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Eliwood8

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Everything posted by Eliwood8

  1. It's hard to believe that it's already been about 17 years since the release of New Super Mario Bros. on the DS, which at the time was hailed as a return of 2D Mario platforming, and that the last NSMB game was released 11 years ago. Mario is so ubiquitous in the world of gaming that it's easy to forget that mainline games can be released rather sporadically, but that's all the more reason to stop and take notice when a new title is released and promises wonder and fun in every level. And I'm happy to say Super Mario Bros. Wonder is just as delightful and imaginative as its title suggests. Let's address the Elephant Mario in the room: Charles Martinet is no longer the voice of Mario, Luigi, or any other character in the franchise. The news sounded like it could be a shift for the series, but if you aren't paying close attention you might not notice the voice actor change in Wonder (it helps that, as usual, Mario & co. don't say much). The new voice, Kevin Afghani, clearly models his performance on Martinet's and does a great job of keeping Mario's spirit of fun and whimsy alive through the brief voice lines. There's another large bit of voice work featured in Wonder thanks to the talking flowers scattered through each stage that comment on what's happening or offer encouragement. It seemed like a strange feature when the game was first released, but once you're deep into the action of the game their presence isn't all that noteworthy. They'll occasionally add some fun quips, but just as often you'll probably just kind of forget that they're there. Thankfully though you can turn the voices off if you don't like them. Story-wise, Wonder is pretty classic Mario: Bowser is up to no good and it's up to our favorite mustachioed heroes to stop him. However, this game also includes Princesses Peach and Daisy as playable characters (a first for Daisy, in a mainline Mario platformer), as well as Blue and Yellow Toads, Toadette, and a bunch of Yoshis and Nabbit, who act as an Easy Mode and don't take damage from enemies. So in the end, Wonder splits the difference nicely between a classic Bowser bad-guy story and adding a bit of a fresh twist with more playable characters. That's really the core of what Wonder is all about: classic sensibilities but presented in a fresh, fun way. The 2D platformer gameplay here feels like it could be pulled out of any title in Mario's history, and features the hallmark tight controls, fluid movement, and beautifully balanced difficulty and progression that is perfectly designed to ease players into the experience. Stomping Goombas and reaching flag poles is as simple and satisfying as ever, whether it's in a grassy plain, desert, or snowy mountainside. For new players, there's really no bad place to start in the Mario series, and that remains true with Wonder's gradual approach to adding in new challenges only after you've mastered the previous basics. On the other hand, Wonder is more than happy to throw some wild, wacky scenarios at the player as well. Not in terms of difficulty or challenges, but just in terms of unique, flashy moments that help break up the core platforming action. All of the main levels feature a Wonder Flower, which transforms the stage in some bizarre way. It might cause a herd of enemies to rampage across the screen so you have to run ahead of them, or cause the warp pipes on screen to wiggle around like inchworms, or it might transform your character in some way. You never know what's coming next with a Wonder Flower, and the developers clearly had a lot of fun dreaming up wild new effects. There's a ton of variety to the Wonder effects and they'll keep you on your toes in an exciting way. It's really great to be continuously surprised by a game like this. In fact, there's a ton of variety to the game as a whole. Thanks to the Wonder Flowers, the game is constantly throwing new ideas at you to keep the adventure feeling fresh and vibrant. There are also numerous shorter challenge stages to break up the action of the main platformer levels. On one hand, it's a bit of a shame that the classic level structure feels a little bit short-changed in Wonder, and aside from the super secret extra-difficult bonus level you're not going to face wildly challenging platformer design, but overall the experience is still so vibrant and engaging that it's hard to be too upset. Additionally, a lot of the shorter challenge stages are Badge Challenges, which reward you with an equippable Badge that augments your abilities in some way. Most of them add helpful bonuses, like the ability to float through the air or a higher jump, while others feel more like an extra difficulty mode, such as the Badge that causes you to never stop running. Generally you'll probably stick with the helpful Badges, but the more complex ones could make for interesting challenge runs. Wonder also puts a slightly different spin on multiplayer by allowing you to play with friends locally, online, or with random players online. No matter the situation, this game has removed collision, meaning you can't pick up another player and toss them into a pit (I mean, toss them to a ledge to help them, of course). Instead everyone operates independently, but you can still help each other a bit. When you're playing online you'll see other players as ghosts, and if they die you can revive them by touching their ghost within a few seconds. You can also place standees that have the same effect. You'll also see standees frequently used to offer a helpful hint about a hidden item or a clue for reaching a secret area. It's cool to have this level of cooperation with other players in a Mario platformer, though purists might want to play solo so as not to spoil any hidden secrets for themselves. Despite the wide variety of level designs, Wonder does feel like it's a bit on the short side. It still takes a good eight to ten hours to finish the game, and around twice that to uncover every little secret possible, but overall the experience feels too brief. However, that may also just be an indication that there are so many great ideas constantly rotated through the game that the experience never gets old or stale. And if you finish the game 100% and still want to play, you can always jump online and help shepherd other players through by reviving them or dropping standees. Much like its gameplay, Wonder's presentation beautifully balances classic sensibilities with stylish new ideas. The game fully resides in Mario's fun, bubbly vibe, but there are also tons of little touches that add personality and charm to the experience (something that later NSMB games might have been lacking). The elephant power-up alone is kind of charmingly goofy, plus there are Wigglers on rollerskates, colorful Wonder effects and the aforementioned talking flowers. The little details of the playable characters' movements feel more energetic and varied. It's vibrant and lively and joyous while still feeling right at home in a 2D Mario platformer. The soundtrack is excellent as well, perfectly matching the excitement and energy of the whole game. Super Mario Bros. Wonder is a delight. It's playful, flashy, and knows how to build upon the core Mario platformer mechanics intelligently to create surprising and engaging new scenarios. The Wonder Flowers add a seemingly endlessly inventive flair to the typical 2D platformer experience, and it's hard to play through many of these levels without a big grin on your face. Sure the challenge level might feel a little light for longtime players, and the adventure ends all too soon, but ultimately all of the bouncing, coin-collecting, and Koopa-stomping adds up to a wonderful time. Rating: 9 out of 10 Wonders
  2. - Pikmin (Switch) I remembered the original Pikmin as much more unforgiving than the recent entries but I'd forgotten just how easy it is to lose Pikmin here. The whole experience is obviously quite dated but it's still a ton of fun and goes to show how solid the franchise's concept is that the first game nails it so well. - Pikmin 2 (Switch) The caves were actually a lot tricker than I remember them being. Guess I was spoiled by how easy Pikmin 4 is. Also I'd forgotten that this game uses the same maps as Pikmin 1, just with some new elements swapped in! - The Pedestrian (PS5) Pretty cool puzzle game. I liked the aesthetics and the puzzle mechanics hit that nice balance of thoughtful and engaging with new layers gradually added, but never too tedious or confusing. - Mortal Kombat 1 (Switch) Knowing full well that this would be a lesser experience on the Switch kompared to other systems, I thought it was decent enough for single-player and local co-op. - Super Mario Bros. Wonder (Switch) It's a wonderful game, simple as that.
