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  1. In a Venetian-styled city overrun with political intrigue, factionalism, and classism, an elite investigator is called back from a five year exile to uncover the deadly threats lurking in the shadows. Masquerada: Songs and Shadows from developer Witching Hour Studios and publisher Ysbryd Games takes players on a colorful adventure with hand-drawn graphics and real-time tactical combat in order to explore the city's elaborate history that revolves around elemental magic. But gameplay elements take something of a backseat to Masquerada's entrancing storytelling. Masquerada takes place within the city of Ombre, a wealthy and powerful city thanks to the Mascherines found there—masks that grant the wearer power over one of the four elements. Though the origins of the Mascherines is something of a mystery, one thing is clear: their use has created distinct social boundary lines, causing an ever-growing tension between the ruling elite and the common public. The developers have done an incredible job of establishing a rich backstory to the lore and setting of the game. As you play you'll be positively bombarded with journal entries describing the city's districts, factions, and history, and although it might seem a bit overwhelming it's well worth taking the time to read them all. It also helps that the journal entries are written from the main character's perspective, which adds a layer of personality to the text. The fantasy setting is vivid, unique, and engaging, and the amount of detail poured into backstory elements is staggering considering the fact that some are only tangentially touched upon in the main plot. Masquerada's rich history will be an absolute delight to anyone that enjoys reading fantasy lore. And my praise for the writing isn't limited to the backstory. The main story and the development of the main characters is beautifully handled as well. Each has a potentially painful history that is thoughtfully and carefully unveiled as you progress, making it easy to care about each member of your party. And as the subtitle might suggest, there's an ever-present layer of intrigue and mystery that easily propels you through the narrative. Masquerada isn't afraid to delve into more serious topics either, and manages to do so with a delicate hand. Potentially cumbersome topics like social class issues are handled in such a way that the game never feels overbearing in its messaging. The writing is beautifully nuanced and engaging thanks to this blend of fantasy elements with real-world issues—in fact it's a shame that there aren't more games or stories written in this setting, as even by the end of the story there's plenty of interesting questions waiting to be explored. Coincidentally, exploration of dungeons, towns, or overworlds is not a major aspect of Masquerada. The game's progression is actually highly linear—you don't even earn experience points per se, but instead earn skill points at specific checkpoints—which might seem a bit odd for an RPG. However it's the storytelling that really drives the action in the game, not the combat or adventure mechanics. But that's not to say the battle system is without merits of its own. Masquerada is a real-time tactical RPG with up to three characters in your party (Cicero, the protagonist, is always one of them). You'll only control one character at a time but by using the tactical pause button you're able to take a moment to survey the battle and direct your two AI companions. Characters will auto-attack nearby enemies and the real heart of the gameplay is in managing your skills (each of which has a cooldown) in order to efficiently defeat enemies. Combining different skills can have powerful cumulative effects—for example, a fire skill might attach a fire tag to an opponent, and activating that tag with another skill will cause additional burning damage. Given the real-time flow of combat you need to be thoughtful in how you approach battles and quick to react to changes—it's easy to lose control of things if you're attacking haphazardly. Additionally, you'll need to consider the positioning of your characters, not just because each skill has a different area of effect (single target, straight line, circular, etc.) but because some characters are "tanks" with higher defenses while others need distance or excel at backstab damage. The combat system is a bit much to learn initially but after some practice there's a satisfying ebb and flow to combat. Battles may not be particularly flashy in Masquerada, but efficiently dealing with enemies is always rewarding, even if things can be chaotic at times. Plus there are plenty of boss fights that offer more challenge and require more thoughtful approaches, which helps the focus on managing skill cooldowns shine a bit better. Admittedly combat does get a bit repetitive by the end of the game, especially basic fights, but not so much that fighting ever becomes too boring. You're also limited to equipping up to four skills (they correspond to the ABXY buttons when you're controlling a character) so you have to decide which skills you want to upgrade and use in battle. Each character doesn't have a huge variety of skills but it's enough that two players can have significantly different approaches to combat. A few hours into the game you'll also be able to reset your skill points if you want to try something new, so experimenting is convenient. And perhaps most importantly, you'll select Cicero's element at the beginning of the game which determines his selection of skills, so there's a decent promise of replay value if you want to play around with different elements. A single playthrough can last a good 15 hours or so though, a lot of which is in cutscenes and dialogue, so replaying the game just for the combat can be a time-consuming endeavor. The game's rich storytelling is brought to life by an all-star cast of voice actors, including recognizable names like Matthew Mercer and Jennifer Hale. Every character is beautifully voiced—thankfully, since there is so much dialogue in Masquerada—and every actor does a fantastic job of giving depth and personality to characters that emote and grow over the course of the game. Rounding out the game's top notch audio is a brilliantly atmospheric soundtrack that perfectly evokes the shadowy mystique of a city defined by secrets as well as the elegance of a high society that prides itself on appearances. There's a suitably operatic tint to the music that makes it epic and impressive whether you're simply walking through town or battling a giant beast. The game's visuals are no less striking. Masquerada's presentation nails the sense of grand opulence that one would expect of an Italian city at the height of its power—the intricately detailed patterns in the scenery alone captures the beauty of a powerful and wealthy culture. The game also isn't afraid to flood the screen with brilliant, rich colors which adds just the right otherworldly quality to the environments. Cutscenes are presented as slightly animated comic book panels which are undeniably stylish, though at times the game's visuals seem to suffer from compression issues, or the artwork's resolution is simply too low, giving the images a smeared, blurry quality. The frame rate can also be a little choppy as well, most notably when walking through an area with a lot of NPCs and other background animation, which is especially disappointing given the not insignificant loading times that pop up regularly. Still, these technical issues do little to spoil the elaborate and colorful style of the art design. Even moreso than the typical RPG, the story is the star of the show in Masquerada: Songs and Shadows. The real-time tactical combat system is solid, even if it's mildly repetitive by the end of the game, and the linear game structure means that there's virtually no opportunity for exploring or finding side quests. The good news, though, is that Masquerada features some of the most interesting stories, engaging characters, and fascinating world-building that you'll find in a recent Switch release. The time you spend with the game may be tipped in favor of cutscenes and lore over actual combat sequences, but fans of rich fantasy storytelling won't find anything to complain about on that account. Rating: 8 out of 10 Mascherines Review copy provided by publisher Masquerada: Songs and Shadows will be available on the Switch eShop on May 9th for $19.99.
  2. Fans of pixel-graphic mayhem rejoice: Brian Provinciano's follow up to the smash hit Retro City Rampage is now available and promises just as much retro style action, this time with a 16-bit art style bump. Shakedown: Hawaii, from one-man developer Vblank Entertainment, retains many of its predecessor's best features, most notably the pure fun of just wreaking havoc whether on foot, in a car, or even in a speedboat. And Shakedown: Hawaii proves that formula just doesn't get old. Shakedown: Hawaii starts you off with a pretty unconventional protagonist. You play as an aging CEO who has lost touch with the modern world: your classic business ventures are losing ground in the face of online shopping, video streaming, and health food concerns. But with a little business ingenuity—which includes a massive supply of weapons and a willingness to shakedown every business on the island for protection money—you might be able to turn your fortunes around and take control of the entire island. It's a bit of a shame that this game shakes off the nonstop pop culture reference extravaganza that characterized Retro City Rampage, but Shakedown: Hawaii is chock full of humor all the same. The whole premise of the story allows for some scathing satire of modern business practices—everything from misleading marketing to loot boxes is made fun of by way of our protagonist's reckless pursuit of the almighty dollar. It's hilarious (and a bit depressing when you remember there are actually CEOs like this, albeit with fewer murderous crime sprees…probably) and allows for tons of story mission opportunities as you dip into various industries and business ventures. If anything the game might be a little too ambitious in its scope though, as the two other playable characters—the CEO's slacker son and a hired "fixer" that takes care of problems overseas—come off a bit half-baked, but that's a small concern when you're building your business empire one bullet at a time. Much like Retro City Rampage, Shakedown: Hawaii feels like the perfect distillation of the Grand Theft Auto formula, i.e. stealing cars, shooting passers-by, and generally being a huge menace to society. Letting loose with a little mayhem is always fun and Shakedown: Hawaii does a fantastic job of just letting you do it. Stealing cars is simple, driving is incredibly smooth thanks to hyper-responsive controls (no need to perfect your K-turn here, just tilt the control stick in the other direction and be on your way), just about everything is destructible so when you're driving around you don't have to worry about avoiding trees or fences—even escaping the cops is pretty easy. There is a solid selection of firearms to choose from (including a weaponized hair dryer) and aiming is easy with a dual-stick set-up. This game nails the sense of freedom that makes open world games so much fun and gives you a charming playground to mess with. Of course, as the CEO of a major corporation your day isn't just shoot this, drive that all the time. You're also in charge of acquiring property around the island and leveraging the modest capital your business currently has into a multi-million dollar empire. It may sound like a complete 180 compared to the chaotic run-and-gun side of the gameplay, but managing your real estate holdings is quite addictive in its own way. Just ask anyone that enjoys resource management or sim games: there's an incredibly satisfying loop of gradually building up your holdings and amassing more and more wealth (which is, again, perhaps the game getting a little too realistic with its portrayal of business moguls). Saving up your money to buy that valuable hotel which will in turn provide you even more money is an addictive process, and the cash in Shakedown: Hawaii adds up pretty quickly, so you won't be wallowing in a sub-million dollar company for long. The game also finds the perfect meeting point between the two halves of its gameplay (as well as the source for the game's title): by shaking down small business for protection money you'll be able to buy them outright, gradually expanding your control over the island's commerce. The allure of making money is ever-present in Shakedown: Hawaii and makes for a perfectly addictive crime spree experience. With an entire island to explore, including neighborhood variations like a commercial district, residential area, beachfront, etc., as well as over one hundred story missions, there's plenty to do in Shakedown: Hawaii. That being said the game also isn't too long—a good ten hours or so will see you through everything, including a handful of side quests and arcade-style high score challenges. Nothing about the game feels short while you're playing though, especially because the addictive nature of expanding your business means you'll always be on the prowl for a new hostile takeover. And even if some of the story missions end up feeling repetitive by the end (e.g. go to this location and shoot everyone there), every minute with Shakedown: Hawaii feels like time well spent. The presentation in Shakedown: Hawaii feels like the natural evolution of Retro City Rampage. There's still the delightfully retro pixel aesthetic to enjoy, but with the leap to 16-bit details the environments are even more vibrant and detailed (though character sprites are still adorably tiny) and developer Vblank makes the most of this distinctive style. The soundtrack by Matt Creamer deserves special mention too as the poppy, electronic tunes provide the perfect driving beat for the CEO's seemingly cocaine-fueled insane antics. The pop culture references may have been dropped from the game's writing but the audio still sounds deliciously 80s, which is perfect for the story of a CEO whose business ideas seem to have stalled in that decade. You might not expect a frenetic action game to blend so well with a business management sim, but Shakedown: Hawaii makes it work beautifully. The action is wild and satisfying thanks to sharp controls and an emphasis on chaotic fun over limiting realism, and the property management half of the game is shockingly addictive. Fans of Retro City Rampage will love stepping into this kind of pixelated world once again, while newcomers should appreciate the inventive blend of genres. Rating: 8 out of 10 Shakedowns Review copy provided by publisher Shakedown Hawaii is now available on the Switch eShop for $19.99.
