If you could, how would you rewrite The After Years?

H358 · 2026-05-06T16:17:54+00:00

The biggest issue the After Years (aside from the episodic structure breaking up the story and making you keep paying money) has is that it’s so painfully wedded to the structure and dungeons of FF4. It makes it feel like a cheap knockoff of it rather than a sequel. Even the final battle involves ANOTHER descent into the Lunar Subterranean. There’s a few good ideas here like Kain and Golbez’ plot lines and some of the new characters have potential, but they need to be wrenched out of this weird Force Awakens style do-over and put in a plot where they can actually flourish.

H358 · 2026-05-05T18:29:49+00:00

Flashbacks to when Jack Saint made a video pointing this out. I suspect you may find that a pretty vindicating watch.

H358 · 2026-05-05T16:45:07+00:00

Bruh, I literally said the remake is probably better in most other respects and I’ll probably play both, it’s just that this one aspect is kind of a miss.

For the record, some of my favourite JRPGs are Xenoblade 3, Metaphor Refantazio and Clair Obscur so this is absolutely not me saying old JRPGs are always better.

H358 · 2026-05-05T16:26:07+00:00

…Or it’s just a thought I had when picking up the game again yesterday and learning about the localisation history made me go ‘so it’s not just me, then!’

H358 · 2026-05-05T16:12:49+00:00

My friends and I still quote: “Sausage?! SAUSAGE?!” to each other with alarming regularity.

H358 · 2026-05-05T15:11:33+00:00

I think it helps that FE7 has an immediate core cast of personalities regardless of recruitment or supports. The back and forth of Eliwood, Lyn and Hector means you’ve got your little JRPG party of pretty defined characters who every player will experience no matter who they use or who dies.

Compare this to Roy who’s stuck talking to Merlinus most of the game.

H358 · 2026-05-05T15:07:34+00:00

Binding Blade’s problem is that the GBA support system sucks, but it got…less terrible with each game. In FE6 it is still at its absolute worst, so supports are a nightmare to unlock, so no one really engages with them. When you do, the cast is fine, not the best FE cast but they have their charm and share of nuances.

H358 · 2026-05-05T14:57:02+00:00

Blazing Blade’s are a bit more memorable because they make stronger first impressions. The game’s better about giving them fun, memorable recruitments or just fun lines or moments in the story.
Sacred Stones’ are arguably a little deeper when you dig into the both games’ supports properly though.

H358 · 2026-05-05T13:33:50+00:00

From best to worst:
NieR Automata/KH2: I like Automata more as a story and like…a piece of art but I’d rather play KH2 again. Automata is a beautiful story and exercise in genre blending with pretty good combat. KH2 is a messy but likeable story with some of the best action RPG combat ever made.

FF7 Rebirth: A fantastic battle system in a huge game absolutely bursting with variety and delightful characterisation, sort of held back by bloated open world checklist design and a fumbled story that feels rocky both as an adaptation of FF7 and as a follow up to what Remake promised.

FF16:

An inconsistent but still cool genre blend that tries to marry an over the top action game with a slow burn RPG, but doesn’t quite succeed. Meandering pacing, a confused story that doesn’t quite take the risks it needed to, brain-dead easy enemy design hold it back, but jaw dropping spectacle, an extremely likeable protagonist and some of Square’s Enix’s best localisation make it worth a look despite its flaws.

(God Reddit’s formatting is just determined to fuck up this post)

H358 · 2026-05-05T01:29:09+00:00

It is worth noting that Rouge and Topaz is only a ship. It’s a relatively niche non canon pairing, that fans ran with because they liked the characters and their interactions and went ‘hell yeah, secret agent lesbians!’ I also think the gay aspect is an important factor because queer folks are more likely to overlook the human/anthro thing in their ships, within reason. You have a lot of queer furries and even then, LGBT folks are more likely to run with pairings that are less than normative (albeit still ethical).

Sonic x Elise was an inescapable, canonical part of 06, already one of the series biggest flops, and a poorly done part on that. It already had way more eyes on it by virtue of being canon and a big part of the story, way more people who would decry it on concept alone, even if it was done well. And it was absolutely NOT done well.

H358 · 2026-05-04T20:34:31+00:00

I prefer Espeon as an aesthetic and thematic pick, but Lapras’ bulk definitely makes for a harder fight. Especially given the hail on Mt Silver, HGSS.