  3. Not going to be available next weekend, feel free to Smashdown without me.
  4. Team Ghost wins! I did end up playing a bit on Team Ghost, though I didn't do too well. Guess I've gotten rusty these past few months. Also I am shocked that Skeleton was actually the least popular team, because I think I played Team Zombie maybe twice and every other match was Skeleton (or a mirror match).
  5. Pichu as Robin, Morpeko as Two-Face, but who would be Riddler?
  6. Although Detective Pikachu on the 3DS was important enough to get a movie adaptation, it took about five years to get a sequel. The tiny private eye is finally back though, as Detective Pikachu Returns continues the narrative of the first game with a brand new mystery and new Pokémon to meet. Like the first game, this title is squarely aimed at young children, so expect less of a Phoenix Wright experience and more of a Dora the Explorer one. The story picks up two years after the events of the first game, and both Detective Pikachu and his human partner Tim are now well-recognized figures in Ryme City, the town where humans and Pokémon coexist. Don't worry if you aren't familiar with the premise though, the opening prologue of Detective Pikachu Returns includes a convenient recap of the first game. Now, however, Tim and Pikachu find themselves enmeshed in a new mystery, starting with the theft of a precious jewel. The premise remains awfully charming. Seeing humans and Pokémon interact outside of a training/battling setting is always cute, and the balance of Tim interviewing human witnesses while Pikachu interviews Pokémon witnesses has a lot of potential for fun storytelling. However, like the first game, Detective Pikachu Returns is truly only meant for young players. Arguably extremely young, because the game walks you through each clue/plot point so slowly that it's actually a little maddening as an adult. It's almost insulting when you hear a clue or piece of information, then the game turns to you and asks if you understand that clue, despite it being very clear. The overarching storyline through each case that Tim and Pikachu tackle is also extremely basic, with such predictable plot twists that it's hard to even call them twists, but at least this game continues the storyline of Pikachu's origins and Tim's missing dad. If you aren't an adult playing the game alongside a young child, reading all of the extensive text for them, you're probably not the target audience here. The gameplay in Detective Pikachu Returns has all the basic elements of a detective adventure, though boiled down to extremely simple parts. You'll investigate crime scenes, interview witnesses, then piece together deductions based on the clues you've amassed. Again, the game walks you through these clues in an excruciatingly slow way, plus all deductions are multiple choice questions anyway, usually with just three or four options, so you're never going to be thinking too hard about figuring out the answer. It's a basic, hand-holding journey through a detective story that is only going to capture the attention of a quite young crowd. Detective Pikachu Returns at least does have one notable feature. Pikachu will occasionally partner up with another Pokémon in order to use their unique skills. There's nothing too elaborate here but it's nice to have something to break up the long dialogue sequences of the game, and highlighting other Pokémon is a fun touch as well. There are also a few minor action moments, things like mashing the A button until a meter fills, but these add little excitement to the adventure. The game is roughly the same length as its predecessor, about ten hours or a bit longer, though there are fewer cases to solve this time. Instead the individual cases are longer, which also means a bit more mindless running back and forth and scenes/clues that are stretched out a bit too long. There are also side quests in Detective Pikachu Returns, though they're pretty underwhelming as well since they generally just require you to talk to one character then talk to another one—not the hardest detective work around. The game's presentation also leaves a lot to be desired. The art style here is perfectly bland, as if the developers didn't want to incorporate any kind of unique detail or flair to the graphics. Without the Pokémon characters the game would be devoid of virtually any visual personality at all. The soundtrack doesn't do a great job of adding pep to the experience either, while the voice acting is awkwardly inconsistent. The main characters sound fine—and it's still hilariously weird to see Pikachu talk with a grown man's voice—but a lot of the side characters deliver flat, dull voice lines. Detective Pikachu Returns is a completely by-the-books sequel to a quirky Pokémon spin-off. For this second adventure though, the novelty has worn off a bit and the incredibly basic mystery story comes off as a bit grating. Young Pokémon fans may certainly enjoy it, but it's a shame that the developers didn't deliver a game that could appeal to all ages and offer some actual depth. Rating: 6 out of 10 Cases
  7. - Shadows Over Loathing (Switch) Lots of fun and very silly. So much content too, always leading to goofy side quests or dialogue. - Kena: Bridge of Spirits (PS5) Pretty underwhelming. Not a bad game, but both the platforming and the combat had an unpolished, floaty feel that I didn't like. - Ruined King: A League of Legends Story (Switch) Never played LoL but really enjoyed the setting here and loved the gameplay (which is almost exactly like Battle Chasers: Nightwar). The performance on the Switch though, oof, I sat through a lot of crashes. - This Way Madness Lies (Switch) A fun, bizarre little RPG that really seems to enjoy its own silly premise. I appreciate the short RPG approach, though it also means you're raising levels practically every other battle and are constantly cycling in new abilities. - Detective Pikachu Returns (Switch) It's understandable that this game is aimed at kids, but boy, the writing is so basic. Shame that it couldn't be a game that all ages would enjoy.