  3. Originally released episodically starting in 2017, Bendy and the Ink Machine turns a classic animation studio (in the vein of classic Mickey Mouse cartoons) into a perfectly creepy setting in this first-person horror game. But although the game is oozing style, the gameplay and narrative leave something to be desired. You play as Henry Stein, a retired animator who is invited to visit his old animation studio by his old employer, Joey Drew. Once you get there though it's clear that something is terribly wrong, and your only choice is to delve further into the mystery in the hopes of finding a way out. It's not the first time we've seen a horror setting use something that is typically thought to be sweet and child-friendly (in this case, classic black and white cartoons), but Bendy and the Ink Machine does a great job of leveraging this backdrop into an unsettling setting. The emphasis on ink is also perfect for grotesque, creepy scenery—the whole game nails the atmosphere that something eerie is always happening just out of eyesight. The actual plot though fails to capitalize on the setting. There's just a little too much that is unexplained as you explore this mysteriously elaborate and derelict cartoon studio which makes it hard to feel invested by the end. It's unfortunately clear that the game was developed episodically without a strong narrative throughline to keep everything connected, resulting in an ending that falls flat. Bendy and the Ink Machine draws on the horror game blueprint that has become pretty standard over the past few years. You've got a first-person perspective to keep everything feeling close and dangerous, simple environmental puzzles to solve in order to progress, and a basic combat system (though there are also several scenes where your only option is to flee or hide from impervious monsters). If you've played any such horror games lately then this one is going to feel pretty by the numbers, i.e. find a valve handle to clear out some pipes blocking your way. The game wears its inspirations from other games on its sleeve, from audio log backstories to the mysterious side characters you meet while exploring. That doesn't necessarily mean the game is bad, but there's nothing particularly new or intriguing about the gameplay—even if you're in a constant state of tension while exploring, the gameplay feels pretty rote. The somewhat lackluster gameplay is also brought down by some mildly annoying quirks, such as the way puzzles have to be solved in a specific order—i.e., you might find a suspicious valve handle on the ground, but you won't be able to pick it up until you've found the pipe that is missing such a handle. It's understandable that the game would force you on these linear paths in order to make use of jumpscares and the like, but it feels silly at times when you can see a solution clearly but can't quite access it until you do things in the right order. The bigger issue with Bendy and the Ink Machine's gameplay is the combat. At times you're given melee weapons and are able to fight back against the inky blob monsters that pursue you, but hit detection and aiming leave much to be desired. This imprecision only becomes more frustrating against strong enemies that have a knack for hitting you and knocking you away before you can even get a swing in. Trying to fight back against these horrors just feels clumsy and awkward, like you're lumbering about. The good news is that the game autosaves frequently so even if you do succumb you won't lose much progress, but the flip side of that feature is the way it really lowers the stakes on surviving the game's traps—there's not a lot of tension while running from monsters if you'll conveniently respawn nearby with little progress lost. Bendy and the Ink Machine may not use the exact same classic animation of old cartoons but the inspiration is clear in the game's visual style. The developers have gotten a ton of personality out of the sepia toned graphics, painting a perfect backdrop for an eerie horror game, and the artwork nails the sense of "what if Disney were overrun by monsters?" The soundtrack is appropriately eerie as well, relying on tried and true creepy stringed instruments, and the voice work is good—though not necessarily great—at injecting some personality into the scattered audio logs you'll find while exploring. This is by no means a long game as, even when you're hunting for some item needed to progress, there isn't a ton of rooms to explore, so the game's progression is brisk and straight-forward. It only takes about four hours to finish the whole game, though there's a small incentive to replay the game with a bonus item to uncover some hidden secrets. Even so this is the kind of game that can easily by finished in one evening. Bendy and the Ink Machine establishes an intriguing horror setting that unfortunately runs out of steam by the end of the adventure. A mediocre story and lackluster gameplay fail to make the most out of the game's stylish blend of classic cartoons and horror, and the resulting game is not wholly bad but also nothing particularly remarkable either. Bendy and the Ink Machine is enough to supply a few frights for the evening but doesn't have the depth to make it memorable once the lights are back on. Rating: 6 out of 10 Cartoons
  4. Well, they did it. It took 25 years, but they proved him wrong. During the 1993 US congressional hearing on violence in video games, Howard Lincoln, then president of Nintendo of America, said Night Trap would never appear on a Nintendo system. But thanks to the questionable dedication of developer Screaming Villains, Night Trap: 25th Anniversary Edition can now be played at home or on-the-go with the Nintendo Switch. Whether or not any of this was a good decision depends on your tolerance for cheesy 80s horror acting and tedious, mindless gameplay. You're part of the Special Control Attack Team (unfortunately abbreviated as SCAT) who is investigating the mysterious disappearances of five teenage girls at the Martin family winery estate. Upon investigating the house, SCAT finds a bizarre series of traps and cameras, and by hacking into them you are now able to monitor the house and activate the traps remotely. A new group of teenage girls is staying the night at the Martin estate, including a special teenage agent of SCAT, and your job is to keep them safe while uncovering the truth. Night Trap is a blatantly goofy, cheesy, B-movie horror, complete with bad acting, terribly costumed "creature" villains, and hilariously awkward late-80s fashion, all presented with full-motion video (FMV). Your enjoyment of the story hinges entirely upon your tolerance for "so bad it's good" filmmaking, because the storytelling here really does feel like something you'd catch on TV at 3AM on a local broadcast channel. There's a certain charm to its cheesiness, though it wears thin over the short length of the game. What's odd about Night Trap is that the storytelling completely interferes with the gameplay. In order to catch the estate's black-clad attackers before they can catch the girls, you need to constantly monitor each room of the house by flipping to different camera views and activating traps with the press of a button once the on-screen indicator turns red. There are 100 attackers in the game so they pretty much never stop coming, but while you are, for example, watching the upstairs hallway for attackers you're missing the conversation that the characters are having in the living room. In order to play the game well you have to technically miss out on most of the storytelling in the game, which doesn't make much sense. This is certainly one way to pad out the game's length as much as possible though, since a perfect playthrough is only a little over 25 minutes long. If you're playing blind you'll have to run through the game dozens of times until you learn where attackers appear and when to trap them, so the idea is that you'll gradually see the story unfold piece by piece. As you might expect that means progressing in Night Trap is an incredibly tedious experience, especially when some attackers appear so close together that you need to switch between rooms in a split-second. It also makes the game extremely repetitive since you'll end up seeing the early parts of the game over and over as you memorize where and when to trap attackers. The game plays out exactly the same every time so it really is just plain memorization, aside from a few moments when the Martins change the key code color for the traps and you have to eavesdrop on them. In a way Night Trap exemplifies the worst of 80s video game design: make the player repeat things over and over to keep them playing instead of creating unique, innovative challenges. It's a shame this re-release didn't add any convenient modern features—there is only one checkpoint halfway through the game, and some key moments are instant game overs if you miss saving a teen—so be prepared to replay the game a lot if you hope to see the ending. The 25th Anniversary Edition of this game adds a few additional features, though they'll only be of particular interest to the few players that truly enjoy Night Trap. There are a couple of documentary features available to watch, production images, a playable version of the original prototype, and a theater mode to rewatch story scenes at any time. All of these come with some inconvenient caveats, though. The documentaries are just straight videos—there's no option to fast-forward, rewind, add subtitles, or even pause, which seems like a silly oversight. The production images are locked until you reach different endings (there are multiple bad endings of girls getting captured) and the theater mode is only available after you've watched the scenes play out in the main game—just another way to stretch the game's length as much as possible. Sadly this edition of the game also suffers from a few minor technical hiccups. Certain traps can be strangely finnicky and not activate even when it seems like you hit the button at the right time. The audio can become desynced at times, especially if you're flipping between cameras rapidly. The video quality has been improved from the original 1992 release on Sega CD but there's still some bad compressing happening at times—though it's understandable that footage from the late 80s wouldn't look great on a modern TV. There's no denying that Night Trap has carved out an infamous name for itself in the annals of video game history, not only for being an FMV game but for its salacious content (which is ridiculously tame by today's standards and just plain silly most of the time). As a piece of entertainment though, it struggles to maintain even the awkward charm of a B-movie horror flick, mostly due to the ill-conceived disconnect between watching cheesy story scenes and actually progressing in the gameplay by capturing attackers. Players might appreciate Night Trap as an oddity of video game history, but it's hard to find much value in the repetitive, monotonous entrapment of bad actors. Rating: 4 out of 10 Traps
  5. With not one but two games based around digging and a side-scrolling tactical shooter with an emphasis on hat collecting, developer Image & Form has proven they have no trouble creating unique, engaging games out of unusual genre premises. With the turn-based RPG and card-battling combo of SteamWorld Quest: Hand of Gilgamech, published under the Thunderful Games umbrella, Image & Form has once again crafted a brilliantly addictive experience in a wonderfully original way. SteamWorld Quest trades the sci-fi focus of robots and laser guns for a classic swords and sorcery setting (though the characters, of course, are still robots). Our protagonist is Armilly, a grocer's daughter who dreams of being a great hero like the legendary Gilgamech. When mysterious attackers assault her village, she steps up to save the day, alongside her trusted alchemist friend Copernica and the somewhat surly homebody Galleo, and from there the three set off on a grand adventure. It wouldn't be an RPG without an epic story, and the writing here is far richer than any previous SteamWorld game. The characters are wonderfully (excuse the pun) fleshed out to give them charming quirks as well as room to develop over the course of the adventure, and it's easy to care for this ragtag band of heroes. The save-the-day plotline might not be terribly complex but the personality of the characters and the game's sense of humor are more than enough to build an engaging story about true heroism. The core of the game is the card-based battle system, but don't worry if typical card-based video games aren't your thing, the system in SteamWorld Quest isn't nearly as complicated as it might look initially. It helps that the deck is kept small—you'll choose up to eight cards for each character in your party and these are shuffled into the deck and randomly drawn during battle. On your turn you choose three cards to play, and speed isn't a concern here—you'll always act before the enemies do, so you can plan ahead on healing, blocking, or inhibiting their attacks in some way. Each character doesn't need to attack on every turn, and in fact using three cards from the same character in one turn will activate a special attack at the end. Alternatively, some cards gain special bonuses if another character acts before they are played, so there's always some variety in how to attack depending on the cards in your hand. The random nature of drawing cards to your hand each turn adds just the right amount of excitement to each battle, plus you can discard and redraw two cards each turn if you're looking for the right combo. Thanks to the low count of cards in your deck (24 cards max) there isn't as much micromanaging as you might normally expect from a card-based game, and the developers have done an excellent job of easing players into the experience while leaving room for more advanced techniques. And once you have a handle on those techniques, the gameplay really clicks. Early on in the game your options are small, but soon enough you'll find dozens of cards with special effects or more unique uses, and it's always satisfying to pull off a powerful string of attacks. Your cards are divided into two categories: basic cards, which include standard attacks and buffs, and skill cards, which are more powerful but require steam points. You'll charge steam points by using basic cards, so you'll want to keep an eye on your reserve throughout the battle and plan your big hits accordingly. This explanation might sound more complicated than the game actually is—after a couple of battles the flow of gameplay becomes second nature, and the real fun of the game is setting up powerful combos by balancing your steam point usage. Battles in SteamWorld Quest are also generally on the long, slow side, so there's plenty of opportunity to set up these big combo hits. This is definitely not the kind of RPG where you're on auto-pilot for the majority of fights—even normal encounters require planning and forethought, and the payoff is a beautifully intricate but still accessible battle system. SteamWorld Quest sports over 100 punch cards so there are tons of different combos and strategies you can cook up—two players can easily craft entirely different strategies based on steam point usage, elemental damage, or special effects like debuffs. The game gives you plenty of leeway in finding what strategies you like best, because while the game can certainly be challenging there's little penalty for experimenting with deck compositions. The only downside is that it almost seems like there isn't enough time to experiment with every combo available! Certain cards are clearly meant to be used in conjunction with one another, but setting up the opportunity to use them isn't always easy. It also would have been helpful to be able to save deck set-ups so you don't have to double check every characters' cards when you want to experiment a little, especially since some cards are clearly situational—a card that grants elemental defense is invaluable against mages but is a wasted space against physical enemies, for example. On the bright side, SteamWorld Quest makes it easy to grind battles if you just want to play around with different decks. For one thing, every level has one or more save statues that will heal you to maximum health and respawn all enemies on the stage—perfect for those players that can't help but grind EXP. You can also replay stages which, aside from the EXP opportunities, is a great way to collect any hidden treasure that you might have missed the first time through. Finally there's a side challenge available late in the game which doesn't award EXP but pits you against increasingly complex and challenging battles in order to win valuable rewards, which is also a handy place to experiment with card combos. The main adventure is a respectable 15 hours or so, but dedicated players will find tons of replay value in simply changing a few cards in their deck and cooking up new strategies. Battling alone is fun enough that playing around with deck compositions is a worthwhile pastime. Over the past few years the SteamWorld franchise has developed a stylish steampunk aesthetic that has looked great on every platform the games landed on, but SteamWorld Quest might be in a class of its own. The hand-drawn graphics are absolutely gorgeous with just the right mix of steampunk robot design mixed with classic fantasy setting features—Armilly's design alone is a beautiful blend of medieval armor and clockwork cogs. And it's not just the character design: the environments are atmospheric, the enemies are inventive, and even the cards themselves sport beautiful artwork. All of this is brought to life with lovely animation work that adds tons of personality to every character movement. The developers have done a fantastic job with the soundtrack as well by giving it a classic fantasy vibe that combines heroic battle themes with charming background tunes while exploring. Be sure to turn the music balance up though—the soundtrack is too good to be so soft and muted while playing. For the past few years each new SteamWorld game has been a surprising treat to play, and SteamWorld Quest: Hand of Gilgamech is no different. RPG aficionados will love the varied opportunities to build an ideal strategic deck, and newcomers needn't be scared off thanks to the relative simplicity of managing a small deck of cards—in fact the addictive nature of battles will soon have even novice players poring over their decks to craft the perfect attack chains. From the beautiful steambot character designs to the myriad gameplay possibilities of building your deck of punch cards, SteamWorld Quest is the RPG you didn't realize you wanted but now absolutely cannot miss out on. Rating: 9 out of 10 Punch Cards Review copy provided by publisher SteamWorld Quest: Hand of Gilgamech will be available on the Switch eShop on April 25th for $24.99.
