled with weapons, and Gihun answers that he chose him because they are friends. The next scene suggests that Inho, disappointed, listened behind the communicator, but we don't know if the communicators were on or not...

It's worth noting the expression on Inho's face when Gihun said that Jungbae was the one who would...

(POOR GUY 456 APOLOGIZE TO HIM AND TAKE HIM WITH YOU NOW

The Mizumono between 456 and 001 happens thanks to this event, when, later, after putting on his masked Boss costume, Inho goes to Gihun and Jungbae on the stairs. Just like Hannibal, he says heartbroken words (less dramatic and more angry) and eliminates Jungbae in front of Gihun.

Both killed people close and important to their targets out of possessiveness and hurt, out of a sick and incomprehensible feeling of betrayal; feelings that only they understand.

How can little sweet creatures like this be so DESTRUCTIVE.

There doesn't seem to be a need and mutual dependence in 457 like there is in Hannigram (at least not yet, there's still one season left), the obsession and interest come from Inho, but there is a notable chemistry and tension, smiles and exchanges of OBVIOUS glances.

I know that Hannigram is complex and very intense, I'm not making an extremely serious comparison, but rather recording some points that I observed and since I love both couples, I wanted to do this. The depth of the characters is obviously different, we're just making a fan observation here. ♡

[ideksams]

spy x family and squid game crossover with [redacted]

full speedpaint with my first sponsored tablet review! 👀

[fandom]

In: Yelling about things for years on end

Hello, and welcome to 2025, baby. We're coming in hot with lots of good stuff from the end of last year: Arcane is doing very well, and you're basically all still obsessed with Jayvik and its constituent parts—extremely valid, honestly. Meanwhile, it's open season in Squid Game as carnage returns to our screens, hearts, and dashboards. The release of Sonic the Hedgehog 3 has catapulted Sonic, Shadow, and good old Stobotnik into the list, and the Wicked fandom is still going strong. "Ithaca," the ninth and final saga of Epic the Musical, has been released to much excitement among fans who are delighted, if not necessarily surprised, that Odysseus has, in fact, finally come home. Welcome to Tumblr's first Week in Review of 2025.

Artists on Tumblr

Arcane

Happy New Year

Jayvik | Jayce Talis & Viktor, Arcane

Jayce Talis | Arcane

Viktor | Arcane

Squid Game

Wicked

Sonic the Hedgehog

Cats of Tumblr

Shadow the Hedgehog

Epic the Musical

Gelphie | Glinda Upland & Elphaba Thropp, Wicked

Batman

Transformers

Stobotnik | Ivo Robotnik & Agent Stone, Sonic the Hedgehog

Jujutsu Kaisen

Dragon Age

One Piece

League of Legends

[queercodedangel]

Squid Game Season Two Analysis: Capitalist Ideology, The Illusion of Democracy, and The Necessity for Revolution

Why the second season of Squid Game is a great follow-up to the first season and offers us an even more radical critique of capitalism and its supposedly "free" and "democratic" institutions.

(Spoiler warning for both seasons. I won't go into too much detail, but some spoilers for the bigger plot points will be present)

I really enjoyed the second season of Squid Game, so I was surprised when I learned that a good amount of fans of the first season did not feel the same.

Because of that, I wanna give my thoughts on the themes and messages that this season in particular offers us and why I believe season 2 is, in many ways, even more radical than season 1 in its narrative choices.

Season One: The Dehumanizing Nature of Capitalism

Season 1 did a great job as a more general critique of capitalism (with some elements that are more specific to South Korea). It showed us a story of impoverished people that are so desparate that they find themselves trapped in a literal game of life and death that forces them to not only compete with other participants who are in similar financial situations, but to sometimes even betray and kill them just to survive and possibly win the big money at the end of all rounds.

To make it all even more cruel: It is soon revealed that the whole game just exists for the entertainment of rich elites who change the conditions of the game as they please when they are bored.