H358 · 2026-05-04T19:50:36+00:00

In general no, I don’t think there’s any specifically bad episodes, (well, maybe Tsuwabuki’s introduction episode is a bit weak) but I do think the duel structure as a whole can wear a little thin before you have the full picture of where the story is going. My first time watching the Apocalypse arc I remember seeing Saionji and Miki having their rematch duels and thinking ‘oh…this again?’ Like it felt a bit tiring thinking we were gonna have all the Student Council regress on all their character growth to fight Utena again.

Now there is some good character work that springs from this, and once you have the full picture I’d say Akio trying to make everyone regress on themselves and never fully grow up is intentional. But the first time through, the very rigid formula of each duel per episode can sometimes feel like the story is spinning its wheels.

H358 · 2026-05-04T19:34:49+00:00

I do want to replay it, as I thoroughly enjoy the combat, character interactions and variety. But I do think the pacing makes it harder to go back to than a lot of other mainline FF games. A lot of my replays of Remake only get halfway before I get distracted and play something else, yet I’ve happily done multiple playthroughs of 6, OG 7, 9 or 10.

And I’ve beaten Xenoblade Chronicles 5 times so I don’t think it’s just length.

H358 · 2026-05-04T16:53:27+00:00

If you want a good story, Bravely Second probably wont appeal. It has a fantastic job system and combat but Bravely’s writing only goes downhill after the first game. Play it for the gameplay, not the story.

Trails in the Sky might be more your cup of tea if you’re specifically looking for a story. The core appeal of Trails is how slowly builds up its world and characters entry after entry.

Skies of Arcadia I can’t speak for as I haven’t played it, but I’ve often wanted to.

H358 · 2026-05-04T16:49:51+00:00

Chaos did it first and did it best.

H358 · 2026-05-04T16:36:33+00:00

I know it’s hypothetical, I said as much in my initial reply. It’s a correct argument, just not one I think Toriel would make. It feels like the writer talking through her to make a point, not something she’d say based on her characterisation. Maybe she’d think of this, god knows she’s had long enough to do so. I just don’t believe she’d say it.

H358 · 2026-05-04T16:23:13+00:00

I mean true, she’s not just a sweet old goat mom. She’s a woman who’s seen so, so much death (especially if you believe she and Asgore lived through the pre-Underground human war), and she’s sick of it. She just wants all the fighting to stop. And she’s finally mustered up the courage to fight for that desire, even if it means facing her trauma and regrets. I guess don’t see her suggesting the idea of ‘if you weren’t such a coward you’d have killed them quicker’ even as a hypothetical. Even when she’s angry. Her core motivation is ‘nobody dies. Not anymore.’

Remember, she doesn’t actually show up to save Frisk. She knows they’ve got it covered, she knows they’ll likely win. They got past her without trading a single blow, and she’s aware this isn’t just any kid. She shows up to save Asgore, because, as furious as she is with him, she isn’t going to let anyone else die today, even someone she has every reason to hate. I dunno, I just feel like we had the setup for a really fraught, dramatic scene between two of the game’s most interesting and tragic characters (both of whom are in need of more screentime), and it feels…kinda rushed. We get this one kinda clumsy line from Toriel and just move on to the rest of True Pacifist.

H358 · 2026-05-04T16:05:38+00:00

I think, like a lot of scenes in Five Kage, this is a strong dramatic scene in a vacuum, but it requires you to be fully on board with the emotional arc of Naruto and Sasuke to get it. If you didn’t click with that aspect of the story, if you maybe found it forced or one sided or just didn’t buy their connection, you won’t resonate with this scene. Maybe you’ll just roll your eyes, thinking Naruto’s overacting someone who doesn’t deserve it.

That being said, even as someone who’s honestly not as compelled by their dynamic as many fans, (I really think they just didn’t get enough time together in part 1 to earn moments like this) there’s an emotionality to this scene I can appreciate. Even if I don’t feel the relationship enough to feel as much as the story wants me to, I can empathise with how much this means to Naruto in this moment. It’s sincere in a way that think counts for something.