  6. About 15 years ago, Sphinx and the Cursed Mummy released on GameCube, PS2, and Xbox to average reviews and little fanfare. It's surprising, then, that the game would get a new life on the Switch, but the recently rebranded THQ Nordic has been happy to repackage and re-release any and all games from the THQ library, and that includes the more middling titles. Sphinx and the Cursed Mummy isn't all bad on the Switch, but the intervening 15 years of game development advancement means there's a lot left to be desired in this third-person adventure game. In ancient Egypt, a warrior named Sphinx searches for the legendary Blade of Osiris to battle a mysterious evil that has been gaining power. Meanwhile, young prince Tutenkhamen is celebrating his birthday when his brother starts behaving strangely. Soon enough these two protagonists' paths cross and they must work together to prevent an evil god from amassing power. The Egyptian setting may feel like it's been done before but Sphinx and the Cursed Mummy imbues it with enough original charm that the sandy temples and anthropomorphic animal inhabitants are plenty endearing. The actual plot is little more than a by-the-numbers good and evil story though, and the game even introduces a handful of more interesting threads but then abandons them to maintain a fairly basic storyline, which is especially unfortunate given the cliffhanger ending that has received no resolution in 15 years. Originally created right around the heyday of third-person adventure games, Sphinx and the Cursed Mummy combines the typical blend of dungeon exploration, combat, and puzzle solving that largely defines the genre. What makes this game unique is the way it largely splits up combat and puzzle solving between its two protagonists. Sphinx has the sword and gathers other helpful items that can be used in combat, while the Mummy is defenseless but essentially immortal (one of the perks of being undead) and can even be set on fire or charged with electricity to solve puzzles. The Mummy's portion of the game does a fair job of finding interesting puzzles with these mechanics which require studying the environment to understand how to properly move forward, though by the end of the game they end up feeling virtually the same every time—simply find a switch that lets you build a pathway over hazards like pits or water. It's repetitive, but decent enough to keep the Mummy's sections of the game engaging. Sphinx's half of the game is far less solid, though. As the warrior his gameplay generally requires more dexterity, but the game obnoxiously avoids some basic control conventions, things that were common even in 2003. The lack of lock-on targeting is keenly felt, especially when you're fighting small, fast enemies that tend to scurry behind you. The fact that two or more enemies can easily stunlock you in a cycle of damage only makes it more obnoxious. You eventually get a shield (which isn't terribly useful) but Sphinx could really use some sort of basic dodge ability since sometimes enemy attacks just feel inescapable. The platforming aspects of the game don't feel great either, as Sphinx has a terribly weak jump (thankfully you eventually get the ability to double jump) and a finnicky camera system means it's hard to get a good angle on where you need to land, making it all too easy to miss the platform or worse, a moving rope. The camera has a real problem smoothly following you at times, because it can very easily get caught on walls or other objects, leaving you with an awkward perspective of the action. All of these factors make controlling Sphinx feel clunky, which would have been mildly annoying in 2003 and completely uncomfortable to play today. Which does raise the question: why wasn't the game more thoroughly modernized for this re-release? The game may not be unplayable in its current form, but there are significant areas that could have been improved, such as the long gaps between save points—a simple autosave system safety net would have made many of the harder portions of the game far less tedious. Re-releases can be a nice way for more obscure games like Sphinx and the Cursed Mummy to find an audience, but the game's flaws are only more noticeable in 2019. Perhaps proving the point is the updated graphics—the only area of the game that was really changed for this re-release—which look great on a modern TV. The game's cartoony art style has also aged fairly well, particularly with the main characters whose loping movements are charmingly goofy. The environments feel a bit bland since it's all just stone and sand, but at least the characters and creatures have plenty of personality. The soundtrack is also a bit of a surprise delight, with plenty of fun (if somewhat generically Egyptian/Middle Eastern) songs, though you'll want to turn up the volume to actually hear the background music as the default settings make it a little too light. For an adventure game, Sphinx and the Cursed Mummy isn't too long. You tend to circle the same environments repeatedly as you unlock new dungeons and areas to explore, but even so the roughly 11-hour length might sneak up on you. There are side quests to occupy your time—most importantly, collecting Golden Ankh fragments to increase Sphinx's health—but the game still ends up feeling a bit sparse, and even doing every side quest won't add too much time or replay value. Sphinx and the Cursed Mummy was a charming GameCube title that quietly flew under the radar, and re-releasing it for the Switch seems like a good idea to help this mummy-based adventure uncover some new fans. Leaving so much of the game unchanged from its 2003 origins, however, will undoubtedly leave modern gamers cold. The rough edges of yesteryear are only more pronounced when played today and, despite some fun puzzles, the clunky combat and platforming found throughout the game leaves something to be desired—specifically a more thorough remastering. Fans of 3D adventure games will likely still appreciate the game's quirky charms, but anyone else probably won't mind leaving this one buried. Rating: 6 out of 10 Mummies
  7. Long after the heyday of point and click adventure games, it's good to see that there's still plenty of love for the genre, and developers are still finding novel things to do with the classic exploration interface. For Trüberbrook, from developer btf and publisher Headup Games, that means creating all of the game's environments out of actual miniatures before digitizing them and animating character movement. The resulting visual style is striking and a beautiful backdrop for a classic point and click mystery. The protagonist of our adventure is Hans Tannhauser, an American quantum physicist who won a vacation to the small German town of Trüberbrook—from a lottery he has no memory of entering (would anyone in reality ever actually accept such a suspicious prize?). Regardless, our hapless hero is fast asleep when his notes on quantum physics are stolen from his hostel room, spurring him on a bizarre journey to uncover the mysterious truths lying at the heart of this simple town. As the set-up to a mystery story, Trüberbrook hits all the right notes: an entirely too trusting protagonist, oddball locals, and just the right trickle of information to keep things interesting. There's a lot of charm to the strange little universe of Trüberbrook, even if some jokes come off a little stilted at times, and it's clear that the developers were inspired by classic pop culture mysteries (Hans regularly talks into a tape recorder just like special agent Cooper in Twin Peaks). The ultimate payoff leaves a little something to be desired though, mostly because the game's short length makes some of the story beats feel rushed and a little underdeveloped. Still, the setting and atmosphere have tons of personality that is easy to lose yourself in. The gameplay follows pretty basic point and click tenets: talk to everyone you can and examine everything around you to gather clues and items that will help you solve puzzles. Trüberbrook makes exploration a bit easier by allowing you to highlight every interactive object on screen just by pressing L, so there's never a need to stumble about trying to figure out what is a useful item and what is merely background scenery. It's a handy way to keep things moving as any point and click fan can tell you that pixel hunting to find just the right item to click on is never fun. In fact, Trüberbrook is pretty easy on the player throughout. The environments are generally fairly small and self-contained so there isn't too much tedious back and forth necessary, and even when you do reach that point in the game you can find a handy map to quickly jump to different scenes. The puzzles themselves also aren't too challenging—there will be hints and clues you'll have to remember, sure, and it's not like the game hands solutions to you on a platter, but there's nothing that should leave the average player too stumped for too long. It also helps that, when you interact with an object, the game will automatically tell you if you can use an item from your inventory on it, so there's no need to mindlessly try every item on every object—it really helps keep the flow of the game moving. It's great that Trüberbrook never gets too bogged down in tricking the player, as that can easily be a frustrating aspect of this genre. The only downside to tilting the difficulty toward the easier side of the scales is that it highlights how short Trüberbrook really is. It's fun while it lasts but it isn't difficult to finish the whole game in just five hours or so. Worse still, the game feels short. As mentioned the story doesn't feel quite as developed as it could be, so the quick conclusion is a bit disappointing. And as a puzzle-based adventure game, there isn't much replay value, though the game's charming scenery might warrant a second playthrough anyway. The presentation of Trüberbrook is easily the highlight of the whole experience, and it's hard to overstate how beautifully unique and stylish the animated miniature effect really is. The developer isn't just a video game company and does quite a bit of other visual design and video entertainment, and it shows in how effortlessly they've created a charming yet mysterious little town in 1960s West Germany. The handmade scenery adds a delightfully tactile vibe to the whole game that is just gorgeous to take in as you play. In fact, if anything I would have loved even more of the original miniature design to shine through, as there are times where it's easy to see where the miniatures have been digitized. Regardless of any minor nitpicks though it's a beautiful effect from start to finish and a real treat to see in motion. The audio design of Trüberbrook also deserves some praise. The soundtrack is, in a word, subtle, and the effect is perfect for a moody, atmospheric mystery setting. It's mellow and melodic, but in a slightly eerie way that suits the pervading sense that something is just a little odd about the town of Trüberbrook. All of the dialogue is also fully voiced and, for the most part, adds an endearing charm and personality to the characters. Some of the voice work is a bit more stiff than others, some of which might be attributed to the somewhat heady topics that the story delves into, but overall the voice acting is a nice touch. Trüberbrook puts a gorgeous new face on the point and click adventure genre, with a handmade visual style that is beautifully unique. The story isn't quite as fully developed as it ought to be, but the breezy pace of the puzzles and challenges at least ensures players can comfortably stroll through the adventure. The price of admission is high, especially for a fairly short experience, but it's hard not to love the sights and sounds of this idyllic, peculiar German hamlet. Rating: 8 out of 10 Miniature Models Review copy provided by publisher Trüberbrook will be available on the Switch eShop on April 17th for $29.99.
  8. Following in the footsteps of the 2017 remake of Superstar Saga, Nintendo has once again repackaged a Mario & Luigi RPG for the 3DS and added a minion-focused side mode. Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story + Bowser Jr.'s Journey, aside from being a mouthful of a title, brings players back to the third entry in the Mario & Luigi RPG series, which includes the return of fan-favorite oddball villain Fawful as he plots to dispose of both the plumber brothers and King Koopa in one fell swoop. Although the changes and additions to this version may not be particularly elaborate, the original game is still an unmissable RPG adventure. Mario and Luigi are summoned to Peach's Castle to address an unusual epidemic sweeping the Mushroom Kingdom: a disease called The Blorbs which is causing Toads to swell to enormous sizes. Bowser, naturally, bumbles his way into the meeting as well, but the Koopa King is soon tricked into inhaling Mario, Luigi, Princess Peach, and a score of Toads when the true villain reveals himself. Just like in Superstar Saga, Fawful's unusual speech patterns and eccentric behavior steals the show. Fawful is undoubtedly one of the best things to come out of the Mario & Luigi RPG series, especially because Nintendo has done a great job of making him bizarre and interesting without getting too tiresome—that might explain why this is his last appearance, but maybe one day we can look forward to the return of his chortles and fury. Regardless, Bowser's Inside Story is rife with fun, childish humor (in a good way), not only with Fawful but with just about everything Bowser does. The game simply doesn't take itself too seriously and enjoys its own absurdity, and it's hard not to fall for the game's charms. The gist of the gameplay should be familiar to Mario & Luigi fans by now, but as a quick refresher this is a turn-based RPG with active battles, meaning that well-timed button presses will yield more damage or help defend against enemy attacks. In Bowser's Inside Story you control not only Mario and Luigi but Bowser as well—while Mario and Luigi search for Peach and an exit from Bowser's body (thankfully not the usual exit), Bowser stomps through the Mushroom Kingdom. The developers have done a pretty flawless job of balancing the two halves of the adventure, with Mario and Luigi on one hand and Bowser on the other. They generally all fight in the same way, even if Bowser trades jumps and hammers for punches and fireballs, but they're still distinct enough that the Koopa King's raw strength is evident. As engaging as Mario and Luigi's battles are there's something satisfying about mowing down enemies as Bowser. Occasionally the plumbers and Bowser even need to work together to overcome an obstacle, and you can switch between the two parties with just a press of a button. It's a fun mechanic though it's a shame that generally you only do so as part of the story's progression, as it would be even more interesting to work out which character is best suited for an area on your own. At least by the end of the adventure there's more room for free exploration, though it's mostly for picking up collectibles as Mario and Luigi. Bowser's Inside Story is also awash with mini-games—at times they're in danger of overstaying their welcome, in fact. Some can be a nice break from the main adventure of exploration and battling but others get to be a bit much. Thankfully they're never quite overused, but the best use of mini-game mechanics remains the special attacks used in battle, not the story-required mini-games to power up Bowser. Overall this 3DS remake sticks to the original game's features quite closely. There are a lot of small changes but for the most part these will be hard to spot if you haven't played the game since its release, and many are only noticeable when held up side-by-side. On one hand, the original game is fantastic as is and doesn't need any significant touch ups. On the other hand though, it would've been nice to have more