  8. I'll start off by saying I haven't played one second of League of Legends. The entire MOBA genre holds little interest for me, but Riot Games has figured out a clever way of expanding their game's universe to new customers through the excellent Arcane series and through spinoff games. Ruined King: A League of Legends Story requires no prior knowledge of LoL to enjoy, but leverages that wealth of lore and worldbuilding and combines it with developer Airship Syndicate's strategy-rich gameplay for a wonderfully engaging RPG. Ruined King quite smartly balances out its myriad references to the LoL backstory with its own narrative, meaning you don't need to know anything to jump right in. Sure you might enjoy the nods and references more as a fan, but even new players will be quickly endeared to this likable cast of characters, from a pirate queen to a wandering swordsman. They're all given room to develop and grow through the course of this spinoff story, ensuring that this is a complete, rewarding narrative on its own even without the main LoL content. The story begins with Miss Fortune, the new ruler of the town of Bilgewater by way of hostile (re: violent) takeover. Strange ghostly mists start spreading across the sea though, bringing death and destruction. A handful of champions come together to investigate the source of the deadly fog, leading to a story that pulls the past forward in a new light. Again, it's a fun story with a great cast of characters and is a blast completely on its own. Characters are well realized and their banter is always fun to hear, especially since the conflict brings together some unlikely allies. If anything, it helps that there's an entire LoL foundation to build upon, even if you aren't familiar with it, because it makes the world feel more fully realized and alive. The gameplay in Ruined King heavily recreates the formula of Airship Syndicate's previous game, Battle Chasers: Nightwar. Both games have an RPG dungeon-crawling vibe, and use a similar battle system that requires some degree of strategy—this is not a "mash A to get through it" kind of turn-based RPG. Instead, turn order plays an important role. Each character has a handful of basic/instant attacks, but the real damage dealers (and vital healing or shielding effects) are special abilities, which cost mana and take time to cast, as reflected in the turn order at the bottom of the screen. The wrinkle here though is that instant attacks will build up Overcharge, which is temporary extra mana, meaning the best way to manage your mana is to build Overcharge so you're not using much actual mana in each battle. Special abilities can also be used in either the Balanced, Speed, or Power Lane, changing the ability's strength and cast time. You can also upgrade your abilities which sometimes yields special effects depending on which Lane it's cast in—a healing spell might also cleanse debuffs if used in the Speed Lane, for example. Enemies sometimes have barriers that can only be dispelled by hitting them in a specific Lane, and some of your attacks also have the ability to push back an enemy's turn which is always fun to mess around with. Finally, there are hazards and boons that appear in the turn order, and you may want to time out your attacks in order to reap the benefits or avoid the pitfalls. Success in battle relies upon weighing all of these small effects and making combat choices as efficiently as possible, which makes even normal battles thoughtful and engaging. It may sound like a lot to consider in this description, but when you're in the thick of things it's a ton of fun to plot your moves and see your plans pay off. Every battle becomes a satisfying strategic challenge, which is also rewarded in the bonus EXP you can earn for playing efficiently. Every time you upgrade an ability you also have an option between two effects (and you can change your mind at any time), leading to a lot of variety even with relatively few abilities per character. Each character is also so unique that you can build interesting parties with any combination. Maybe you risk not having an actual healer but instead use Braum's shield ability to mitigate damage. Maybe you go all in on status effects with Pyke. Each character has little effects that they can build up on themselves or on enemies, so you're constantly tracking how far along everyone is during battle and when is the most opportune time to use powerful abilities. All of these options add so much depth to the gameplay, ensuring each player can devise unique strategies, virtually all of which are viable. Veterans of Battle Chasers: Nightwar may also be pleased to hear that the normal difficulty in Ruined King is notably easier than Nightwar's. That game was happy to make you work hard for every little victory, but Ruined King feels much more approachable to any level of player. If you do want that extra challenge though, there are different difficulty levels to keep combat interesting no matter your skill level. The production values of Ruined King are also excellent. The art style retains Airship Syndicate's (and director Joe Madureira's) distinctive look, but it feels perfectly at home in this LoL world. The environments are sprawling but filled with detail, and the same goes for the carefully designed characters. Everything has a slightly grimy, ocean port vibe to it, which perfectly suits Bilgewater and the creepy, ghostly mist at the heart of the story. And the comic book-style cutscenes are gorgeous, infusing just a bit of motion to still images, which creates a vivid, memorable effect. The game also features some excellent voice acting, perfectly bringing these characters and their massive personalities/egos to life. The soundtrack is solid as well, even if it's somewhat overshadowed by the top notch voice work. Ruined King feels like a pretty compact, quick RPG, but the truth is it will still last you a good amount of time. Even getting through just the main story will take a good 25 hours or so, and of course as an RPG there are a variety of side quests you can tackle which typically yield valuable rewards—seeing those stat numbers go higher always makes the side venture worthwhile. However, Ruined King is a lengthy game on the Switch for another, less fun reason. Even with the 1.7 patch, the game runs pretty poorly on the Switch. There are some shockingly long load times in this game. Most are long but tolerable—20 or 30 seconds maybe—but for some of the larger hub areas you could be staring at the loading screen for a couple of minutes. That also includes starting up the game as well. That kind of flaw is annoying but tolerable if not for the other major issue: the game can crash surprisingly frequently. Every few hours of play, perhaps especially because of the clunky loading during those busy hub areas, the game crashed on me. Thankfully there is a fairly frequent auto-save system, but needing to restart the game so often, especially with the lengthy load screens, was incredibly disappointing. Don't worry if you're not a League of Legends fan—Ruined King: A League of Legends Story perfectly stands on its own as a rich turn-based RPG set in a wonderfully realized world. Even without knowing all of the backstories and references, it's easy to love these characters and love the strategy-rich combat that allows for a ton of fine-tuning variety to suit your interests. Unfortunately, the game has a real rough time on the Switch, which almost makes it hard to recommend if you have access to another system, but whatever platform you play it on and whether you're a LoL fan or not, Ruined King is an RPG well worth enjoying. Rating: 7 out of 10 Stories
