Unironically the greatest indie game I've ever played. I randomly stumbled across this game while browsing Nexus mods for games that I could mod the ♥♥♥♥ out of and I'll admit I was sold just from the attractive goat lady. But little did I know I was about to play one of the greatest games of my life. Pseudoregalia is an unforgettable experience from beginning to end, I'm not sure what kind of spell they put on this game but as soon as I boot it up I couldn't get enough of it. For about a week I was playing this game every spare moment that I had, I looked up guides to obtain all the outfits in the game, I tried to complete every time trial I could find perfectly, I mastered every single move in the game. By the time I made it to the end of the game I really FELT like I was unstoppable, the final boss fight was climactic and the ending was simple but effective. Above everything else I was feeling in the moment that I completed the game I felt sad. It was finally time to say goodbye to Sybil and the world that I spent a week exploring with her. I think what makes this game such an amazing experience is how it's able to make you feel like every new upgrade you collect is enhancing your power.

It almost feels like you level up alongside Sybil as you get better at the traversal and combat, collecting new abilities and mastering them to overcome what seemed like impossible feats before. I remember distinctly there was a big tower that looked impossible to climb, it looked like the top was just decoration and you weren't actually supposed to get up there and somehow a few hours later I figured out that I could just barely make it with a few upgrades and then after a few more hours I could effortlessly scale the tower to find that there's actually some neat stuff up there. It's amazing how the way you look at obstacles throughout the game changes, when you initially go through a room you might just do some hops to get over some lava and then later you might mix it up with some more advanced moves that you picked up and then by the end of the game you just fly through there without a care in the world.

Signal the abrupt segway into talking about the music in the game or maybe I'll just insert "okay guys this next part i talk about the music :D" at the end of the last paragraph. I tried to pull my punches when I said "This is ONE of the best games I ever played" instead of "THIS OS THE BEST ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ GAME EBER MADEE!!" but the gloves are coming off now. Pseudoregalia has the best videogame soundtrack, ever. Fullstop. Period. There's something about the music that compliments the game so perfectly. In the first level of the game the soundtrack for the Dilapidated Dungeon sounds somewhat devoid of hope, it's made to sound like a ticking clock like time is passing by while all the unfortunate souls trapped inside are left to rot. But as the game goes on and you explore more areas the music grows into a hopeful melody that comes together in the final battle of the game with a track that sounds like the kind of song that would play if you teamed up with everyone on earth to save the world from an avengers level threat. It's awe-inspiring and if you can't afford this game somehow ATLEAST listen to the music in the game.

Abrupt transition into talking about the artstyle. It's the final boss of the Pseudoregalia review and I'm about to beat the ♥♥♥♥ out of it IF IT'S THE LAST THING I DO!!! First I want to talk about the design of Sybil herself. She looks like a badass, the bags under her eyes make her look like she hasn't slept in days but her aggressive eyebrows let you know that she's about to ♥♥♥♥ ♥♥♥♥ up regardless. The outfit she wears looks somewhat like the ones that the butlers wear and at the beginning of the game one of them mentions that her disguise will fool them. I'm pretty sure he's referring to the knight statues that are stationed around the world which you'll find out later in the game are actually sentient and will try to attack Sybil. The whole disguise thing and the fact that her fur is the same color as the butlers leads me to believe that the form that she takes in Pseudoregalia isn't actually what she always looks like but she actually transforms to blend in with different worlds. The whole game is made to look like an old Nintendo 64 game which enhances the dreamlike qualities that are present throughout the game. As a matter of fact the weapon that Sybil wields is literally called "Dreambreaker" that has to be the best name I've seen for a weapon in any videogame. THE ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ DREAMBREAKERRRRRR!!!!! There's a filter in the settings that actually makes the game look slightly bitcrushed so you can get a more authentic nostalgia experience. The whole artstyle is centered around making you feel nostalgic which absolutely makes you feel like you're really in a dream.

Pseudoregalia has changed the way I look at gaming forever. It is a shining example of how to make a perfect metroidvania, it's truly amazing how this game was made by a single person. Everything is so well polished, the character feels amazing to control, it's all just top tier.

That was my review of Pseudoregalia, you can buy the game now.