unique features aside from Bowser Jr.'s Journey, which is a rehash of the minion mode from the Superstar Saga remake. This time it's Bowser Jr. taking control of a minion army in real-time strategy battles, heavily based around a rock-paper-scissors mechanic of minion types. Once you select which minions to bring into battle you mostly sit back and watch the battle play out, with only minimal involvement by using Captain Commands or timed attacks. This side mode is once again a lackluster addition, one that simply doesn't have the same immediate charm and appeal as the main adventure and relies too much on slow, tiresome battle mechanics which only get worse once you need to grind to build up your level. Bowser Jr.'s Journey is simply a dull adventure that drags on too long. The controls in Bowser's Inside Story may seem simple at first since it's a turn-based RPG, but the timed button presses to deal extra damage make things a little more complicated. Thankfully it's an easy skill to master, and even the more elaborate commands for special attacks aren't too hard with a little practice—you can even select an easy mode if you're having trouble with them. This version also eliminates the need to use the microphone during Bowser's giant battles which is definitely an improvement. One odd feature though is the lack of a left-handed mode during these giant battles, which require holding the 3DS sideways. It's a minor inconvenience but in the end it's still an inconvenience, one that easily could have been avoided, so it's strange that the option isn't even there. The most noticeable addition to this 3DS version of Bowser's Inside Journey is the visual overhaul, trading pixely sprites for a more modern 3D visual style. The game looks great though it's a shame to lose the charm of the excellent sprite designs of the original, and it's a little disappointing to bother with the change at all since this version doesn't even take advantage of stereoscopic 3D. Regardless though, the art design of the game is strong enough that there's still a ton of charm and personality in every character and animation. The soundtrack also showcases some great audio design. There may not be too many different locations in the game, but the background music is catchy and fun in each and every one. Bowser's Inside Story may be an RPG but it's not quite the epic length of most Japanese RPGs. Around 20 hours will see you through the game, though there are a few side quests you can tackle and other optional challenges. And of course there's Bowser Jr.'s Journey which is its own time sink as well. Regardless, Bowser's Inside Journey is a decent length and thanks to a solid sense of pacing the adventure never feels bogged down. The original game received high praise from critics (including me) for its charming blend of humor, engaging RPG battles, and high quality presentation on the DS. Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story + Bowser Jr.'s Journey is no different. Though the minions side mode first seen in the Superstar Saga remake still feels lackluster and entirely too repetitive, the overall package here is still a fantastic example of the allure Mario & Luigi RPGs as games that appear simple at first but offer up plenty of depth and addictive gameplay. Whether you play the original DS version or this 3DS remake, no one should miss out on this unique Bowser adventure. Rating: 9 out of 10 Chortles
  9. From the crayon aesthetic of the original Yoshi's Island to the yarn style of Woolly World, Yoshi games just can't seem to keep away from putting a unique visual spin on Yoshi's solo adventures. Yoshi's Crafted World ups the ante by dumping an entire arts and crafts store into the mix, giving the entire game a Do-It-Yourself, homemade charm. And even if the gameplay hasn't seen much evolution from past Yoshi titles, the endless charm of the game is more than enough to keep players engaged. It's another peaceful day for the Yoshis of Yoshi's Island when Kamek and Bowser Jr. swoop in, intent on stealing the magical Sundream Stone, an artifact with the power to grant any wish. But before the two villains can get away with the stone, its five gems are broken off and sent flying across the world. Now the Yoshis are in a race to recover the stones before Kamek and Bowser Jr. get their claws on them. It's a cute story even if it's nothing we haven't seen from a Yoshi game before, and the short dialogue intros to boss fights are pretty charming. In the end, the story set-up doesn't matter much for a Yoshi game—the colorful scenery and trademark platformer gameplay are the stars of the show. Crafted World also treads lightly when it comes to shaking up the gameplay—very little is different here, so series veterans will quickly slide right back into the enemy-eating, egg-throwing, smiley flower-collecting action that defines Yoshi's games. Yoshi games have always had a solid mix of more laid-back platforming mechanics (compared to Mario or Donkey Kong games) combined with a wealth of collectibles to uncover which rewards a slower, more thorough exploration of its stages. None of that has changed with Crafted World. In fact, one of the few changes to the gameplay formula was in adding even more collectibles—specifically, more smiley flowers, which are now required to unlock new regions—so this game really doubles down on the franchise's position as a treasure trove of hidden items to sniff out. The gameplay may not be all that different from Yoshi's inaugural adventure in Yoshi's Island over twenty years ago, but the formula is still wonderfully addictive with a great balance between the ease of simply progressing through the game and the added challenge of collecting everything, satisfying all levels of gamers at once. The only other mildly significant addition to the gameplay is the extra dimension of exploration that Yoshi now has. Crafted World is still a side-scrolling platformer, but now Yoshi can throw eggs into the foreground or background as well as move forward or backward on that 3D plane, though only in specific areas. Ultimately it's not a huge addition—in fact the feature kind of feels like a holdover from a 3DS game—but it adds a few interesting puzzle mechanics as well as even more places to hide collectibles. The downside is that aiming into the foreground/background is a little challenging since you have to carefully aim at a specific target for the game's aiming mechanics to lock on. Granted the game is pretty good about giving you a generous "lock-on" range, but it still has a way of slowing down the gameplay and requires a bit more careful aim. It's nothing too difficult to work with, but it takes a bit of adjusting, especially for Yoshi pros that might be used to the wiggle room that aiming/jumping usually offers. Finally there's the flipping mechanic that was originally touted as a major feature in Crafted World but, in the final product, is a bit more lackluster. Every stage of the game has a flipped version, where you essentially get to play the level again but with a new objective and while seeing the back side of all of the cardboard scenery. It's a cute concept but feels woefully underutilized. Seeing the back side of every level doesn't actually add much of a fresh perspective on the gameplay, and instead the mechanic just feels like a way to pad out the game's length. Given the short length of this adventure though, maybe it makes sense to pad the game a little. If all you're interested in is reaching the end of the game and seeing the credits roll, Crafted World can be completed in as little as six hours or so. Of course, there are a lot of collectibles along the way, and not just in the flipped versions of stages, so don't worry, there's still plenty of content to occupy your time. Plus there's co-op mode, letting two players team up in local multiplayer which, like a lot of co-op platformers, can be as much of a hindrance as it is helpful, but is nevertheless a fun time. As already mentioned the DIY arts and crafts visual style of the game is absolutely adorable. Cardboard tube rocket ships, paper plate platforms, and even the characters themselves sport slightly fuzzy, felt-like features—it's a dangerously cute design style, one that the developers clearly had a lot of fun building. The graphics do a perfect job of capturing a playful sense of childhood whimsy, and manages to stay heartwarming and charming from start to finish. The music is less successful in this area, though. The songs are just as cute and whimsical, but none of them has quite the staying power as the visuals, and the soundtrack gets old fast. The main theme is somewhat overused in each region's background music, which makes the whole soundtrack seem a bit one note. As a sequel to Woolly World, Yoshi's Crafted World doesn't stray too far from the franchise's tried and true formula. The visuals get a charming upgrade from just yarn to now incorporating all kinds of adorable arts and crafts creations, but in terms of gameplay Yoshi's Crafted World feels like essentially the same game we've played before. That's not necessarily a bad thing though, as the gameplay is just as engaging and addictive as ever, and the platformer challenges are inventive even if they are rarely truly difficult. Series fans will surely appreciate the game, and the friendly, adorable aesthetic makes it a perfect introduction to a younger generation of players. Rating: 8 out of 10 Eggs
  10. LEGO DC Super-Villains flips the script of the typical LEGO superhero games by letting you play as the villains. Even better, you're able to create your own villain to join the illustrious ranks of the Joker, Lex Luthor, and other criminal masterminds. In practice though, little has changed here, and DC Super-Villains plays exactly the same as every other LEGO game: a huge amount of content in a simple, repetitive package. The story begins with Commissioner Gordon visiting Stryker's Island prison to deliver a new, unknown super criminal who has the ability to absorb superpowers. A prison break is soon executed by Lex Luthor though, and in the chaos a group of villains escape. The Justice League is hot on their heels until a group of superhero imposters called the Justice Syndicate trap the heroes. It's up to the villains, including the new criminal dubbed "The Rookie," to find out what the Syndicate is really up to. So even in a game focused on the villains, you're technically playing the good guys. It's a huge missed opportunity but then again it's doubtful a LEGO game would stray from its comfort zone and make a game truly focused on criminal activity—these games are still squarely marketed toward children, after all. In the end the story is fine for what it is, but it's hard to shake the feeling that it could have been much more. DC Super-Villains doesn't stray far from the gameplay system that has been well established in the LEGO franchise either. Each level involves a variety of simple puzzles that require destroying the scenery in order to build new items from the bricks or using different characters' abilities to interact with objects. Joker, for example, can use exploding pies to destroy silver objects, and Deadshot can snipe distant targets to activate controls. And as always there's drop-in/drop-out local multiplayer available throughout the adventure. The gameplay has grown stale after so many years of relying upon this exact formula but it still has a simple charm to it, suited to either a relaxing, mindless play session or for teaming up with an inexperienced friend. The only significant new feature in DC Super-Villains is the customizable villain, The Rookie. In addition to crafting his or her appearance at the beginning of the game, you can choose from a couple of minor superpowers in addition to the story-related powers gained during the adventure. A customizable character who is front and center in the story feels like a novel idea at first but the game squanders the concept, partly just because of how the gameplay works. You constantly need to switch characters to progress, so The Rookie quickly just feels like another character in an already huge cast. There are also plenty of levels where you don't use The Rookie at all. The customization aspect adds to the game's robust amount of side activities, but it adds little real value to the main adventure. The presentation is also largely by the numbers for DC Super-Villains, though as with every new entry in the LEGO series there are a few more frills to spice up the visuals. The special effects in particular are more flashy here, with plenty of colorful explosions to represent various super powers, though at times it makes it hard to actually tell what's happening on screen. The soundtrack isn't much more than typical video game background music, but as a treat for longtime DC fans there are numerous recognizable voices in the voice cast, not least of which is Mark Hamill once again reprising his role as The Joker. Despite all the times he's claimed he wants to move away from the character he can't seem to keep away for long, and it's great to hear his distinctive cackle again, even in LEGO form. What else is there to say about yet another LEGO game? Like most of the dozens of games released in the franchise over the years, there's a wealth of content in LEGO DC Super-Villains, enough to keep you busy for hours upon hours despite the repetitive nature of the gameplay. Very little of the game is truly exciting, inventive, or surprising, but sometimes that's all you want out of a game—something that you can flip on and zone out to for a few hours, getting exactly what you expect to based on the dozens of other games in the series. For a bit of cute, mindless action, the LEGO franchise continues to serve nicely. Rating: 7 out of 10 Bricks
