In Silversword, it just doesn't feel like Mario is zigzagging us across the entire world map over and over again as a cheap way to extending gameplay time. Gailardia series has a spell to quickly warp between towns, but it's still tedious when there is plainly no other purpose than an egg hunt.
I think the 3rd or 4th town you come across gives you the same kind of world map you get in the first game - you have to take care of a problem in a cave for it, which isn't bad. But after that, you will put that world map to use zig-zagging back and forth! And like you said, I wish there was a quest log to recall where that one person was who COULD HAVE done something the first time you talked to them, but no, you had to run into an issue first, AND THEN they will do it.
For instance, you go through what you need to obtain the ship, then you find someone who can upgrade your ship, but you cannot get the upgrade because, well, that would be too easy for you! First you must follow some clues about the gold key being in a cave, to get to the cave you must travel through a maze of rivers, and you almost reach the cave and are told - oh, look at that, the currents are suddenly strong and your ship will need an upgrade! So now you have to warp around to find the person who could have just done it to begin with seeing as how he doesn't charge and just wants to help your cause, then you warp to the town nearest the cave, navigate the river maze AGAIN...
no, Silversword wasn't THAT bad, repeatedly!!!! Heck, G1 wasn't that bad, and exploration such as finding a new town felt meaningful because you were moving on from where you started.
And I don't feel like I'm being too critical, after all, I didn't even make a fuss out of the bizarre translation choices.
Although everyone tells you the Demon King is back, it's actually the offspring of Lamia. Same in G3, everyone says the Demon King is back a third time, but again, it's a new one. The translation in both games gives the erroneous impression that the G1 boss has resurrected.
I do fully intend on giving G3 another go after I have the chance to get through some others. I've had "Stranger of Sword City" on Steam for awhile and haven't had the chance to really sit down with it, and I'm still slowly working my magic-lite party through Silversword!
I've actually considered the baseball manager one, I had read some good reviews on it! I'm not really into jigsaw puzzles, but oddly enough, I've played several escape-room scenarios which involved jigsaw puzzles and found those quite enjoyable! In small doses, I suppose, but thank you for the recommendations!