  9. I'll get on it right after I finish that Gal Gun 2 review.
  10. "Cozy" games have become a genre unto their own, but Behind the Frame: The Finest Scenery might blow them all out of the water. Cozily, of course. With its gorgeous, Studio Ghibli-like aesthetics and relaxed approach to gameplay, Behind the Frame is an eye-catching experience, though entirely too brief. You play as a young woman who is working on a new painting and spends her days posted up next to a bright window with a view of her elderly neighbor, who is also a painter. Scattered around her apartment are little hints of the larger story at play, and you'll need to gradually explore all of them to find the inexplicably hidden tubes of paint that allow you to progress. Unearthing the woman's backstory might be more important than finishing her painting, though. Not surprisingly, there's more going on here than it seems at first. While the narrative's twists and progression aren't wildly unexpected, the simple character study at the heart of Behind the Painting is nevertheless an emotionally engaging little story. The gameplay is not at all interested in challenging the player or making them work to progress. The painting and sketching mechanics are extremely simple: just pick the right color in the right spot, or when sketching just run the pencil/cursor across the screen until the image appears. The game's puzzles require a tiny bit more thought, but are still pretty simple with obvious clues. Since you're so limited on where you can move or what you can interact with, it's extremely easy to figure out each step of every puzzle. No one should be playing Behind the Frame for complex game design, though. This is a leisurely stroll of a game, a calming little exploration of creativity. That said, it is a bit disappointing that the experience is so short. The main game is barely an hour long, and that includes clicking on just about everything to see all the optional text. This version of the game also adds an epilogue, but it's also quite short and, while pleasant, doesn't add too much to the larger story. The controls are also a touch finicky, clearly due to the game's PC/mobile roots. Controlling the cursor with a control stick doesn't have the smooth immediacy of a mouse or touch controls. Thankfully though nothing in this game requires dexterity, and you can always play in handheld mode to use the touch screen. The presentation is far and away the highlight of the game. The hand-animated visuals feel straight out of a Studio Ghibli film or similar anime, and paired with the warm, relaxing soundtrack it's the perfect setting for a peaceful little adventure. Behind the Frame: The Finest Scenery is a beautiful and calming experience, even if it's lacking more typical gameplay structures. Even the puzzles it does have are fairly basic. Still, players looking to relax for just an hour or two should enjoy this cozy and colorful game. Rating: 7 out of 10 Paintings
  11. ONI: Road to be the Mightiest Oni turns the classic hero's adventure on its head: in this game you play as a demon, training to become stronger so that he can defeat the human warrior that wiped out your demon friends. Although the premise seems a bit silly, the actual narrative is surprisingly heartfelt. Unfortunately, repetitive gameplay elements and lackluster combat options make experiencing that narrative a chore. In the game's opening credits you see the human warrior Momotaro destroy a whole host of oni. You play as Kuuta, a demon who survived the battle and now seeks revenge. On Kisejima Island, Kuuta pairs up with a spirit named Kazemaru and the pair train to become stronger. For some reason there's also a lone girl named Kanna who lives on this island full of demon spirits. The premise of the game sounds like it should be a comedic or at least tongue-in-cheek setup, but ONI actually tells a pretty somber, melancholy story. Kuuta at first begrudgingly befriends Kanna, but their conversations are really the heart of the narrative. Although Kuuta doesn't say much, you get to see him open up a bit through this friendship. It's not nearly as fleshed out or in-depth as it probably ought to be, but ONI's story of vengeance is still surprisingly thoughtful. The gameplay essentially distills an adventure game down to a brisk 7 hour game. You've got the whole island to explore, but it's not very big and is divided into three sections, so you need to clear each region in turn. You can wander a bit and collect mushrooms (currency), but there's very little to buy. You can also collect wayward spirits to increase your maximum HP (Zelda heart pieces style), though the process is significantly more obnoxious and tedious in ONI. Spirits are hidden just about everywhere, but when you find and catch one you'll soon be pursued by a large, invincible demon. Your only option is to run to the nearest Jizo statue to turn them in and increase your HP. The problem is that doing this 56 times is insanely repetitive and tedious. Kuuta moves pretty slowly and, in general, fleeing from an invincible enemy isn't terribly engaging. It's a tedious chore to increase your HP rather than a rewarding challenge. If you had more control over how or when the demon appeared there could have been more of a satisfying strategy element to it, but as it is this whole upgrade system feels too simple and too repetitive. Unfortunately that's a theme for the core combat gameplay as well. In each region of the island you'll talk to a phantom and then tackle some kind of battle scenario. Kuuta has a club, a special attack that requires time to charge, and Kazemaru's ability to hold or stun enemies. It's a pretty bare-boned combat system but to be fair ONI does a decent job of mixing up the objective of each mission. You usually have to defeat every enemy, but sometimes you're in the normal 3D view and sometimes you're in a side-scrolling perspective, or even an overhead view. Sometimes you need to keep Zenisuke, the merchant, alive through the battle. And of course there are also boss fights which are a little different and a little bigger. Even with these different battle modes though, ONI is sadly an incredibly repetitive game. There's a small variety of enemy types, but even so Kuuta's combat skills generally involve mashing that attack button and occasionally dodging enemy attacks. There's very little depth or thought put into it, but some of the fancier enemies do take quite a lot of hits, which makes for a terrible combination: lackluster but drawn out combat. Even the special attacks you unlock don't add much variety or engagement to the combat system. ONI just feels like a first draft kind of game that needed more time to create a unique and interesting gameplay loop. Other aspects of the game aren't super solid either. The controls are surprisingly clunky. The 3D action-adventure genre is simply too old at this point for clumsy camera controls to be acceptable, and while ONI's aren't horrendous, there's definitely room for improvement. Most of all, the game is sorely lacking some kind of lock-on aiming system. Instead you have to slowly swing the camera around the battle arena. Controlling both Kuuta and Kazemaru at the same time is also a little more awkward than it should be. It's a cool concept to have one character hold an enemy in place so the other can swing on it, but the execution isn't quite smooth since it restricts your already limited camera control and it's hard to both attack as Kuuta and move Kazemaru at the same time. The game's presentation also has some stumbling moments. The art style isn't bad at all. The colorful demons are fun and the island, though small and fairly simple, has a nice energy to it that suits the melancholy tone of the story. There's not a lot that makes the art style pop, but it still gets the job