Needless to say: The game in Squid Game is a pretty heavy-handed allegory for the predatory nature of capitalism and how it literally kills us. The creator himself has stated this multiple times, since there are still people who (willingly or unwillingly) deny this.

There are already plenty of great analyses of these aspects in season 1 (I really recommend the video on YouTube called "Squid Game: Ideology and The New Soviet Man" by Kay and Skittles), so let's move on to season 2.

Season Two: The Setup

Our protagonist is once again Gi-hun, the only survivor of all games from season 1. He is practically a billionaire since he won all the money in season 1, and could therefore live a pretty comfortable life.

And yet he is fixated on one singular goal: To track down the location where the games take place to put a stop to them once and for all. Gi-hun feels guilty to spend his fortune on anything else than this one goal, since it's a fortune that came from the deaths of his friends and countless other people.

Gi-hun eventually finds himself back in the game after every other approach failed. Unfortunately for him, the tracker that he surgically implanted in his tooth got removed while he was knocked out and transported into the game. He is once again forced to participate in the game, since his rescue team that was supposed to save him and attack the island on which the games take place cannot locate him as of now.

The Greatness of Gi-hun: Resisting Hyperindividualism, Cynicism and Capitalist Ideas of Worth

I really like Gi-hun as a character. He started out as a deadbeat dad who got into severe debt because of his gambling addiction. Gi-hun is someone who many people that are entrenched in neoliberal capitalist ideology wouldn't feel much sympathy for at first, as he's shown to be pretty reckless and just overall far from a noble hero when we first get introduced to his character in season 1.

If you're from the west (or a country like South Korea which has a similar hyperindividualist capitalist culture), then you are taught to see Gi-hun's situation as something self-caused, as something he freely chose to be in with his own bad decisions. Furthermore, you're taught to see his socio-economic situation as a direct reflection of his value as a person.

In the series itself, the Front Man, the VIPs and even some other players in the game reinforce this way of thinking. They constantly express the sentiment that the players in the game are "worthless", "scum" and "trash" that deserves to be "filtered out" (killed) because they are responsible for the situation that they are in and have no worth anyway, as their socio-economic status shows according to this logic.

Gi-hun is someone who rejects all of this.

In season 2, we see him more determined than ever to save as many people as possible in the game, and to ultimately put an end to the game itself. He does not believe in the narrative that people's worth is determined by their socio-economic status, nor that they are completely self-responsible for their situation and therefore deserve to be killed in the game.

Gi-hun calls the game out for what it is: A predatory and cruel tool of rich capitalists that preys on people's fears and vulnerabilities to encourage the worst aspects of people's personalities to flourish, all just for the entertainment of rich investors who see the players as expendable and enjoy watching them die and betray each other.

Gi-hun isn't particularly gifted or talented, he's not the exceptional, flawless individual that neoliberalism fetishizes. He can be cowardly, insecure, frightened and even selfish, as we saw in season 1 when he lied to the old man to save his own life.

But at the end of the day, he is someone with an unwavering belief in the worth and potential of people despite what his hypercapitalist neoliberal culture (and people deeply embedded into it) constantly tells him. He's someone who, despite all his flaws, risks his life and happiness for that simple belief.

Gi-hun is the antidote to a deeply cynical, hyperindividualistic and neoliberal capitalist society that conditions us to not believe in the worth and potential of other people beyond their wealth and social status.

The Illusion of Democracy: A deceptive Facade of Free Choice and Equality

Let's look at the game itself this season, since there have been a few changes to its rules.

In this season, the surviving players are given the opportunity to vote after each round to either continue into the next round or to stop playing and divide the money that has accumulated so far among each player that survived. The more players die, the more money gets added to the final prize and the fewer people need to share the total sum with each other, meaning each player gets more money in the end if the majority votes to stop playing.