  11. Drawing clear inspiration from the great RPGs of yesteryear, Cosmic Star Heroine, from two-man developer Zeboyd Games, takes players on a planet-hopping adventure that wouldn't feel out of place on the SNES. The game doesn't merely bank on nostalgia though, and the unique battle system offers a wealth of variety that helps make each battle interesting. The resulting blend of classic presentation and novel gameplay mechanics helps make Cosmic Star Heroine feel both familiar and fresh. You play as Alyssa L'Salle, star agent of the Agency of Peace and Intelligence, a galactic peacekeeping agency. An assignment to investigate a science outpost gradually uncovers a hidden conspiracy, one that prompts Alyssa to strike out on her own path to protect the well-being of the universe. As far as settings go, Cosmic Star Heroine does a great job of quickly acclimating the player to an inventive sci-fi universe where seemingly anything is possible, but the game's plot is a bit lackluster. There are plenty of fun characters but the story moves so quickly that none of them are given any time to really develop, and by the end they're an almost dizzying rotation of faces. Similarly, the conspiracy plot is intriguing but doesn't feel fully developed, partly because you're shuttled off to the next objective so quickly and partly because the writing just doesn't make the threat feel like anything more than typical "save the world" (or galaxy, in this case) video game fare. Cosmic Star Heroine has a great set-up, but the storytelling feels a bit thin. At a glance the gameplay here looks right out of an SNES-era RPG, and Cosmic Star Heroine clearly uses those RPG greats as a foundation. You've got standard dungeon exploration, equipment to find/buy, and turn-based battles (battle screens even include a turn order on the right-side of the screen for you to keep track of who is up next). But once you actually start playing it's clear that the developers have cooked up a fresh, inventive battle system that takes advantage of the game's numerous playable characters. First and foremost, characters don't have a basic "attack" action. Instead each character can equip up to seven unique abilities, which includes simple attacks, elemental spells, buffs, debuffs, etc. Aside from a few rare exceptions, using an ability means that it is spent until the character recharges by spending a turn in a defensive stance. As a result, Cosmic Star Heroine emphasizes thought and planning in every enemy encounter. Even simple enemies require some degree of forethought, so no battle ever feels rote. The game does a great job of keeping you engaged and invested in every fight, no matter how small the opponent. By the end of the game each character has access to a wide variety of abilities, so you get to customize which ones they're working with in battle, which offers a ton of customization and replay value. Characters can also equip shields which give access to additional attacks (called programs) and you can use items in battle, but both programs and items are one-use-only per battle, so they're even more vital to plan when to use and not squander. It's easy to cook up some inventive combos of abilities and programs, and the game offers plenty of flexibility for fun experimentation. That's not all there is to the battle system in Cosmic Star Heroine, though. Attacks will also give you style points, and the more style points you have the more effective your attacks are. The catch is that enemies also charge up style points as the battle goes on, so the longer the fight lasts the more deadly things become. It's a smart way to ensure you don't become too complacent while playing—you always have to keep your best strategies in mind. And finally (and perhaps most importantly) there is the hyper point system which means that, every few turns, a character enters hyper mode and their attacks become even more powerful—it's kind of like a limit break system. The hyper mode interval is different for each character but regardless, this is where you want to plan your strongest attacks and buff your allies or debuff enemies. Ultimately it may sound like there's a lot to keep track of during battle in Cosmic Star Heroine but in practice it all flows together naturally and does a fantastic job of encouraging tactics and planning while giving you just enough limitations that you can't be too relaxed. The battle system does an excellent job of keeping you engaged with every moment of the fight without overwhelming you with details to track. Even with a particularly involved battle system, Cosmic Star Heroine moves along at a clip. It's not hard to finish the game in just 12 hours or so, which is obviously a little short for an RPG. Still, since the story pushes you along so quickly it still feels like you accomplish quite a lot. And thanks to a decent number of playable characters (each of whom has their own set of abilities) you constantly have new challenges and new tactics to work with, so no part of the game drags. It helps keep the game engaging and addictive from start to finish. Of course, as an RPG, there are also side quests to keep you busy, and if you find the game a little too easy (or too hard) you can adjust the difficulty at any time to ensure battles have a challenging sweet spot. Once you have a handle on the battle system it's worth turning the difficulty up a notch to really put your tactics to the test. The game's presentation feels straight out of the 16-bit era, or perhaps even earlier during its slightly animated, pixelated cutscenes. Undeniably the aesthetic plays off a certain sense of nostalgia, but it's a delightfully charming effect nevertheless. Pixel artwork in indie games is quite common in indie games these days but there's still something to be said for a game that does it well and finds the right balance of detail to make environments interesting and give characters personality while retaining the retro look. The soundtrack, by HyperDuck SoundWorks, does a fine job of evoking that retro charm as well, while still giving the game a unique, sci-fi vibe. Cosmic Star Heroine has no qualms showing its inspiration from, and love of, classic RPGs, but that doesn't mean the game feels at all derivative. The battle system, the core of any great RPG, offers up a fantastic balance of variety, nuance, and challenge that allows any two players to approach combat in wildly different ways and still find satisfying, effective strategies. Cosmic Star Heroine's story doesn't hit quite the same highs, but fans of turn-based RPGs won't want to miss this charming and inventive take on the genre. Rating: 8 out of 10 Heroines
  12. Where better to put a Zelda-inspired adventure than Nintendo's latest console? Windscape, from developer Dennis Witte (aka Magic Sandbox) and publisher Headup Games, draws influence from Zelda and other recent adventure games to create a vibrant first-person adventure complete with dungeon exploration, crafting, and a great evil that needs to be defeated. After gradually being worked on as an Early Access game for a couple of years, Windscape is ready for its official debut, but the final product might have benefited from a bit more polish. In Windscape you play as Ida, a young girl that lives on a farm with her mother and father. As so often happens in adventure stories though she is quickly wrapped up in a quest to save the world when a simple journey into town reveals a dangerous evil threatening to destroy everything. The game has no qualms relying upon this tried and true storytelling device, and the writing doesn't develop beyond it at all. In fact it's pretty clear that the writing runs out of steam when the latter half of the game ends up featuring no new NPCs or dialogue. Still, while the writing is fairly lackluster it's clear that the game isn't focused on storytelling so much as exploration, combat, and crafting. Unfortunately, these three areas of the game have their own issues, mostly stemming from the fact that the developer might have overextended himself in trying to create an epic adventure that would include exploration, dungeon puzzle solving, first-person combat, and crafting. Not one of these aspects of Windscape feels particularly exciting or polished, even though it feels like the developer planned for something more elaborate someday. For example, it's possible to craft slashing, blunt, and piercing weapons as some enemies have resistance to one or more of these weapon types. The crafting system is incredibly basic though, and in each region there is usually only a few options for new weapons to craft, so there's no reason to put any thought into which weapon you want. Combat ends up being completely mechanical as well, typically just circle strafing an enemy to get in a few hits. Battles have a dull, mechanical feel to them, and they tend to play out in exactly the same manner whether you're fighting a giant bee or the final boss. Exploration isn't much more exciting since, although there are some large environments in Windscape, there is rarely anything interesting to find within them, so you might as well just sprint to your next destination. The dungeon design is a bit better, though it's clear that the developer ran out of steam by the end of the game here as well. The early dungeons have at least a bit of complexity that requires exploration and finding levers to progress, but the final region of the game is little more than a long, linear combat sequence. These half-baked elements of the game just make the experience feel bland and repetitive. Finally there's the crafting aspect of the game, which can be hard even for mainstream games to get right since there's a fine line between engaging crafting mechanics and just plain tedious ones. Windscape, thankfully, is never tedious about its crafting system. Curiously though, it manages to swing to the opposite end of the spectrum—instead of being too difficult, crafting is a little too easy, since there isn't much to craft at all. You might instinctively want to load up on materials as you explore, chopping down trees and gathering herbs, but overall there's very little reason to spend any significant amount of time farming materials. On one hand it's great that the game never forces you to mindlessly gather items. On the other hand though, it makes the entire crafting system feel somewhat pointless when there are only a handful of items to craft throughout the entire game. Part of what makes the crafting system feel a little superfluous is just the short length of the game. It's not hard to finish Windscape in just six hours or so, even when you do take the time to craft everything. As mentioned the game's open environments are lacking in things to see, and that includes side quests. There are a few, but for the most part there simply isn't much to do in Windscape, which doesn't help shake the feeling that the whole thing is a little unfinished. The controls and user interface could've used more polishing as well. Aiming feels a little clumsy, and while magic spells thankfully lock-on to targets somewhat, arrows don't provide the same luxury and landing a hit is far more awkward than it ought to be. Menus also have a weirdly unintuitive interface that can make flipping through your materials, map, and objectives feel clunky. It's just another area of the game that could have used some fine tuning. The game's presentation is also going to be a tough sell to some players. There's certainly something charming about the minimalist art style that uses bright, flat colors rather than weigh the game down with detailed textures. However, the art style doesn't really play to the minimalist aesthetic well, and instead environments, characters, and enemies just come off as forgettable and drab. The music is a bit better, with some engaging background music peppered throughout the game, though even the audio doesn't escape the clumsy design when sound effects like opening a treasure chest are completely unbalanced with the music. Windscape is an admirable attempt at creating a smaller, indie version of the grand adventure game, one that incorporates dungeons and a crafting system into a classic tale of exploration and monster slaying. It never feels like more than attempt though, and certainly not a particularly unique or polished one. Despite a couple years of Early Access development, Windscape never seems to find its feet, resulting in a half-baked first-person adventure. Rating: 5 out of 10 Islands Review copy provided by publisher Windscape will be available on the Switch eShop on March 27th. Pre-purchase now for $15.99 (20% off the normal price of $19.99).
  13. A vengeful spirit embarks on a quest for revenge in this stylish stealth-based action game. Aragami: Shadow Edition bundles together the original 2016 game as well as its prequel DLC/expansion for a ton of satisfyingly sneaky gameplay in one package. Despite some rough edges and a slow build up, stealth fans will appreciate the addictive nature of flitting from shadow to shadow, eliminating any guards in your path. You play as Aragami, a shadow spirit summoned by Yamiko, a girl who is being imprisoned by the oppressive Kaiho clan. In order to free her you'll need to collect a number of talismans and defeat the Kaiho generals, all before sun-up when your shadowy existence will disappear. It's a decent enough story even if it quickly becomes predictably melodramatic—don't expect any particularly fresh writing takes and you won't be too bothered by the lackluster dialogue. It doesn't help that the game does not feature voice acting, and trying to read text while sneaking from shadow to shadow is a bit awkward, especially when you need to be at the ready at all times. Aragami covers the classic elements of stealth gameplay—in each level you need to reach the goal while avoiding roaming Kaiho guards—but as a shadow spirit you've got a few neat tricks up your sleeve. For one thing you can teleport to any shadow within range, which includes jumping up to ledges and even passing through guards while in shadow form. Shadow leaping is your most basic and most invaluable tool in Aragami, though it takes a little getting used to at first. The controls aren't quite as smooth and responsive as you might want out of a stealth game where timing is everything, but after a bit of practice you'll lock into the rhythm of leaping from shadow to shadow and it'll be easy to appreciate the smooth sense of movement that Aragami offers. You also have a handful of other abilities at your disposal, but these have to be individually purchased by collecting scrolls hidden within each level. It's a smart way to encourage a bit of exploration—and perhaps even taking some risks to grab a scroll—but it also makes the first few chapters of the game feel slow and tedious. Once you have the ability to dispose of guards' bodies so no one else raises an alarm, throw kunai to kill enemies at a distance, or even just create a distracting noise, the game opens up and becomes far more engaging and interesting. You can choose to focus on more defensive or offensive techniques, and even the more overtly powerful abilities like temporary invisibility feel pretty well balanced. Even if Aragami has a bad habit of recycling objectives (you almost always need to destroy a barrier in order to progress), the variety of tools helps keep the game feeling fresh from level to level. Naturally the game wouldn't be challenging if you were able to use abilities wildly, so you're limited to just two uses before you have to recharge at a prayer shrine, and even your shadow jump ability relies on a stamina meter that gradually refills while you're hiding in shadows. This is where things get a bit muddy for Aragami though, and it comes down to an awkward disconnect between the visuals and gameplay. For one, it's too difficult to tell if you're able to shadow jump to a point at a glance. There's also a difference between low and bright light, where bright light drains your stamina, so it's important to avoid. This kind of information is vital to take in quickly, but the game's art style makes it hard to tell what is a safe point and what isn't. Secondly, your stamina and ability charges are stylishly displayed on the back of your cape. It certainly looks cool but again interferes with gameplay since it's hard to tell exactly how much stamina you have remaining—this gets even worse when your cape is billowing in the wind. Lastly, aiming your shadow jump in order to ascend a ledge is far too finnicky. Oftentimes it feels like the cursor has to find a hidden sweet spot to work correctly and finding it totally breaks the fluidity of sneaking around in the shadows. The controls in general feel a bit too stiff in fact, though it gets a little easier with practice. Aragami has a lot of fun stealth gameplay but it has some undeniably unpolished aspects as well that make the game more clumsy and frustrating than it needs to be. The game isn't terribly long if your goal is simply finishing each level once, but like a lot of stealth-based games there's an addictive quality to perfecting each stage and completing them without being detected once. As such Aragami makes up for its relatively short length with plenty of replay value. Additionally you can bring a friend along for the ride with online co-op, which offers a fun twist on approaching obstacles. And of course this Shadow Edition of the game includes Nightfall, the prequel expansion that adds new levels, playable characters, and gameplay mechanics. The core gameplay is unchanged (including its obnoxious quirks) but the fresh challenges and new abilities make a welcome addition to the base game. The presentation in Aragami is somewhat of a missed opportunity. The cel-shaded look is fantastic and makes both Aragami himself and select details in the environment pop is a beautifully stylish way. At the same time though the overall art direction feels somewhat bland, as environments have little interesting detail in them and enemies are repetitive and rather drab. Without more engaging character designs the cel-shaded style feels a bit wasted. The music is somewhat similar thanks to, perhaps, an over-reliance on light ambiance music instead of engaging, memorable songs. Even for a stealth game the prevailing quiet makes for an aurally dull experience. Aragami: Shadow Edition offers up an engaging stealth adventure that feels held back by some unpolished elements which can make the core gameplay a bit awkward and frustrating. If you're willing to work at it though and overlook some of its flaws, sneaking around enemy camps and carefully eliminating guards before you're noticed is always a fun time, especially once you have a few of the more useful abilities at your disposal. Stealth fans in particular will feel well rewarded for sticking with Aragami. Rating: 7 out of 10 Shadows