done. However, the frame rate does struggle a bit on the Switch. It's not game-breaking but it's pretty noticeable in busy environments like the forest or when there are a lot of enemies on screen. The soundtrack is also pretty unique, as each region of the island has its own song but they're songs with lyrics, not just background music like most games. The problem is, it's just one song for each region, so they get insanely repetitive quite quickly. Hearing the first few lines of a song every time you to return to the island from a phantom trial is kind of maddening. As mentioned, ONI clocks in at around 7 hours or so, but even that relatively short game length feels drawn out. The content of the game just doesn't suit even that modest game length. There are also some side quests that yield simple rewards like new weapons or increased power for your special attacks, but they still don't make the game much longer and are also fairly basic tasks. ONI: Road to be the Mightiest Oni has some fun, novel ideas but never manages to make them shine. A demon for a protagonist has a lot of potential for a story, but even the introspective, melancholy cutscenes fall flat. Controlling two characters in battle could lead to a ton of combat and strategic possibilities, but it's used for the most basic functions here and also leads to some awkward controls. The island and game as a whole is relatively small yet still manages to overstay its welcome. ONI is still an okay experience but clearly could have easily been so much more. Rating: 5 out of 10 Onis
  12. Developer Asymmetric is back with a follow up to their 2018 stick figure RPG hit West of Loathing. Shadows Over Loathing offers the exact same sense of humor and goofy fun as its predecessor, but now in a 1920s eldritch horror setting instead of the Old West. It's also a notably longer game, which just means more room for puns, sight gags, and fourth-wall-breaking jokes, wrapped up in a wonderfully engaging open-world RPG setting. As the game begins, you're traveling to Ocean City to search for your missing Uncle Murray. He sent you a cryptic letter just before his disappearance, and now it's up to you to uncover the shadowy truth at the heart of all the strange occurrences happening in town. The early 20th century Lovecraftian setting is great and opens the door for a ton of humor. You've got prohibition-era mobsters to deal with, sure, but you've also got vampires and goblins, as well as unexplainable shadowy black rifts in space. The possibilities are endless here, and the developers have taken advantage of that to create another hilarious game. Comedy in video games can be a tricky path to navigate, but the Loathing games handle it perfectly with a wide variety of visual gags, puns, and just generally absurd scenarios that are sure to make you chuckle. The story's ending is perhaps not quite a perfectly satisfying conclusion to the eldritch setup of the opening, but the game's humor and charm keeps the writing's momentum going anyway. There's nothing better than being delightfully surprised by the humor in a video game, especially when that game allows those insane jokes to exist as both one-off gags as well as core elements of the gameplay. Take the three playable character classes, for example. You've got the Pig Skinner who specializes in Muscle for physical attacks, the Cheese Wizard who uses Mysticality for magical attacks, and the Jazz Agent who relies on Moxie for ranged attacks, typically of a musical nature. It's all extremely silly but it also functions as a full RPG experience. You'll want to cater your equipment and weapons to best support your chosen character class. At the same time though, you might want to balance all of your stats so that you can overcome various skill checks, which frequently allow you to either bypass a fight with a more clever solution or solve a side quest. The three stat system keeps things simple and easy to understand but still allows you to experience all of the adventure and exploration you'd expect out of an RPG. And boy did the developers up the ante with Shadows Over Loathing. The world feels significantly bigger and absolutely packed with little things to discover. Sure, not all of it is super elaborate or terribly important—oftentimes your reward is a bit of XP and an item to add to your already cluttered inventory—but it's still a blast to wander around each map and see what kind of trouble you can get yourself into, whether it's helping a bunch of kids verify the existence of various cryptids or getting something to eat for a man who refuses to stop sitting on a mailbox. It's almost overwhelming to have so much content to explore and a ton of dialogue to read—there's plenty you're likely to miss on a single playthrough, in fact—but again Shadows Over Loathing does a great job of playing into the open-world RPG formula while still keeping things relatively straightforward and easy to track. The side stories have depth without feeling like you're bogged down in tons of unnecessary details. It's sprawling but manageable, which is a perfect formula for adventure. The combat system is the same turn-based battle structure as the previous game, and once again it is arguably the weak point of the game. Early on these battles can feel overwhelming, when you only have a single attack and few items at your disposal, but very quickly they become so easy that there's not a lot of point in engaging with them. It's fun to level up your abilities and unlock new ones, but when you can spam one or two to wipe out enemies in a single turn—sometimes even bosses in a single turn—there's not a satisfying balance to the challenge. Since the main draw of the game is the humor though, it is perhaps appropriate that the so-so combat system pushes you toward finding clever solutions rather than brawling with every enemy you meet. It can certainly be more satisfying to take out a room of vampires by cheekily fiddling with the environment rather than casting a magical cheese spell on them a couple times. The stick figure artwork is a huge part of Shadows Over Loathing's charm. It's the perfect way to tell players to stop focusing on visuals and pay attention to the writing, and all of the silly, absurd scenarios are only heightened by the simple, goofy art style. That said, there's more visual variety in Shadows Over Loathing than you might expect at a glance, and the developers really get their mileage out of what appears to be very simple graphics. Meanwhile, the soundtrack has no lo-fi restrictions and features some catchy and haunting tunes that suit the setting nicely. Even more than the previous game, Shadows Over Loathing feels like a full RPG experience, which means a fairly lengthy main adventure and a ton of side quests. You could probably rush through the main story in ten or twelve hours, but the real heart of this experience is in uncovering all of the little tasks and secrets you can find, and you're always richly rewarded with a deluge of items and jokes. You do occasionally need to make firm decisions as well, so replaying the game could well be worth it to try out a different class and see how some side quests play out differently. Shadows Over Loathing is a perfect follow up to West of Loathing. It draws out the comedy RPG formula into an even bigger adventure without sacrificing any of the humor or charm that makes the experience so unique and engaging. The combat still isn't quite as balanced as it could be, but some easy fights are a small price to pay for the inventive and endlessly goofy adventure that awaits around every corner in Shadows Over Loathing. Rating: 9 out of 10 Hats
  13. I guess I assumed online play ended at the same time that the eShop closed. Shame to see it end but I haven't done anything online with either of those systems in a long time.