The staff of the game keeps emphasizing how the players chose to be part of the game, how they always have the option to leave, how the game respects free choice and values democracy, how everyone is equal in the game, and how the rules are fair and universal.

Unsurprisingly, this is all nonsense.

The players are not even aware that they are playing with their lives at risk until after the first game, a game called "Red Light, Green Light", which has a high fatality rate because once the first player dies, the shock and sudden rush of fear causes people to panic, leading to more deaths.

The first season also showed us that the VIPs can change the rules and conditions of the game whenever they feel like it, even during a round.

Age, health, knowledge and experience with the particular games that are being played in each round can also make the difference between life and death. Sometimes the games also straight up involve a factor of luck that the players have no real control over.

Then there's also the fact that not every player is in the same situation. Some players, such as Hyun-ju or Yong-sik, are shown to have severely more debt than others and lost significantly more in their life, which means some have the privilege to be all set again after just one or two rounds (if the majority votes to stop playing) while others will have barely earned enough money to fix their life, and would therefore need to play more rounds to achieve that outcome.

Some also have family and friends that need them, while others lost everything and have no one to come home to. All these factors make them unequal and shape the way they vote.

So basically: The players are stuck in a game that they didn't even know puts their life in danger until after they played the first round. The only reason they entered in the first place was because of their precarious situation that varies in severity from person to person (which means some have the privilege to vote to end the game early with their financial issues fixed, while others do not). Some players have more advantages than others in each round because of age, health, knowledge, experience or even just sheer luck. And the VIPs can just change the rules of the game whenever they feel like it.

Squid Game tells us very clearly that it thinks very little of the rhetoric of "free choice" "free democracy" and "equality" in a structurally coercive, brutal and predatory system with fundamentally unequal conditions such as our capitalist society.

The Front Man: Cynicism, Vote Manipulation and Counter-Revolution

A key aspect of the second season of Squid Game is that the Front Man himself pretends to be a regular player; he participates in the games among Gi-hun and the rest as player 001. The Front Man deliberately gets close to Gi-hun and even manages to win his trust pretty easily with his down-to-earth and kind facade, making him involved in Gi-hun's every move.

The Front Man is, in many ways, the opposite of Gi-hun.

He is shown in both seasons to think very little of the players and humanity as a whole. He sees the participants of the game as worthless trash that deserves to get sorted out. The Front Man believes humanity is selfish, greedy and cannot be better than what it is right now, which makes the game a necessary part of the world to him.

The Front Man is thoroughly entrenched in the cynical, neoliberal capitalist worldview that sees humans as fundamentally selfish and greedy beings that only have themselves to blame for their situations.

It is noteworthy that the Front Man is very fixated on Gi-hun, and even seems to grow a liking to him because of his unwavering belief in the value and potential of people that he upholds despite all the horrors and betrayal that he witnessed. This suggests that a small part of the Front Man might still have hope that Gi-hun is right and wants him to succeed in his goal.

But at the end of the day, we see that his cynical and neoliberal view on humanity rules over what little hope in a better world he might have.

As such, the Front Man ultimately sabotages Gi-hun's efforts whenever he can. When the vote was tied after the first round, he votes to continue into the next round so that more people die, something Gi-hun fought to prevent by making it clear to the other players that more people will die if they continue.

But this is not the only time he manipulates Gi-hun's efforts: When Gi-hun organizes an armed resistance to finally put an end to the game itself for good, the Front Man betrays him in the last minute by kiling members of the resistance group and then shooting Gi-hun's best friend in front of him in order to emotionally break Gi-hun and make him lose hope.

The Front Man is not just a despicable antagonist, he also serves as a pretty blunt example of a member of the ruling class that rigs elections and destroys revolutionary movements from within, a strategy that imperialist powers such as the US have utilized many times in history already.