  14. Once upon a time, Nippon Ichi Software created a side-scrolling puzzle-platformer that followed a princess and a prince on a storybook adventure through a dark forest. Playing the game isn't a complete fairy tale, though. Despite a charming story and a beautifully unique visual style, the gameplay in The Liar Princess and the Blind Prince leaves something to be desired. The plot of the game reads just like an old fairy tale: each night in a dark forest, a monstrous wolf sings a beautiful song, attracting the appreciation of a young prince. Separated by the darkness the two grow close, but when the prince tries to see the source of the beautiful voice, the wolf panics and accidentally blinds the prince. With the help of the old witch of the woods, the wolf transforms into a princess to try to help the prince regain his eyesight. The story is extremely cute, a little sad, and wholly charming from start to finish. It's not too often that you get to enjoy a modern fable with poignant reflections on self-identity and appearance that still captures the feel of a classic fairy tale—cutscenes in the game are even presented as a storybook. It's easy to be charmed by the fairy tale format of Liar Princess. The gameplay is a little harder to love, though. You play as the princess who is able to transform between a wolf form and human form. As a wolf, you can attack monsters with your claws and are mostly invulnerable to damage yourself. As the princess, you have to take the prince's hand and slowly walk him forward, avoiding obstacles and falls (you'll die from shockingly small heights as a human in this game). In essence, Liar Princess is one long escort mission, and I fully acknowledge the kind of baggage that comes with that term. Walking the prince around can be slow and plodding—though thankfully it's easy to leave him alone to take care of enemies or hazards yourself, so you're not constantly worried about his safety. Still, the gameplay can feel quite meandering at times. To spice things up a little, there are plenty of simple puzzles you'll have to solve using both the princess and the prince, i.e. pressure sensitive switches that require you to leave the prince behind while you find another route. For the most part these are quite simple puzzles though. Anyone that has played a decent number of platformers won't be surprised by the kinds of challenges Liar Princess cooks up and, given the slow nature of walking the prince around, the gameplay can feel particularly sluggish at times. To be fair there are few bad puzzles in the game, outside of one or two finnicky controls moments or a particularly obtuse riddle (which, to the game's credit, the game even warns you about and offers you a chance to skip it entirely). Instead the puzzles in Liar Princess are, by and large, just kind of there. Not terrible, but nothing particularly inspired either. The game is also quite short, and can easily be finished in just four or five hours. Combined with the somewhat basic level and puzzle design, it can't help but feel like Liar Princess is a rough draft that was never fully fleshed out. Still, it has a certain charm while it lasts, and each level has a handful of collectibles which unlock concept art and additional story lore, both of which are well worth checking out. The presentation, like the storytelling, is the saving grace of Liar Princess. The storybook / sketchbook style to the graphics is gorgeous and totally charming for the cute fairy tale plot that unfolds here. There aren't a ton of different elements at play here—you really only encounter a few different types of monsters—but the style is undeniably appealing. There are also adorable details like how the princess and prince smile while holding hands. The soundtrack is pretty great as well. There aren't that many tracks since there are only about twenty stages in the game, but the music hits the right balance of whimsical and eerie that feels perfect for this slightly dark fairy tale. The game's cutscenes are also voiced, but only in Japanese—somehow it doesn't feel too out of place, though. The Liar Princess and the Blind Prince offers up an adorable little fairy tale that will easily charm you with its endearing protagonists and simple story of bonding. The gameplay rarely manages to feel like more than a mostly by-the-numbers side-scrolling adventure though, and your progress isn't so much limited by challenging game design as it is by the prince's slow walking speed. Still, players interested in a beautifully designed and charming story should appreciate the brief journey of the princess and the prince. Rating: 7 out of 10 Fables
  15. What if you could rewrite the rules of a video game while playing it? That is essentially the premise of Baba Is You, created by developer Arvi Teikari, aka Hempuli. In this puzzle game the rules of each level are written on the screen, and by moving the words around you're able to turn an impassable wall into harmless scenery, or a simple rock into an invaluable key. Baba Is You leverages this inventive puzzle game premise into hundreds of mind-bending levels for a puzzle game that is consistently surprising, challenging, and delightful. Baba Is You takes a very literal approach to the idea of "rewriting the rules," as each level's rules are written as text in the level. For example, you'll generally see "Baba is You" somewhere on screen, indicating that you can move the odd little character Baba around. Another rule might say "Flag is Win," indicating the end goal of the level, but the rule "Wall is Stop" might prevent you from reaching the flag. However, rules are only in effect when written in a straight line (horizontally or vertically), so by simply pushing the word "Wall" up one space the rule is now broken and you can pass straight over the wall. Explaining this in text doesn't have the same effect as simply playing the game—it's a devilishly simple but ingenious puzzle gameplay system, one that any player can immediately pick up. This word manipulation system is so delightfully clever that I finished most levels while shaking my head in amazement at the puzzle design. Once you get past the introductory levels, solving these puzzles truly requires out-of-the-box thinking, but Baba Is You also makes it easy to experiment and slowly work through solutions at your own pace. There's even an undo button that allows you to rewind by one action at a time. This is especially important given that changing one rule can have a huge effect on the stage overall, plus it can be easy to accidentally work yourself into a corner (literally, since Baba can generally only push words and not pull them, so pushing a word into the side of the screen will leave it stuck there). Even so, Baba Is You doesn't pull any punches. The game isn't afraid to throw some seriously challenging puzzles your way, and given the nature of the game you may find yourself floundering for a bit. There aren't any in-game hints to nudge you in the right direction either, which can make some of the particularly difficult levels feel frustrating. Baba Is You simply isn't the kind of game you can rush through though. It's a game that rewards light experimentation as much as careful planning, and it's a game that will particularly appeal to players that enjoy mulling over a puzzle, examining it from all sides, and trying to find the key first step that puts everything on the right track. And thankfully, even though the game doesn't offer hints, the levels unlock in a mostly non-linear fashion—if you're truly stuck on a puzzle, simply skip it and tackle a new one instead. Sometimes the best way to solve a puzzle in Baba Is You is to leave it be for a while and come back when inspiration strikes. The game drops you straight into the action with no storytelling build-up, which is a bit of a shame, given the uniquely surreal visuals and setting in the game. The graphics are simple but undeniably striking in their own way and give the whole game a charming sense of style. There's also something impressive about the way the developer has given each world a personality using only a handful of different background elements. The music is sort of in the same boat—the soundtrack isn't overtly flashy but it adds a catchy, mellow vibe to the game, perfect for when you're staring at the screen trying to solve a particularly tricky puzzle. Puzzle games, naturally, rarely have much replay value, but the sheer amount of puzzles combined with the challenging design means you can rest easy with spending your money on Baba Is You. With over two hundred levels, it's easy to spend hours upon hours with the game. However, if you're just trying to "beat" each world and progress, you'll also be pleased to hear that many levels are optional, so if you get stuck you can move on to a new puzzle anyway. Baba Is You is a fiendishly clever puzzle game, one that does an excellent job of establishing a simple set of rules and then twisting them into all manner of challenges. The simple art style and catchy music add a welcome layer of charm—important, given how long you'll be staring at these screens trying to work out in your head what you actually need to do. But even if the puzzles can quickly feel overwhelming, their inventive design never fails to impress and the satisfaction of completing one is consistently tantalizing. Rating: 8 out of 10 Babas Review copy provided by developer Baba Is You is available now on the Switch eShop for $15.00.
  16. Plenty of games try to capture the excitement of a buddy-cop action flick, but few do it by focusing solely on the door-kicking action and gun fights like this one. RICO from developer Ground Shatter and publisher Rising Star Games puts you in the shoes of a loose-cannon cop, either solo or with a friend, where procedurally generated buildings are packed with criminals in need of merciless justice. Quick, arcade-style action and local or online co-op don't do much to fix RICO's rough gameplay elements, though. In the town of San Amaro, crime runs rampant, especially due to the slow nature of prosecuting organized crime. That's where you come in: as a member of the RICO elite police task force, you have just 24 hours to take down a criminal empire, which means working your way through the lower ranks until you reach the kingpin himself. Unfortunately that's about all you can expect as far as storytelling is concerned, as there's no other cutscenes or story elements outside of the opening cutscene, but to be fair RICO is a fast-paced arcade-style FPS, and you've got no time to waste if you want to defeat the crime boss. Either solo or with a buddy (both local split-screen and online), your goal is to sweep through one criminal warehouse after another by kicking down doors and shooting anyone you see inside (when you've only got 24 hours to finish a case, due process takes a backseat). Essentially RICO focuses entirely on the satisfaction of breaching and entering rooms with tactical efficiency—you'll even be treated to a slow-down sequence when you first enter, giving you a chance to quickly pick off each enemy in the room before they can react. You'll also have to collect evidence and make a speedy escape before you're overwhelmed by reinforcements, and later missions will add further challenges such as taking out a high-ranking target, destroying criminal servers, and frantically defusing bombs before they explode. It's undeniably satisfying to sweep through rooms as either a one-man or two-man wrecking crew, but the problem with RICO is that it doesn't offer more than this one thrill over and over. Every level is procedurally generated to add variety and as you begin a case you'll be given a branching path to reach the boss, so you can plot your path to some degree, but the game is still mindlessly repetitive and some of the extra challenges make the game more frustrating than rewarding. Defusing bombs is easily the biggest problem, as you're given a short countdown to find every bomb in the area as soon as you find one. Given the randomly generated level design, this more often than not means you're given a nearly impossible challenge to break through enemy lines to reach the bombs (and why are so many criminals just standing in a room with a ticking time bomb anyway?). Roguelike mechanics sometimes mean you're simply dealt a bad hand, but in RICO the balance is too often tipped toward frustrating challenges rather than rewarding ones. The other basic elements of the game don't do much to make up for the tedium of each playthrough. The controls are flat out clumsy—even with a good bit of fiddling with the aiming sensitivity settings it's hard to find a happy balance between either wildly too loose or molasses slow. You basically have little choice but to rely upon spray 'n' pray shooting. The guns themselves aren't terribly inspired either thanks to a limited variety to purchase/upgrade and a lack of a satisfying sense of weight or snappy aiming. The fact that reinforcements can spawn from seemingly anywhere is discouraging, especially when you're frantically trying to find a bomb. The destructible environments—most of all the doors that you kick down—are novel at first but too often a flying bit of timber will obscure your view for a clean headshot. Even the game's UI is a little obnoxious given its black and white color scheme that makes it hard to see what item you're actually highlighting. It's unfortunate, then, that RICO is based entirely around replaying the same basic playthrough over and over when so many of its gameplay details feel lacking. If you're willing to put up with some repetitive, unpolished gameplay though, you have full cases with different difficulty levels, daily challenges, and of course the option of going solo, with a friend, or playing online. But RICO never quite finds the right addictive formula to keep you coming back for more. The presentation isn't much more polished than the rest of the game. The cel-shaded design is certainly stylish when you first start up the game, but the cracks soon appear. Environments are repetitive and lacking in interesting details, the criminals themselves are much the same with only a handful of different looks, and even details like headshots aren't given much visual flair, to the point that sometimes it's hard to tell if you've even landed a headshot. There's virtually no background music and the sound effects can be oddly balanced at times—too often you'll hear a thug screaming at you from three rooms away. Sadly the audio and visuals do nothing to buoy the repetitive game design. RICO focuses on one element of FPS gameplay—breaching and entering rooms full of bad guys—but unfortunately doesn't even manage to do that particularly well. It's all too easy for a procedurally generated Roguelike game to fall into tiring repetition unless the core action of the game is polished enough to be engaging and satisfying no matter how often you do it. That's just not the case with RICO. Kicking down doors and bursting into a room guns a-blazing is fun for a moment, but RICO's rough design isn't able to sustain the excitement for even one playthrough. Rating: 5 out of 10 Kicked Doors Review copy provided by publisher RICO will be available on the Switch eShop on March 14th for $19.99.