  14. - Ghost Song (Switch) A Soulslike Metroidvania, feels like these are becoming a dime a dozen. Not bad but nothing special either. - Metroid Prime Remastered (Switch) Not sure screenshots or trailers do justice to how great this remaster looks. And obviously the core gameplay remains outstanding as well. - Trine 5: A Clockwork Conspiracy (Switch) Felt like the puzzles were particularly challenging in this one, I liked it. - Sea of Stars (PS5) Really enjoyed it, it definitely captures the feel of a 90s RPG without actually being derivative at all. There are a lot of fresh ideas that make combat interesting. Surprisingly I found the story/writing to be a huge weak point though. Both the overall plot and the characters were oddly flat and in need of a lot more polish. - ONI: Road to be the Mightiest Oni (Switch) This game has a ton of potential, but the core gameplay is too basic, repetitive, and slow.
  15. Despite the perfect reason to stick to a trilogy format, the Trine series continues with the latest entry, Trine 5: A Clockwork Conspiracy. Not that I'm complaining per se; Trine 3 was a rather awkward attempt at changing the formula, but subsequent games have returned to the roots of what makes the Trine games so entertaining: inventive puzzle-platforming that is as much fun to play solo as it is to play with friends. A Clockwork Conspiracy once again stars Zoya the Thief, Pontius the Knight, and Amadeus the Wizard, who are now famous in their kingdom as the heroes of Trine. However, when they're invited to a celebration held in honor of their great deeds, they find it was all a ruse to capture them and frame them for destructive plots across the land. Naturally, the trio fights back against the clockwork army to restore order and their good names. Trine 5 may add a little more flavor to the storytelling this time around, but it essentially sticks to the franchise's formula. It's not a super elaborate plot and even the villains are somewhat basic, but there's a simple charm to a straightforward good vs. evil story. More importantly, the light banter among the three protagonists always adds a fun bit of levity and charm. Like its predecessors, Trine 5 is a 2.5D side-scrolling puzzle-platformer, with some combat mixed in as well. Each of the three characters has unique abilities that help them move through the environment. Amadeus can create boxes and platforms, Zoya has a grappling hook, Pontius has a shield that can reflect projectiles, etc. Navigating each level requires using all of their strengths, oftentimes in clever combinations. A Clockwork Conspiracy has some particularly inventive and challenging puzzles. There are some new abilities here and most of them add a ton of depth to the gameplay and offer what seem like game-breaking skills but are actually put to use in delightfully clever ways that constantly keep you on your toes. All of the Trine games have their share of tricky or elaborate puzzles, but it really feels like the developers upped the ante in this one. It's a good thing, then, that you're also able to adjust the game's difficulty to suit your skill level. Both the combat difficulty and puzzle difficulty can be adjusted, which is a great way of accommodating a wide range of players. One of the best things about the Trine series is the fact that the puzzles rarely have a single solution. The game always rewards inventive players, and oftentimes your clumsy, awkward solution works just as well as the "correct" path. Sometimes finding the sneakiest or silliest way forward is half the fun in Trine games. To aid you, you can also upgrade each character's abilities, typically granting new uses or effects. In A Clockwork Conspiracy it feels like the majority of upgrades are focused on combat upgrades, but there are several that give you new ways to approach platforming as well, and thus give you even more tools for solving or breaking puzzles. There's another aspect that hasn't changed in the Trine series, unfortunately: the combat continues to be underwhelming. Part of the problem may just be the fact that the puzzles and platforming are so engaging that any battle is going to feel lackluster, but once again in A Clockwork Conspiracy you'll find yourself stuck in battles that are repetitive, drawn out and simply unexciting. Even with more combat ability options, fighting is never engaging in this game, it just feels like a chore you need to get through to get back to the interesting parts of the game. Trine 5 even adds some elaborate boss fights, which are a bit nicer since they include some puzzle-like elements, but overall the combat is still easily the low point of the game. A Clockwork Conspiracy of course features multiplayer as well, like its predecessors. Both local and online multiplayer are available here, though local feels like the more natural fit since you should be talking and interacting with your allies directly to figure out solutions. The best part is that the game specifically alters puzzles to account for multiplayer, so it feels like a slightly different game when you're playing with friends. The Trine series has one more aspect to its legacy, and that's a beautifully polished visual style. It's a classic fantasy setting but rendered in beautiful detail with hazy, dream-like lighting and colorful scenery. A Clockwork Conspiracy's art design is just as lovely as any of its predecessors, though it seems like the game struggles just a bit on the Switch. Any close-up shots reveal some fairly flat textures, and I experienced frequent pop-in on the lighting effects, creating an annoying strobe-like effect during cutscenes. The overall visual design is still a treat to see, though. The soundtrack and voice work are also delightfully charming. The characters' voices and expressions are so familiar at this point that it's nice to hear them again, and the music sets a nice cozy atmosphere for puzzle-solving. Trine 5: A Clockwork Conspiracy is a welcome continuation of the franchise. There are new features and new challenges to tackle here, but fundamentally it's more of the same experience, which isn't a bad thing at all since the puzzle-platforming experience continues to be engaging, challenging, and inventive. This game's puzzles in particular shine with some tricky scenarios and solutions. The combat system remains the weak link of the franchise, but some lackluster battles never dull the excitement of working your way through a particularly difficult puzzle in the beautifully rendered world of Trine. Rating: 8 out of 10 Puzzles
