⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⏔⏔⏔ ꒰ ᧔ෆ᧓ ꒱ ⏔⏔⏔

Given the idea of spinoffs this game would easily hold its spot as one of the best. it is a good execution of Japanese folklore and the elements that make silent Hill "silent Hill". with no real support from her family, Hinako is a strong willed teenage girl, she had to be. yet she is constantly facing remarks relating to her being "tough".

aesthetics & visuals: this game is nicely made. i personally quite liked the sketching style in Hinako's journal. in addition, there's clear attention to detail eg, the appearance of red spider lilies on monsters gradually increasing in addition to Hinako's clothes wearing as you progress through the game, which again is not a surprise move from the development team.

combat & puzzles: combat here felt slightly off and awkward, ngl, but once you get the hang of it, it's kinda alright. as for the puzzles in this game, a lot of it are based on riddles \ text that you have to decipher which is not exactly bad but can be a bit frustrating at times.

finally, i think it's important to mention that this game has a consistent theme and quite often references gender discrimination and sexism. this subject plays a big part of its plot. it also delves into gender identity and roles. you can clearly feel the insecurity and sense of confusion filling Hinako towards her femininity as she is thrown into this world with little to no answers to her wandering and energetic mind. only expectations and demands for her to be quiet, docile, and submissive. disfiguring her own prescriptions of femininity and womanhood.

retrospectively, most silent Hill monsters appear as representations of the antagonist’s negative emotions. i do not wish to talk about each monster, but the most memorable ones were figures of hurt women, the licking male figure on all fours with what appears to be a “beer belly” and the female figure with multiple pregnancy bumps.

which leads you to wonder, what sort of representation are we seeing here?
some indications can be found in Hinako's journal as you progress.

thank you <3
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⏔⏔⏔ ꒰ ᧔ෆ᧓ ꒱ ⏔⏔⏔

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The journey continues right after FFVII remake, and square enix clearly put some sweat and tears into making rebirth. this game is rich, with a solid number of diverse mini games, side quests and a spectacular open world experience. and i certainly can not wait to see what awaits me in part 3.

Story : as i stated above, the plot of rebirth takes place right after remake. and as i mentioned in a previous review, again i strongly recommend taking some time to play crisis core before those two games if you can, or watch a video about the game lore prior, in order to get a good sense of the story because it can get a bit confusing. although the story unfolds pretty well, but in all honesty cosmo canyon (ch10) is a bit rough around the edges. the chapter feels overly saturated, especially the bit around the Gi. imagine this chapter was a puzzle where we are putting the pieces together related to Red / Nanaki, his past, his family history and so on and so forth. and you know when you reach a final piece that is supposed to fit in the last bit left but it doesn’t do so very well and you have to slam it down? this is exactly how the Gi bit felt.

Aesthetics & visuals: this game's visuals and aesthetics are top notch and if you’re a friend of mine you have probably already been bombarded by the number of screenshots ive posted. it is very well made and effortlessly beautiful. a balanced backdrop that doesn’t divert your focus and is easy on the eye.

Combat & mechanics: i am a turn based enjoyer so the classic mode was my go to and the added new materia were quite helpful and refreshing. i also quite like the new synergy abilities \ teamups and the updated weapon skill tree. its also quite important to point out the enhanced air focused combat against flyers.

Opinion on the famous love triangle: in all forms of media that i’ve consumed i always disliked love triangles. in fact i have dropped a couple of them for that specific reason. it feels like a people pleasing move and rubs me the wrong way. although i understand that it is a good marketing strategy, a stunt that gets the people talking i absolutely hate it. especially when it consists of two women, because it turns into a smearing contest. both Tifa and Aerith are individual characters that are very important in the FFVII trilogy and both play a huge role in Cloud’s journey. yet, you'll find most of the fandom online are arguing whose “ship” is canon, justifying, theorizing and worst of all smearing those characters or calling them names instead of pouring this energy into discussing and understanding the lore \ core essence of the game.

thank you <3
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