  17. One part sports game, one part RPG, Golf Story revives the unfortunately all-too-rare genre of story-driven sports game, one that retains all of the key gameplay components of golf while offering a more engaging sense of progression than simply collecting tournament trophies. Although Golf Story isn't the first game to blend these two game genres together, it does so with an undeniable charm. You play as an average golfer with dreams of hitting the pro circuit after being inspired by his dad as a child. Though he starts out as a nobody in the golfing world who can't even seem to get a coach to give him a chance, a bit of tenacity helps him gradually make a name for himself as he conquers each of the themed golf courses in the game's suspiciously Australia-shaped island. The basic plot isn't terribly exciting, and even the protagonist is a bit bland, but that's only because he plays the straight man to the game's multitude of oddball characters. From rapping hoodlums to aged country club snobs, it seems like everyone in the world of Golf Story loves golf, and that means you'll meet all manner of fun and funny characters and strange scenarios—the country club's werewolf scare being a notable highlight of the game's writing and sense of humor. It's great to see a sports game that just has fun with its setting, and even the corniest jokes are a welcome break between playing a round of nine holes. No matter how the story or side content is presented, the core of Golf Story is still classic virtual golf gameplay—if you've ever played a golf video game you'll instantly be familiar with the key gameplay mechanics here. Golf Story really doesn't do much that's new on the basic aiming/swinging mechanics, though to be fair, why try to fix something that isn't broken? Selecting a club, lining up a shot, adjusting for wind, and locking in the power of your swing with a quick button press are all totally standard golf mechanics by now and they remain engaging, if somewhat repetitive. Golf Story isn't afraid to think a little out of the box when it comes to course design, though. The layouts and hazards may not be quite as wild as some Mario Golf entries, but there are far more tricky and inventive obstacles to deal with here than on any real life course. Even so, Golf Story is overall a fairly easy game. Sure you might have some trouble on certain holes, especially if you get too ambitious about skirting the main path in favor of riskier shortcuts, but the key moments required to progress the story aren't going to push you to ace every hole—oftentimes just hitting par is good enough. As such there may not be a ton of depth to Golf Story in terms of either mechanics or difficulty, but it's a breezy, enjoyable course all the same. The game is also advertised as having RPG mechanics, though these are admittedly relatively minor to the game. As you progress you'll earn experience points, and when you level up you can boost your stats, such as power, accuracy, handling, etc. Your main stat is power, but increasing power affects your other stats—i.e. increasing power will make your accuracy go down—so you'll want to keep your stats balanced by not increasing power without adjusting other stats as well. Hence, there's not much variety in terms of how you level up. If you wanted to give yourself an extra challenge you could try leaving your accuracy on the low end, but for most players divvying up these stat points will be fairly mindless. You can also equip different clubs, but there aren't a huge variety to find in the game. There really isn't much variety in terms of how you approach Golf Story. It is, perhaps, not too surprising that a golf game would fall into a fair bit of repetition. Even with eight different courses, each with its own quirks, you have to really enjoy golf to keep up the energy throughout the fifteen hours or so that it takes to finish Golf Story. It doesn't help that the game forces you into repeating courses occasionally as part of the story, which gets a little tiresome. If you do want some extra gameplay though there are numerous side quests and challenges you can take on to earn a little extra EXP and money. These can feel mindlessly repetitive at times as well but they're also a good way of sharpening your skills since they tend to focus on one aspect such as aiming, chipping, putting, etc. And if you want to play a round without jumping into the story there's also a quick play mode which can support local two-player versus matches, just in case you need to settle who the real golf pro is. A big part of the game's charm comes down to its simple yet fun pixel graphics. There's nothing flashy in Golf Story, and across the game's eight themed courses the environments never stray from anything that would typically be seen in a video game, and yet there's an undeniable sense of style in the sprite work, one that perfectly suits the story's droll sense of humor. The soundtrack isn't half bad either. The music has a ton of personality in it, perfect for the somewhat-grand adventure of becoming a golf pro, even if it's hard to pay attention to the music when you're focusing on lining up your swing. Golf Story is a charming little game and a great revival of the subgenre of sports games that emphasizes adventure and story progression in addition to sports simulation. Although not a huge step forward for the golf genre and slightly bogged down by repetition, the game's light-hearted humor will easily pull in any virtual golfing fan. Rating: 7 out of 10 Clubs
  18. Hot on the heels of 2017's remake of Wonder Boy III: The Dragon's Trap comes a brand new entry in the Wonder Boy franchise: Monster Boy and the Cursed Kingdom. Cursed Kingdom retains the classic side-scrolling platforming of the series as well as the monster transformations of The Dragon's Trap, all with a beautifully hand-drawn art style and lovingly crafted soundtrack. As good as the presentation is though, Cursed Kingdom has some rough edges when it comes to the gameplay design. In Cursed Kingdom you play as Jin, a young boy thrown into a chaotic quest to save the world when his uncle—seemingly drunk on royal nectar—uses a magic wand to transform all the people of the Monster World Kingdom into anthropomorphic animals. To reverse the curse Jin has to collect five magic orbs—a classic adventure quest. The game doesn't try to do anything new other than rehash the old tropes we've seen hundreds of times, but as an homage to a classic 80s series, the cliché plot doesn't feel out of place. Cursed Kingdom nails the feeling of an old-school action-platformer—perhaps too well, in fact. Because while the game recreates the look and sound of 80s platformers, it does little to modernize the gameplay. There's a frustrating clunkiness to the action that means your movements and attacks never feel quite as smooth as they ought to. Unlike a lot of other action games, Cursed Kingdom never quite finds the right rhythm to give the player that satisfying sense of fluidity. Instead combat just feels choppy, even by the end of the game, often due to clumsy hitbox detection which means you'll stumble into attacks and hazards far more often than you'd think. The combat just never feels satisfying. The platforming side of the gameplay fares a little better, thanks to the variety of abilities that your monster transformations give you. As a snake you can climb mossy walls, as a frog you can swim freely underwater and use your tongue to grapple things, as a pig you can…cast magic for some reason. Regardless of the specifics, the monster transformations also transform the way you play and interact with the environment and offers up plenty of fun and clever puzzle-platformer scenarios that rely upon one form or another. The game's pacing on giving you these transformations feels a little off—obviously the last transformations will be the most powerful/useful, but the first couple are downright boring at times—but still, each new form offers more variety to the platforming gameplay. Cursed Kingdom is also a challenging game, surprisingly so in fact, and too often for frustrating reasons. There are old-fashioned annoyances like enemies that swoop in from off screen to attack you and bothersome quirks like how coins bounce away so you have to chase them down, but the most difficult aspect of the game might just be the fact that you consistently feel underpowered. You can equip different swords/armor to boost your defense a little, but these are mostly used for the special effects they offer, such as a frost sword that can create ice blocks in water. Even with the right equipment enemies hit hard, easily draining your energy in just a couple of hits, but the short range on most attacks means you have to get up close and personal. This is what makes combat so frustrating, since your range and movement don't feel up to the task. As such you'll likely die/retry a lot in this game, but the checkpoint system can be annoyingly limited at times. There are a number of checkpoints scattered throughout the game, granted, but their placements mean you'll be stuck replaying certain difficult portions of the game every time you die, and at that point Cursed Kingdom just feels tedious. Ultimately, the game doesn't balance its difficulty with rewarding gameplay and instead relies upon some dated mechanics. The one area of the game that is perfectly modernized though is the presentation. Cursed Kingdom retains the cartoony style of the previous games in the series but recreates it with beautiful hand-drawn graphics that are not only gorgeous but utterly charming as well. It's the details in the smooth animation that brings Cursed Kingdom to life and gives the game an adorable, playable-cartoon vibe. The music is also pretty incredible—it captures that childlike sense of heroics that defines classic cartoons and classic video games, but does it with modern sound design that's a joy to listen to. Even at its most difficult moments, Cursed Kingdom's presentation is wholly charming. At around fifteen hours Cursed Kingdom feels like the right length for its adventure. There are a number of locations to visit and a good variety of challenges that don't get too repetitive. In Metroidvania fashion there are also plenty of hidden power-ups and collectibles to find which often require retreading old areas with new abilities, and thankfully a warp system makes backtracking a little easier. Completionists can get a little more out of the game by finding everything, but even at that point Cursed Kingdom feels like a single playthrough kind of game. Monster Boy and the Cursed Kingdom is clearly a loving tribute to a classic franchise, and maybe that's why the developers seem to have missed the fact that plenty of old-school challenges just aren't fun anymore, and certain gameplay elements are best left in the past. Still, if you're willing to look past the awkward combat mechanics and cheap deaths, Cursed Kingdom boasts incredible audio and visual design as well as a decent variety to the platformer side of its gameplay. Just be prepared for some frustrating elements along the way. Rating: 7 out of 10 Monsters
  19. When former Rare employees took to the internet to announce a spiritual successor to Banjo-Kazooie, fans took notice, spurring one of the most successful Kickstarter campaigns of 2015. It's clear there was a lot of nostalgia love for a 3D platformer starring an anthropomorphic animal duo, down the visual style and nonsense squeaking noises during dialogue. The heyday of the genre was squarely in the late 90s though, and recreating that formula on a modern console leads to mixed results. It's a normal day for Yooka and Laylee (a chameleon and a bat, respectively) when an old book that Laylee found is suddenly spirited away through the air. The evil Capital B and his assistant Dr. Quack are gathering up every book they can to find a powerful magical tome, until Yooka and Laylee decide to put a stop to their evil machinations. The writing in Yooka-Laylee feels right at home with the likes of Banjo-Kazooie. It's goofy and cartoonish, full of meta gaming references, and even though some of the humor doesn't quite land perfectly (jokes in written form can be clumsy sometimes, especially with slow scrolling text speed), the game still has a light, kid-friendly charm to it. Anyone that has played one of Rare's classic collect-a-thon platformers from the 90s will feel immediately at home with Yooka-Laylee—starting up the game truly feels like stepping twenty years into the past, when 3D platformers were all the rage and full of colorful animal characters and hundreds of collectibles to grab. At its core, it feels like Yooka-Laylee could have been made just after Banjo-Tooie, as if this is some forgotten title that was dusted off, given a new coat of paint, and released on modern consoles. This game has all of the essentials: you start off in a hub world and enter different themed worlds, each of which is an open 3D environment full of items to collect—primarily Pagies, the torn pages of Laylee's magic book, but also currency for buying upgrades. Each world feels large and sprawling but not so large that you'll easily get lost—some kind of map for each area still would have been appreciated, though. Still, there's a decent variety of challenges within each world and as in so many games there's an addictive quality to picking up one collectible after another. The flip side of this coin is that Yooka-Laylee also retains many of the annoying quirks of 90s 3D platformers, and at times fails to innovate on the genre. For the most part they're little things, but they add up to put a damper on the fun, light-hearted atmosphere of the game. For one thing, hit boxes can be a little inconsistent, particularly with projectile or aerial attacks. Although the game includes a first-person aiming mode as well, this is usually too slow when you're in the middle of fighting minions. This sort of control quirk feels tied to the game's 90s roots, but certainly should have been updated for a modern game release. The game's meandering pace can be a little annoying at times as well, due to lack of direction, retreading previous worlds with new abilities, or occasionally retreading large parts of a world due to failing a challenge. The pacing isn't inherently bad but it adds a certain tedium that isn't alleviated by the wide open spaces and lackluster enemies in each world. The biggest issue that feels too beholden to the past is the controls. For the most part they're fine and give you a decent degree of control over Yooka and Laylee, but overall the controls just don't feel as sharp as they should be for a platformer. Your movements can feel stilted at times, and flying in particular is an awkward endeavor. The camera can also get a big hectic in tight spaces as it struggles to find a decent angle—thankfully at least you have the option of using a classic mode where the camera naturally centers behind you and a modern mode that gives you more control. The classic may be traditional for this kind of game but it feels too inconsistent and unwieldy, especially when modern controllers all have a second control stick anyway. Even modern mode has its issues though, and there are few things more annoying than failing a challenge simply because the camera won't cooperate. The game's presentation does a better job of bridging the N64-era inspired roots and modern aesthetics—mostly. Because while the character design is cute, most of the creatures don't have a ton of visual personality (the game mostly relies on its unending supply of puns to drum up some charisma) and the environment design is extremely hit or miss with some truly uninspired scenery at times. The soundtrack fares better overall, though it also has its ups and downs. Still, there are several great tunes, even if they are all too often restricted to smaller scenarios rather than a world's main background music track. Yooka-Laylee takes around 12 hours to finish, but that's an estimate for just the bare amount of completion. It's no surprise that as a collect-a-thon platformer there are plenty more optional challenges to tackle in order to 100% complete the game. The journey there can get a little tiresome at times but if you take the game's meandering pacing in stride it's easy to double the length of the game. For better and for worse, Yooka-Laylee faithfully recreates the 90s collect-a-thon platformer, with all of its charms and flaws. The developers have made some critical mistakes in not taking more care to modernize some of the core aspects of the game such as smooth camera movement or tighter controls, but the overall package is still a charming, nostalgic adventure that feels right at home next to the Banjo-Kazooie games. Yooka-Laylee may rely upon that nostalgia a bit too much at times, but for fans of this subgenre of platformers who haven't seen a game like this in years, the game's flaws and quirks are a small price to pay. Rating: 7 out of 10 Pagies
