paul G.

The visuals are phenomenal. There’s depth, development, and raw emotion to the characters. The story is beautifully written and woven into the episodes, and the cinematography enhances the tale being told. A story of vengeance and an inherent need of acceptance, Blue Eye Samurai takes the viewer on a journey soaked in blood, lust, and politics. This is a very mature piece of art, so I’d suggest watching it without your kids being present. I liked it so much I rewatched it from the beginning after I finished the climactic end to the first season. One word: masterpiece.

I see a lot of negative reviews and media bashing on this game. Some people say the story isn’t as good as Zero Dawn, some say this game is the same as the first, and others say the character development is lacking. First I’d like to say that I completely disagree with all of that. The combat mechanics are a lot harder, but that’s just because of new weapons, the newly introduced valor surges and skills, and a very interactive melee combat system. All of these aspects have been a joy to learn and use against hyper-aggressive machines. Second, people need to remember that this is the second installment for what many of us presume to be a trilogy, so this arc is all about character development. In the beginning of the game, Aloy is isolating herself from all of her friends and refuses to accept help in any fashion. By the end this isn’t the case. She welcomes new characters into her life and is willing to get help from those who offer it. This game is a wonderful continuation of the events that took place in Zero Dawn. Dialogue is solid, clan politics are fun to watch, the story was such a blast! Even the side quests were gripping! My only complaint is that I wish we could have seen more of Regalla’s rebels, but I think that content was cut/reformed due to stakeholders and COVID. I still have faith that we’ll see the residual effects of Regalla’s actions in a future DLC. Rebel Tremortusk? Only time will tell. I loved this game for everything Guerilla Games has poured into it! I still play after 140 hours, and I’m super excited to start my New Game+ Ultra Hard playthrough.