  16. With its emphasis on creating shortcuts to return to checkpoints more easily, the Souls-like genre has ended up as a natural fit for Metroidvanias, spawning a whole subgenre of its own that has steadily grown in popularity. Ghost Song was originally launched as a Kickstarter back in 2013 though, when the gameplay blend was a little more fresh, and finally saw release in 2022. Perhaps if it had come out earlier its gameplay wouldn't feel quite so derivative. You play as Deadsuit, a humanoid figure wearing armor, or perhaps you're the armor itself, come to life in some way. The opening is purposefully vague and draws players into a narrative of mystery and melancholy as you explore a derelict planet. Eventually you'll find a group of humans who crash landed and need help collecting replacement parts, and it becomes your job to aid them. Ghost Song does a solid job with atmosphere—this is a gloomy world and even the survivors you find have a pervasive melancholy and strangeness surrounding them. The NPCs all have quite a bit of dialogue as well, fleshing out their individual personalities and backstories. The atmosphere and NPC stories never quite coalesce into an engaging narrative though. The mysteries are just a bit too vague and the characters too long winded to create a rewarding plotline, which isn't helped by a rather anticlimactic conclusion. The Metroidvania influence is clear right away: this is a side-scrolling adventure game and you'll gradually gain new abilities that help you explore the planet fully. There are plenty of secrets to uncover as well as optional weapons and upgrades that you can equip. However, Ghost Song also has a no-nonsense Souls-like influence: even normal enemies can be quite deadly, and if you do fall you'll lose all of your NanoGel (necessary for leveling up and buying items) and will need to go back to the place you fell to recover it. You'll even have reduced maximum health until you can repair it at a specific station. Essentially, you're punished heavily for dying so you're instead encouraged to progress slowly and carefully. The one feature that actually feels novel in Ghost Song is the overheating system. Fire your blaster for too long and it'll turn red hot and overheat, reducing its effectiveness for a short time. However, the upside is that your melee attacks are stronger when you've overheated, so ideally you'll balance your ranged and melee attacks to maintain maximum effectiveness in battle. It's a cool concept that is overshadowed by the unforgiving difficulty of the game, though. Since dying is such an issue, you'll probably stick with the safer ranged attacks more often than not, even while overheating. Too often it's just not worth the risk of taking damage yourself to mix it up with melee attacks. This is especially a problem because every single enemy in Ghost Song is a damage sponge. Even the very first enemies you encounter require so much damage to defeat that the flow of the gameplay is sluggish, starting and stopping every time you run into a single enemy. This is even worse for boss fights, which go on and on in unsatisfying tests of patience more than skill. The exploration/platforming side of the game doesn't quite feel ideal either. Your movement is oddly stiff, especially early in the game before you get any kind of upgrades like double jumping. It's another reason why melee combat doesn't feel great: you don't really have the dexterity to run up to an enemy, attack, and dodge away smoothly, so that whole half of the combat system comes off clunky. The biggest faux pax with exploration though is the forced backtracking. Every time you pick up a replacement part for the human ship, you have to bring it back to them. For really no specific reason, fast-traveling is locked during these segments, so you just have to go back on foot. Perhaps if the map significantly changed, opening up/blocking off segments to make things more interesting, this forced backtracking would have felt more engaging, but as it is it kind of just feels like padding. The game's presentation is also a bit mixed. Ghost Song has distinctly detailed scenery that makes for some good environments, but they're also surprisingly repetitive. Despite some color-coding, different regions of the game kind of blend together into similarly blobby caves and corridors. The character and monster design also leaves something to be desired. They're bleak and gloomy, which is appropriate for the setting, but also somewhat lacking in personality. The soundtrack is unsurprisingly moody as well, which again suits the setting but doesn't result in many engaging or memorable songs. Ghost Song is a serviceable Metroidvania but doesn't quite manage to stand out in the increasingly indie-populated genre. Mixing in punishing Souls-like elements doesn't add much novelty to the experience either. The most unique aspect, the blend of ranged and melee attacks, is ultimately underwhelming as the strict penalties for dying mean you're encouraged to take it safe with ranged attacks most of the time anyway. Ghost Song still has decent Metroidvania fundamentals, but it lacks the critical spark to make it a must-play game. Rating: 6 out of 10 Ghosts
  17. I'm sure they're constantly considering it, since it'd be an insane win for Microsoft to have access to all of of Nintendo's IP. I'm sure Sony or Google would love to acquire Nintendo too. Like everyone's saying though, there's 0% chance of it happening. I'd wager it's extremely unlikely even if Nintendo went through multiple generations of Wii U-style flops in a row.