When Voting isn't enough: The Necessity of Revolution and Class War

Despite Gi-hun's attempt to end the game for good having failed (at least for now), I don't believe the message of Squid Game's second season is one of resignation. Not only is the game shown to be fundamentally unjust and rigged, but voting alone is also portrayed to not be enough.

Throughout the whole season, those who vote to end the game never succeed. This is not a coincidence. The game is designed to make it the less likely outcome not just because of the involvement of Front Man, but because the game preys on people's despair and precarity, all while also encouraging selfish, greedy and reckless behavior in its very design.

But even if enough people voted to end the game: The next batch of players would just be thrown into the same situation Gi-hun and the others just escaped from. A successful majority vote to leave the game would save many lives, but Gi-hun's fight would be far from over. His goal to put a permanent end to the game would not be achieved yet.

The staff of the game also makes a deliberate choice to put a big X or O onto the jumpsuit of each player depending on how they voted. This encourages players to define themselves as either Xs or Os, which leads to hostility towards the players of the other fraction.

This reaches a point where players of both fractions plan to murder the other fraction in order to secure the next vote for themselves.

But Gi-hun puts a stop to that.

He realizes it's a deliberate distraction so that people fight each other rather than the game itself. He proposes that the players should instead organize together to fight the real oppressors that forced them into the whole situation in the first place.

They are not Xs or Os. They are impoverished and desparate people who were manipulated to participate into a literal game of death that requires suffering, betrayal and murder for victory.

The message of Squid Game Season Two is one of collective resistance and revolution:

The institutions of a fundamentally rigged and predatory class system are not enough to abolish the system itself. Voting can be used as a form of damage control, but it cannot replace collective action and organizing.

Instead of fighting each other, we need to organize together to fight the system itself. It is the only way we can truly all be liberated from the death game of capitalism.

[addy999addy]

Squid Game 2

hi beauties!

In this post I wanted to say a little about the second season of Squid Game, have you watched it?

I finished it a few days ago, but I'm only making a post now because these days I've been sick and I couldn't move from the sofa :(

However, I really liked this second season, I found it very beautiful and it literally kept me glued to the screen, in fact I finished it all in one afternoon :)

Despite this, I found the atmosphere to be much lighter than in the first season, maybe it's because when I watched the first I was younger, however, compared to this new season, it was much more disturbing, in a good way though.

The atmosphere was "heavier", but I liked it better in the first season way, even if perhaps I was the only one who felt this change.

Despite this, however, I really liked the second season, as I already said. Both the story and the characters.

Another thing I want to mention is the fact that I loved that they introduced a trans character (player 120, sorry I can't remember the names). it's a type of inclusiveness that I really liked, because in a certain sense they raised awareness of this topic and made the TV series inclusive, without forcing it though (Disney watch and learn (sorry (not sorry))).

However, in general I loved all the characters this season, even the villains, the way they were characterized, soooo iconic.

Btw let me know if you liked it and what you think :}.

Love yalll <3

[i-like-rocks22]

I watched the Squid Game reality series so you don't have to.

1. It is just as grim and psychologically intense as the show. I went into it not knowing anything about the set up and expecting the format to have been changed to be less nightmarish; maybe the games would be fun versions, maybe smaller prizes would be available for individuals or teams, or different stages of the game would have different casts. Nope.

2. It isn't funny. It's overly dramatised (it's produced in the style of US reality shows so it really focuses on the worst in people). Something I didn't expect and was absolutely astounded to see is that the contestants have to fake being shot as a black inkpack on their chest explodes when they're eliminated. Some of them have a bit of fun doing an over dramatic fall to the ground. Most just sit down looking completely destroyed which, when you consider the format and the reasons people are there (severely in debt, can't retire, disabled children that need care) it's just absolutely vile.

(Honourable mention to the only funny bit of editing in the show: when the remaining 20 contestants get together in a circle to discuss the next task, the very American team captain gives a motivational pep talk consisting entirely of buzz words, then goes 'let's pray' and it immediately swaps to focus on the remaining Brits who look absolutely horrified (for those outside of the UK most Brits are either non-religious or very quietly religious and find overt showings of religion like group prayer really weird)).

