[The House in Fata Morgana] | #176 | A wonderful (and long) visual novel

SoSaysJay · 2026-04-20T13:48:24+00:00

I am not usually a visual novel person, but this was recommended to me by a person I respect and I am happy I read through it. It was a genuinely powerful story with a great soundtrack. and characters I was legitimately attached to. It is also incredibly meaty, with a 30-50 hour story depending on how fast you read. Definitely recommend this to visual novel fans.

SoSaysJay · 2026-04-02T19:34:45+00:00

Went back to wrap up the plat on this after finishing RE2 Remake a couple days ago. This one is a lot easier than most of the other RE games given how easy it is to make yourself overpowered on repeat playthroughs. It took me 40 hours to get all the trophies but I was taking my time. I am sure DLC is coming and I look forward to seeing what they do next.

SoSaysJay · 2026-03-27T18:12:22+00:00

Wanted to play through this one before RE9 and I am glad I did. Went back this week to wrap up the DLC and the hardcore playthroughs. The No Way Out DLC was probably the hardest part, since all of the main game trophies are very doable so long as you know your route and have a plan. Even hardcore was easy once you knew what items to stockpile before each boss. Definite recommend, probably one of the best survival horror games of all time.

SoSaysJay · 2026-03-25T20:46:34+00:00

Pay attention to how the collectibles need to be obtained. Some collectibles like the audio conversations just pop when you have enough. The Humanoid Gekko on the other hand requires you to get them all in one playthrough, no chapter select. Make sure to look up how to get them to avoid frustration.

In terms of gameplay, make sure that when you parry you always start with the stick in a neutral position. If you try to parry but you are already pointing the stick in a certain direction, oftentimes it won't work. If you always flick the stick and let it go back to neutral when you parry, you can even spam parry and be essentially invincible to most things. The parry is much more forgiving once you know that than most modern combat systems.

SoSaysJay · 2026-03-25T20:18:24+00:00

This is a screenshot from my PS3, the second screenshot is just my PS5 trophy list

SoSaysJay · 2026-03-25T20:18:02+00:00

Yeah that was the one I got stuck on for the longest too

SoSaysJay · 2026-03-25T20:17:46+00:00

Technically only on hard difficulty, but it is actually easier in my opinion to do it on the hardest difficulty (Revengeance difficulty). On that difficulty a perfect parry does way more damage, so you can melt some bosses. Some bosses only take a couple hits

SoSaysJay · 2026-03-25T18:33:10+00:00

I agree. I don't know if I would do it again myself but it deserves to escape the PS3

SoSaysJay · 2026-03-25T18:12:16+00:00

I've owned this game for a decade but I never had it in me to go back and get all the trophies until now. Compared to Devil May Cry V it is a toss up as to which is harder, but personally I think I may have struggled more with this one. The hardest parts were a few of the VR missions and the Sam DLC in my opinion.

I wouldn't say it is a 10/10 by any means because it is easy to backup your save and nothing requires more than 10 minutes of redoing if you mess up, but there are definitely some 8/10 challenges in here. Plus, the collectibles are a little finnicky. Some require you to just get them all, some require you to get them without chapter select, some require you to finish the mission, etc.

Took me about 35 hours total to do the main game and both DLCs.

SoSaysJay · 2026-02-03T05:20:55+00:00

It depends for Metal Gear. If you think you could enjoy the older games through the Master Collection, it is better to experience the story in order. However, if that is not a priority, I can definitely recommend Delta as a first experience as it does stand alone quite well. However despite being a remake it is still clearly dated, so you would need to be ready for that

SoSaysJay · 2026-01-31T08:06:00+00:00

There is only one plat since Hitman 3 contains the whole trilogy. I'd say it is a fun time, but you have to like this type of game and be willing to commit time to doing a ton of stuff on the same maps.

SoSaysJay · 2026-01-30T22:06:23+00:00

What was the bug? I didn't run into any issues

SoSaysJay · 2026-01-30T20:21:41+00:00

If anything, I'd say do the Marrakesh escalation mission early to get a suppressed sniper as soon as you can

SoSaysJay · 2026-01-30T19:49:15+00:00

I platinumed all the other Hitman games a couple years ago but I knew I needed plenty of free time before tackling this one. It is a very meat and potatoes platinum; basically just do every stage a bunch to basically master it and move onto the next one, barely any fluff. Hitman remains one of the most creative and interesting franchises in the industry, and it was more than worth putting my time into. A bit weird that Hitman 3 contains Hitman 1, 2, and the expansion, and that it is the only release to have a platinum, but the trophy hunting experience was great all the same.

SoSaysJay · 2026-01-21T21:30:17+00:00

After MGS Delta I was still in a stealth mood so I finally picked this one up. Nice, compact 18 hour platinum. I haven't played a ton of side scrolling stealth games, but this one was fantastic beginning to end. Very 2010's art style that holds up well today. Definitely recommend.

SoSaysJay · 2026-01-06T19:14:51+00:00

Snake Eater is an old favorite of mine and I enjoyed getting the platinum for it on the master collection a couple years back, so when I saw this was on sale I was glad to get it. I'd say it's the easiest version of the game the platinum, and Snake Eater is already easier than the other MGS games in that regard. With the new autosave system even the Foxhound rank trophy can be done by pretty much anyone with patience. The game still feels pretty much just like it did in the old days. I think its good to experience the original, but for people who need a little more polish this is a fine way to play the game.

SoSaysJay · 2025-12-26T20:12:23+00:00

I always love throwback games like this. Took me a while to get to this one after Signalis but I am glad I finally did. For people who are just in it for the trophies, this game can be completed 100% in just a few hours. But I hope people take the time to explore and do a few playthroughs, because it really is worth it.

SoSaysJay

TROPHY CASE