We got back from Tokyo recently as well! There’s a very apparent difference in culture that I think contributes to this. I’m not Japanese nor am I super experienced with Japanese culture so I can’t comfortablely speak on what those differences are. However we also can’t ignore the fact that public transit in general is massively underfunded across the states, not just in Chicago. We’re car-centric first, and public-transit-based like, fourth is the way I see it. Not that I’m happy about that ofc, I take the train and the bus everywhere I can, but that’s just the reality of the situation right now. Tokyo’s train system is very obviously much better funded than Chicago’s, and the infrastructure is built to support that.
I tried playing Blasphemous recently and had to drop it in a couple hours. I might’ve stuck with it had I tried it when I was younger but I’ve discovered that nowadays I don’t have the patience to play games that require you to beat your head against a brick wall until it breaks. So many frustrating enemy placements and insta-kill spikes, the movement is slow, the combat is unsatisfying, I just didn’t feel like I had much incentive to continue playing (minus the art style which is absolutely gorgeous).