3. Deeply uncomfortable by the editing and voiceover choices that repeatedly portrayed black people, particularly black women, as the 'villains'. It was very very noticeable. There was a particular interaction where a black woman was shown in a very negative light, and I am still unclear on what happened during the show (due to the choppy and unclear editing) and cagey responses from contestants in interviews after. VERY very strange, and has led to that black contestant receiving a lot of hate.

4. The amount of contestants breaking down emotionally through the show makes so much sense not only when you consider the conditions they were being kept in, but the sheer amount of bonus psychological fuckery that was included. Not just the main tasks but additional challenges, individual tasks, and public votes for eliminations. A lot of these happened at random in the dorm rooms meaning they had no true safe space in which to relax. The filming was evidently over at least a week and I can't imagine how emotionally exhausted they must have been. I hope the contestants would have been offered some therapy on leaving but I don't think that's likely.

5. The one shining light in the whole show was how, very differently to the original series, individuals started to work together much earlier and more thoroughly through the tasks. Lots of people offered support and words of kindness to those struggling and appeared to really bond. In the end, while a grim and unsatisfying watch, that was the one thing I took away.

I am perfectly happy to watch some trashy TV from time to time and I don't believe every thing you watch should necessarily be dissected for it's greater meaning. But, not surprisingly when considering the source material, this was so far beyond trashy; it was exploitative and depressing and I can't believe it actually got (excuse the pun) green lit.

TL:DR; the black mirror episode that would be based off of squid game? Yeah that was it.

[iidontwannadiealone]

i #need letterboxd moots guys

@skibidiana !!!

[moviewarfare]

A Review of “Squid Game Season 2 (2024)”

In 2021, Squid Game became a cultural phenomenon. I thoroughly enjoyed it and thought it was a great addition to the Battle Royale genre. The story does end on a mild cliffhanger that feels like it was tacked on because Netflix wanted to make it a franchise. Now here we are in 2024, with another season of Squid Game. Does it live up to the hype?

Despite feeling like the creator, Hwang Dong-hyuk was forced to make more seasons of Squid Game, he does not half-ass it. He does push this season in new directions and adds new elements to make the story exciting. For example, they added a new rule to the games by making it so they can vote to leave with the current money after each game. This new rule is a fun addition as it creates an exciting rift between characters who want to go and those who don't. Turning Gi-Hun from a scummy guy in Season 1 into an all-good hero sounds bad on paper. However, it adds a new layer to the games as Gi-Hun now has new challenges with his knowledge. He faces ordeals such as convincing others to stop, knowing what agendas the higher-ups intend for them and figuring out ways to escape with the others.

Of course, there are new games in season 2 and they are still very entertaining to watch. I also appreciate that the games this time aren't as focused on physical strength and more on skill. I also appreciate that there is some new world-building as well. We get to see more about what the recruiters are and how one ends up being a pink-masked guard. The set design and costumes are mostly the same as it was in season 1 but it is great that they were still able to replicate the same feel from season 1. Jung Jae-il returns as the music composer and he continues to deliver a great score.

Unfortunately, my biggest gripe with season 2 is that the contestants just aren't as likeable as those in season 1. We got to see how many contestants lives were like outside of the game and even the reasons why they were entering the games. This made us care about them and it was why it hurt when they died. This is not the case in season 2 because the only characters we spend with outside the games are Gi-Hun and the police officer, Hwang Jun-ho. We never get to spend much time with the other contestants and at times when they mention their reasons, it is usually in a small quick dialogue. The show also does a jarring thing where they introduce an interesting character that you want to know more of, only to kill them very anti-climatically. On that note, I genuinely believe that the wrong characters died in this season. These characters would have been more interesting if they were kept alive.