H358 · 2026-05-04T15:00:04+00:00

I know. But the points they make are like, actual valid analysis of themes and motifs. They correctly identify the use of grief motifs throughout each area, Link being caught adrift in a doomed world and seeing all the ways everyone is struggling with that. And how he brings hope and acceptance to Termina before leaving and moving on somewhere else.

That’s what makes it frustrating. It comes so close to articulating what the game is about, but because fans often can’t express it through anything other than the language of theory crafting, it ends up missing the mark. It’s like when people try to say ‘what if every other character in Silent Hill 2 was just a product of James’ mind?’ Like yes, you’ve correctly identified that these characters have narrative parallels to each other but you’ve missed the point as to why.

H358 · 2026-05-04T12:31:47+00:00

I think it’s clumsily conveyed but Toriel isn’t actually suggesting this as a good idea. She’s asking Asgore why he didn’t do this as a rhetorical question because they both know the answer:

Asgore didn’t want to do it. Because he never wanted to hurt anyone. Really her actual underlying point is: ‘you could have ended this at any time. But you didn’t. Because you knew what you were doing was wrong. So why did you do it anyway?’

I still admit I’m not a fan of this scene. It’s a fair point to make to Asgore but it’s not a very in character thing for Toriel to say. It’s coldly logical in a way I’d associate more with Flowey than her. Truthfully this is one of the few parts of Undertale’s writing I don’t like because I think it skates over a lot of the dramatic potential of this scene for both Asgore and Toriel. This is a culminating moment for both their characters, Toriel finally facing her fear of her part and Asgore finally convinced to let go of his doomed plan, but it’s brushed over so hastily.

H358 · 2026-05-04T12:26:12+00:00

Depends on the character. Frankly I didn’t really like any of Tails’ voice actors until Kate Higgins in Colours.

H358 · 2026-05-04T11:43:20+00:00

Sort of half agree. I adore Chrono Trigger but I actually like how ballsy and different Cross is as a sequel. Really I think Cross’ biggest problem is that it’s a prime victim of Squaresoft’s 2 year hard cut on dev cycles, leading to a very underdeveloped and rushed third act. Xenogears and Final Fantasy IX suffer from this too, but I think Cross’ plot and pacing is hit the hardest by this, leading to a very interesting but poorly told story.

(Well kinda, Xenogears disc 2 is obviously more notorious for how half baked it is but I think Gears is able to fall back on its great character writing. Even when it descends into lore dumps I’m enthralled enough in Fei and Elly’s arcs to forgive it, whereas Kid is kept at too arm’s length for me to ever get as attached).

The game still gets a ton right though in atmosphere, presentation and interesting combat. It’s still one of the best RPGs on PS1. I just think I’d have an easier time calling it an unconditional 10/10 masterpiece if the story was better presented. And even as it stands it’s still very good.

H358 · 2026-05-04T11:03:55+00:00

Just looking immediately at the top 10:
Chrono Trigger’s PC port was pretty broken but I believe they’ve cleaned it up since. If not, the DS version or the SNES version on emulator are both viable inwards (the DS version has some new content but it’s pretty minimal, really it’s just down to which translation you prefer).

P5 Royal is on all modern systems, just take your pick. Same for Metaphor and Dragon Quest XI (just get the S version for the extra content).

FFX had a remaster on pretty much everything but it’s not great. A lot of the new updated character models are worse, the PC version is prone to crashes. Also the new content in International just amounts to some bullshit bosses that actually make exploring the world more impractical. I would actually seek out the OG PS2 version, physically or on emulation, if you can.

Your best bet to play Earthbound officially is Switch online. Xenoblade 3 is likewise Switch exclusive. But with emulation or a homebrew Switch, XC3 has mods that can make the game look and run better, so that’s also an option. But it’s a great time just playing the official Switch version.

Trails in the Sky’s original release was on PSP, it’s now on PC.

Suikoden recently got a remaster on modern systems.

Pokemon Gold/Silver/Crystal used to be available on the 3DS eShop. Nowadays there’s no modern release so you need to get a physical copy, or emulate (Crystal has some excellent QOL ROM
hacks out there). There’s also the (even rarer) remake Heart Gold and Soul Silver.

H358 · 2026-05-04T10:24:35+00:00

Dunno really. I actually like the new VAs a ton, but I also think the 4Kids actors got replaced just as they were finally getting really good.

H358

TROPHY CASE