  18. As the wait for Metroid Prime 4 stretches on, Metroid fans will have to content themselves with simply replaying one of the best games of all time. Metroid Prime was an absolute shock when it first released in 2002, partially because, not counting the simultaneous release of Metroid Fusion, it had been about eight years since the previous Metroid game (can you imagine waiting such a long time for more Metroid?) and partially because putting the Metroid formula into a first-person adventure seemed unfathomable. The doubters were proven wrong though, and now new players can enjoy revisiting the absolute magic of Samus's premier first-person quest with Metroid Prime Remastered. First, a quick rundown of the original game. As the original foray into first-person Metroid gameplay, you might imagine there were some flaws to work out over time, but the truth is the GameCube original was completely outstanding. The first-person shooting worked nicely even with the more tank-like controls of the GameCube's unique controller, and the opportunity to explore and discover secrets in a 3D world was enchanting. Metroid Prime masterfully translates the joys of Metroidvania exploration into a 3D adventure, with hidden items, backtracking, and massive bosses. Swapping among different arm cannon beams and visors was a smart, fluid way of incorporating familiar Metroid elements while making it all feel natural in a 3D environment. Investigating every little detail and creature with the scan visor was immensely satisfying and added up to a great sense of storytelling and depth while remaining mostly optional for anyone not interested. And of course, the sense of isolation and exploration was perfect. Even without the upgrades that this remaster brings, the core Metroid Prime experience absolutely holds up as an engaging, exciting, and mysterious adventure. And all of the upgrades in Metroid Prime Remastered simply make the experience better. The HD overhaul is the biggest and most obvious change, but it's still hard to overstate how amazing this new version of Metroid Prime looks. Fans of the original will be stunned when they see familiar locations brought to life with more detail, more complex shading and particle effects, notably on Samus's visor. In fact, new players may be shocked that this is all based off of a 20 year old game at all. You'd be hard-pressed to find the "seams," so to speak, that show that this was originally an SD game from three console generations prior. It helps that the game runs at a silky smooth 60FPS, meaning there's no choppy animation and in fact virtually no load times as you move from room to room (a small improvement over the original game). It's also a testament to how excellent the original game's art style and art direction was that it all translates into HD visuals with such stunning clarity. The controls are the other major addition to Metroid Prime Remastered, and no matter how you like to play you'll find accommodations here. Traditionalists will be happy to find a "classic" control scheme that mimics the original GameCube's. It's great to have as an option, though anyone used to the kind of dual-stick FPS controls that have become standard with shooters will be happy to find a more modern control system as well, which allows you to move with one stick and aim with the other, using ZR and R to fire your beam and missiles. Despite not being the original intent for the game, this dual-stick setup works wonderfully and many players will probably prefer it. Finally there are the gyro controls, which inch a little closer to the Metroid Prime Trilogy's IR controls on the Wii. Perhaps if you're a seasoned Splatoon pro you'll be happy with the motion-controlled gyro aiming here, but ultimately it doesn't feel as smooth or natural as it should be. The Wii's IR controls worked beautifully but here the gyro aiming never quite feel natural. There are a couple other small changes that consolidate various little differences between the GameCube and Wii versions as well as the North American and Japanese versions. It's nice to have more little options but they don't fundamentally affect the experience. The only other notable addition is the extended gallery that adds even more lovely concept art to enjoy. Metroid Prime Remastered takes a masterpiece and makes it even better. Upgraded visuals and control options may seem like superficial changes, but they do an excellent job of making Metroid Prime at home on a modern system, and they're well worth the return to the planet of Tallon IV. Even without considering the original game's age, the visuals look fantastic on the Switch and hold up against any other recent release. Metroid Prime was an unprecedented joy when it first released in 2002, and Metroid Prime Remastered keeps that experience alive in a beautiful way. 10 out of 10 Metroids
  19. The new Mario vs. Donkey Kong is a remake of the 2004 GBA game of the same name, which was more or less a spiritual successor of Donkey Kong '94. So no, it's not the same game as DK '94 but it's also not exactly an entirely new game.
  20. Princess Peach: Showtime! looks awesome, and the transformation aspect could mean there's a ton of content in the game. Guess we'll see! Did not expect to see a Paper-Mario: The Thousand Year Door remaster/re-release! It's been way too long since I last played it, should be fun to revisit. (Boy, there's been a lot of GameCube re-releases lately haven't there? I guess it's just old enough/the right time.) I REALLY did not expect to see Trace Memory/Another Code, well, basically ever again! I never did play the Wii sequel though, so that should be cool. I was excited to see Mario vs. Donkey Kong at first, but deflated a bit when I realized it was a remake of the original GBA game. Should still be a fun time but maybe not a day 1 buy for me. F-Zero 99…baby steps toward a new F-Zero game I guess? A little surprised to see Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown on the Switch, but that should be a nice option if you don't have other systems. Unicorn Overlord from VanillaWare looks cool, though it also reminds me that I still haven't played Tactics Ogre Reborn. Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes, yeah I didn't need to see the credits to know this is from the makers of Suikoden. Looks fun but I feel like I'm getting backlogged on long RPGs at the moment. Lots of other games that were previously announced still look good, Super Mario RPG most of all. Oh and Trombone Champ looks like goofy fun, I've seen videos of it from I assume a PC or Mobile version. Press release below:
  21. Last year's September Direct announced quite a few games for early 2023 (Fire Emblem Engage, Theatrhythm, Octopath Traveler II, all of which I loved) so I'll keep my fingers crossed for more surprise reveals tomorrow! It was also the Direct that gave Tears of the Kingdom a firm release date. I know Metroid isn't as high profile, but it'd be nice to get a reveal trailer/release date for Metroid Prime 4, even if it's summer/fall of next year.
  22. - Soundfall (Switch) Cool concept but it didn't totally harmonize for me. - The Artful Escape (Switch) Awesome visuals and a good story about self-expression, though I do wish there was a little more to the gameplay. - Deathbulge: Battle of the Bands (Steam) Exactly as ridiculous as I expected it to be, bravo. I hope he gets back to updating the webcomic regularly now though. - The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds (3DS) Almost forgot how much of a love letter to A Link to the Past this game is. I recognize so much stuff not necessarily because I've played A Link Between Worlds before but because I've played A Link to the Past so many times. Still a blast too. - Humanity (PS5) Great puzzle game, sort of like Lemmings. There's a good amount of variety to the mechanics without feeling overwhelming.
  23. Sorry didn't end up playing today after all. Glad you did Team Shiver proud though!
  24. I haven't played in a long time and haven't picked a side in this Splatfest, though I might jump in tomorrow. I'll probably be on Team Shiver but not sure what time I'd be playing.
  25. I know we keep delaying and skipping these Smashdowns but it seems like maybe we should just postpone this one as well? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
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