In terms of story, I do have some gripes. There is a subplot with one of the pink guards which ends up going absolutely nowhere in season 2. Additionally, the police storyline continues to be dull and predictable like in season 1. Furthermore, there is a loss of meaningful messages and themes. Season 1 had interesting social commentary on inequality but season 2 tosses all of that in favour of good guy vs evil corporation. The story in season 2 also feels like half the complete story with an extremely jarring ending. It feels like they split the full story into part 1 with season 2 and then part 2 with season 3.

Despite it all, I do still find season 2 entertaining to watch. While it isn't as good as season 1, I do think it is an enjoyable enough sequel. Hopefully, season 3 will be a satisfying conclusion.

For more reviews like this visit:

https://moviewarfarereviews.blogspot.com/

[tobiotheo]

herkes squid game diye dolasırken bizim bu basyapıta olan baglılık (squid gsme'i bir günde bitirdim) WPQLSJXPĞSWMLS AMA ARKAFASLAR BUNU İZLEYİN LÜTFEEEENNNNN

[icomehereforthefics]

Sometimes I like dropping anonymous compliments to the amazing fanfic writers out there cause they’re genuinely sooooo good at writing but also cause I want them to feel inspired and/or appreciated so that they’ll keep writing and keep my hyperfixations fed

[criticalbeauregard]

i've never seen hannibal but the front man from squid game (esp in s2) reminds me so much of mads mikkelsen for some reason and i feel like gi-hun is the will graham to his hannibal

[memientom0ri]

I just finished watching the second part of Round 6.

[beardedmrbean]

[cadere-art]

The Pathless by Giant Squid

The Pathless is an action adventure game by the same creators as Abzû and Journey.

I quite enjoyed playing it. I would rate it a solid 7/10 - not excellent, not especially memorable, kind of dull after a while, but mostly good and fun to play and globally i had a good time with it. I would recommend it, but only if the person asking had already played a couple other games I'd rather recommend (mainly Sable and Hob).

The game was really quite pretty and had very successful stylization. The soundtrack supported this quite well, especially the tunes with throat singing which really added to the setting's vibe. I felt like the game was mostly successful in what it was trying to achieve: the controls were smooth, and the bow-and-arrow puzzles felt consistently fresh and got quite clever.

This comes with two main areas where I feel like the game did not come quite into its own: movement, and combat.

The game's movement system consist of you shooting targets (talismans) to get speed boosts. You can also fly. The fact that you can also fly is both one of the cool factors, and a serious detriment to the game's game design, because most of the levels and puzzles are designed so that they feel much cooler if you walk, jump, and arrow boost yourself, but it's just. simpler and faster to fly. You are limited in your ability to fly up, but there is a true wealth of high points to launch yourself from. A lot of the game's eventual dullness came down to the fact that you have to actively make an effort to not simply glide from place to place, because there's really any reason not to, except that doing so gets quite boring.

The other thing is combat. The game is mostly combat free, with encounters with corrupted deities being played out in a kind of "Red Light Green Light" kind of way, which is kind of cool. This is to exception of the boss fights, where after you do some puzzles you have to face up with the corrupted deity of the area in a boss fight which has a lot of timed events which occur basically nowhere else. The boss fights all had chase phase which felt concordant with the rest of the game, and some had a middle phase with area hazards which was very reminiscient of Journey and quite fun, but the "stadium" phase honestly felt dull, incongruous with the rest of the gameplay, and like the timed event mechanics just didn't show up enough in the rest of the game to feel justified there. One one hand I kind of wish the boss fight hadn't been there and the game had gone the "completely combat free" route. On the other hand I feel like it would've been even more repetitive and kind of dull without. It's a tough one.

[benentertainment]

Watch Squid Game

Hundreds of cash-strapped contestants accept an invitation to compete in children's games for a tempting prize, but the stakes are deadly.

🎥 Don’t miss out! Click the link in bio to watch