  20. Sometimes it's hard to believe how much the Switch has turned around the public perception and style of Nintendo. No one would have expected the Wii or Wii U to get games like Skyrim, Doom, or Diablo III, and yet all three now feel perfectly at home on Nintendo's hybrid console. Sure, Diablo III: Eternal Edition isn't exactly a brand new product as even the most recent DLC pack came out over a year ago on other platforms, but Nintendo-only players won't mind as they dive into this addictive, time-sucking action-RPG. With over twenty years of games/background lore behind it, new players might feel a little intimidated jumping into the series with Diablo III, but the core story here is easy enough to understand: the long-running war between heaven and hell is once again reignited when a falling star crashes into the cathedral where Deckard Cain and his adopted niece Leah are investigating an ominous prophecy. Your character arrives in the nearby town to help investigate and fight off the hordes of evil, leading to a series of battles that culminates with Diablo himself. The story's strength isn't so much on the character journeys as it is on worldbuilding. Diablo is classic dark fantasy that's fun to immerse yourself in as you play—the actual dialogue isn't terribly inspired, but at least you can quickly skip through it to get straight to the action. And oh what endless action Diablo III provides. Diablo is one of those games that relies upon a very simple core gameplay structure, but one that is potentially endlessly replayable with enough variety to keep it interesting hour after hour. You fight monsters, level up, find better equipment than the stuff you currently have on, then march out there to do it all again. A basic premise, and one that ends up being awfully addictive once you get into the swing of things, because every time you find better loot you get that little nudge to keep going. After all, you've got to try out this new equipment, and maybe if you play just a little further you'll get something even better. Diablo can be almost obsessively cyclical, but that's what keeps it engaging every time you load up the game. An important part of keeping a game like this interesting is in offering the player choices to customize the experience. First off, this edition of Diablo III includes all DLC so it has a total of seven character classes, each of which has a unique playstyle (melee fighters, magicians, etc.). Each class also has a variety of different abilities—for example, while I was playing a Demon Hunter character I favored rapid fire arrows and deployable turrets, but I could just have easily have focused on setting traps and using slower, more powerful attacks. The game is open enough that any strategy can work, so you never feel pigeon-holed into one path and are free to experiment as you please. And the combat feels engaging in just about every battle. Sure, fights aren't always difficult per se, especially once you've got some powerful equipment and abilities, but it's always satisfying to demolish groups of demons. The only downside here is that the game might trust players a little too much to figure things out on their own, and as a new player you might get a little lost on some details, but with time anyone will adapt to the nitty gritty aspects of the game. Diablo III also feels like a natural fit for the Switch since it's perfect for quick play sessions. It's so easy to load up the game, destroy demons for half an hour, then put the game back down, and being able to do it on the go is even more convenient. This Switch version also adds a few fun Nintendo references, including Ganondorf's armor set and a new amiibo, and while these aren't major additions to the game they're still fun to see. Of course, while fighting the lords of hell it's dangerous to go alone, so Diablo III lets up to four players team up locally or online. Fighting as a team can be a lot more fun than tediously defeating monster after monster yourself, and definitely helps break up some of the monotony of the game. And the multiplayer system works pretty well too—assuming you can find other players online it's easy to jump right into their game with no noticeable connection or network issues. The frustrating thing about playing with random players online though is the lack of communication options. With a game like Diablo sometimes you need to pause to adjust your equipment, pop back to town to drop off loot, or even just take a quick bathroom break. Diablo III on Switch doesn't give you any ability to tell other players what you're thinking/planning though, so outside of using a third-party communication like Discord you're kind of playing in a vacuum, even when there are three other players on screen. Nintendo's always been a little clunky with this kind of feature but it's particularly annoying here. The visuals in Diablo III aren't exactly all that impressive, but to be fair the game features a lot of things on screen at once when dozens of enemies are attacking, and the good news is that loading screens are short, sometimes nonexistent, with no performance dips or lag at all. And there's something to be said for the game's dark fantasy look which makes for cool, fantastical set pieces. So even if character models aren't incredibly detailed and high rez, the overall style of the game is still fun to see. The sound design is in the same boat: the background music isn't much to write home about, but it still captures that classic Western RPG vibe really well. One playthrough of Diablo III, even with the Reaper of Souls expansion, won't take too long to power through, maybe twelve to fifteen hours. However, this is a game built upon replay value, and nowhere is that more evident than the difficulty options menu which shows dozens of levels you can tackle once you've got solid gear and know the game well. Add in the different character classes, multiplayer, side modes and seasonal online events—if the cyclical nature of Diablo III clicks with you, you can easily spend hundreds of hours on this game. Diablo III: Eternal Collection is a surprising but welcome addition to the Switch's library. With nigh endless replay value and a satisfying loop of fighting monsters, collecting loot, and then doing it all again, there's a wealth of gameplay to enjoy here for anyone that hasn't gotten their fill of it on a different platform. Granted, the cycle of collecting gear after gear isn't going to click for everyone, but if it does you may end up playing Diablo III for an eternity. Rating: 8 out of 10 Demons
  21. As fun as Mario, Sonic, and other mainstream platformers are, sometimes you just need a game that puts all of your running and jumping skills to the absolute test, and keeps you white-knuckle gripping the controller. From developer Bony Yousuf and publisher The Quantum Astrophysicists Guild comes Almost There: The Platformer, a hardcore platformer complete with minimalist visuals, simple controls, and devilishly intense gameplay challenges. A game made for hardcore platformer fans, Almost There makes up for what it lacks in looks with sharp, satisfying game design. Almost There is strictly about precise platformer challenges, so there's no backstory to explain the setting—not that the game would need much since your character is just a cube! Instead the game is simply divided up into 155 levels spread across three worlds, each of which ramps up the difficulty with new hazards. Initially though the game starts off simple—perhaps deceptively so for the challenges you'll eventually face, but regardless it's a clear introduction that highlights the basic controls. There are really only two actions in the entire game, moving and jumping, but there's enough nuance to the controls to create a variety of engaging challenges with this set-up. The only complex part of the controls to master is wall jumping which doesn't even require a button press, instead you can simply alternate left and right on the control stick or D-pad to work up the momentum to move up walls. It feels a little tricky at first but it also gives you an incredibly precise control over how you move. With a bit of practice you can adjust your position on a wall down to just a few pixels in order to launch the perfect jump onto a nearby platform. With tons of vertical level design, wall jumping quickly becomes an integral part of Almost There, putting the player's dexterity—and thumb stamina—to the test in intense, rewarding ways. Like most hardcore platformers, Almost There is really all about tapping into the innate rhythm of each level in order to smoothly sail over obstacles. You don't have to play perfectly just to finish a stage, but in order to earn all three stars on a level you'll need to move as quickly as possible, wasting no time on hesitant jumps. This is where the real heart of the game is as well. Just finishing a level can be challenging, but completing it with the best time possible adds much more depth to the gameplay. Trying to find the perfect rhythm for a stage also helps the level design truly shine: it's easier to appreciate the precision of the level structure when you're trying to minimize wasted movement as much as possible. Almost There is pretty much founded upon the "just one more try" mentality that keeps players coming back for more, because if you just try to rush through every level once the game won't last too long. No level lasts longer than a minute, and even with 155 stages that makes for a short game. Of course, once the difficulty ramps up, you'll need to play levels over and over just to finish them, and earning three stars on every stage gives Almost There further long-lasting appeal. Even so, it would have been nice to have more incentive to earn stars, such as unlockables or new features—though presumably concept art for this game would be, at best, minimal. As you can see from these screenshots, Almost There isn't a game with many visual flourishes. Just like with the lack of storytelling, it's clear that gameplay comes first and foremost in this game. There's something appealing about the stark simplicity of the graphics, especially as it helps you focus strictly on timing your jumps—there's never any doubt as to whether you're lined up on the platform correctly or if there's a hazard in front of you—but even a bit more visual design would have been nice. The music, somewhat surprisingly, features some great tracks. It's the kind of music you can bob your head to without dwelling on it consciously, the perfect background audio while you're focused on the action. There are only three songs in the game—again that minimalist design rearing its head—but they're certainly good ones. Almost There: The Platformer scratches all the right itches for hardcore platformer fans. The gameplay is centered around tight, simple controls while the unforgiving nature of the spikes, lasers, and buzz saws means that even a slightly off movement can lead to a quick death. Mastering these levels and earning the coveted three star rank on every one is a daunting task, but it's the kind that should perfectly appeal to any gamer that appreciates the "just one more try" mentality. The minimalist style may be a bit disappointing to some, but the core audience will likely appreciate the focus on clear level design—just be sure to give your eyes and thumbs a break around attempt 30 or so. Rating: 7 out of 10 Platforms Review copy provided by publisher Almost There: The Platformer will be available on the Switch eShop on February 21st for $9.99.
  22. Out of all of the shopkeepers in video games that sell equipment to the chosen hero, how many must wish they could set out on a grand adventure of their own? In Moonlighter, such a shopkeep gets his chance, as the game blends simple shop management with dungeon-crawling action, with just a touch of Roguelike mechanics to keep players on their toes. The cycle of fighting monsters, gathering loot, then selling it in your shop proves to be a somewhat repetitious loop, but an enjoyable one all the same. Moonlighter takes place entirely within Rynoka village, a small hamlet that sprung up because of the nearby presence of a group of mysterious gates that transport adventurers into monster-filled dungeons. Will, the owner of the Moonlighter shop, dreams of entering the dungeons himself and exploring their vast riches. The game sets up a nice little world, complete with cryptic notes left by previous adventurers within the dungeons, but don't expect too much storytelling here. What little dialogue there is is fun but sadly rather light—the vast majority of the game is focused on the two halves of the gameplay: exploration and shop management. Each day in Moonlighter is divided into day and night (and don't worry, although there is a bed in your shop you don't have to worry about sleeping regularly or running out of stamina). During the day you can chat with villagers in town and open up your shop to sell items; during the night you can explore one of the four dungeons just outside of town. You can also dive into the dungeons during the day but the shop can only be opened during the day, so you do want to be a little careful how you manage your time. Regardless, Moonlighter is all about the constant cycle of procuring items from the dungeons—dropped from defeated enemies or found in treasure chests—and selling them in your shop, allowing you to buy better equipment and delve further into the dungeons. It's a simple but quite satisfying loop, one that can be quite addictive as you gradually manage to earn more and more money on each trip into the dungeons and try to maximize your profits on each run—who would've thought making money would be addictive? Moonlighter includes light Roguelike elements to keep the dungeon-crawling interesting. Every time you enter a dungeon the map will be randomly generated, though there are always three levels (plus a boss room) and every level has a healing pool. The monsters you find will be slightly randomized but each dungeon has its own selection of creatures and there isn't actually that much variety—instead you run into the typical power tier system, i.e. you might run into a level 1 golem on the first floor and then a level 3 golem on the third floor. You'll also occasionally stumble into hidden rooms, but again there isn't a huge variety here either, and it quickly becomes clear that the Roguelike elements ultimately help Moonlighter recycle gameplay features over and over. That's not to say the dungeon exploration isn't fun, but after a couple of hours you'll catch on to the typical tricks the game uses and then there won't be many surprises left in any later dungeon. The challenge of collecting as many valuable items as possible during your time in the dungeon is still there, but the game lacks exciting set piece moments. Combat also leaves something to be desired, as cutting down the same handful of enemy types over and over doesn't help spice up the gameplay either. You do have a small variety of weapons to choose from, though purchasing them can be prohibitively expensive (at least early in the game) which makes experimenting hard. Instead you'll probably end up just sticking to a couple of weapons you like straight through to the end of the game, upgrading them as you progress. And combat itself doesn't have much variety in combos or attack patterns, which can make it a little monotonous. Worse still, the healing pools on every floor, although a huge boon to the player, make combat less tense since you can always run back to the pool to heal up after every enemy encounter. Just like the exploration elements, the combat isn't bad but its simple repetitiveness reveals itself pretty quickly. Managing your shop may not be as deadly as dungeon exploration but it still requires a good deal of micromanagement. In order to sell things you have to both display them in your shop and set a fair price—too high and nobody will buy the item, but if you set the price too low you'll be missing out on profits. Shop management in Moonlighter is a bit like spinning plates as you need to keep on your toes to restock shelves, ring up customers, and chase down thieves. In somewhat opposite fashion to the dungeon-crawling half of the game, shop management has some complex details that ultimately feel kind of pointless. For example, when items are in high demand you can mark up the price a bit, but if you saturate the market and demand drops, customers won't put up with the higher price tag. It's an interesting concept but in practice it just seems to be more trouble than its worth, same with other details like hiring an assistant or fulfilling specific requests from townspeople. And yet, all that said, Moonlighter still proves to be fairly addictive. There might not be a ton of depth to the action, but there is something wonderfully engaging about escaping a dungeon with a backpack full of loot and turning a tidy profit in your shop, then doing it all again. The whole gameplay structure is brazenly cyclical, but players that enjoy the slow, steady progress of purchasing better equipment and exploring a little further bit by bit will surely enjoy Moonlighter. Micromanaging your limited inventory space within dungeons then managing shelf space in your shop is oddly satisfying, from your first dungeon run to your last. Pixel graphics in an indie game are anything but new at this point, but Moonlighter's graphics are undeniably charming all the same. There's not much in the visuals that particularly stands out at first but the design has a beautiful simplicity to it that's crisp and colorful, even when you're wandering through a dungeon for the tenth time. The music, meanwhile, is pretty great, with a lot of catchy songs that feel perfect for either exploration or keeping a watchful eye on your shop. Even if the gameplay starts to feel grindy after a while it's always fun to groove along to the music. Moonlighter mashes up two game genres into a charming little game that is undeniably repetitive and yet still manages to maintain a magnetic appeal from the first moment to the last. The micro rewards of finding valuable loot and earning a good bit of money makes for a perfect impetus to keep exploring the dungeons over and over, and the Roguelike elements help add a bit of variety without dragging down the experience into tediously difficult territory. Moonlighter may appeal to a niche audience—fans of both dungeon-crawlers and shop management sims—but the happy medium it finds between the two genres proves to be a uniquely engaging one. Rating: 7 out of 10 Dungeons
  23. What's caused the Tales games to have such inconsistent appearances on Nintendo systems? Despite originally premiering on the Super Famicom in 1995 with Tales of Phantasia, most Tales releases have skipped over Nintendo systems entirely and the last two games, Tales of the Abyss for 3DS and Tales of Vesperia: Definitive Edition for the Switch, have been ports. Still, Nintendo-RPG fans take their thrills where they can get them, and even if Vesperia is a 10-year old port, the franchise's signature action-RPG combat and colorful anime-inspired visuals make for a lengthy, engaging adventure. Vesperia's main protagonist is Yuri Lowell, a former imperial knight who is now something of a vigilante, standing up for the lower-quarter peasants against the uncaring nobility. Yuri is still a fairly classic take on the good-guy-protagonist trope, but his flippant attitude and determination to do what's right, even if it means doing something wrong along the way, makes him an interesting focal point for the story. The overall plot starts off extremely slow in Vesperia, though. Yuri's adventure begins with chasing down a thief, and the low stakes of his quest don't really rise until nearly halfway through the game (i.e. dozens of hours for an RPG like this). It makes the first half of the game feel a bit plodding, especially as the characters frequently, and quite needlessly, spend time discussing what each of them want to do next. The plot eventually develops some interesting twists (though still sticks to classic save-the-world tropes) but the pacing of the storytelling can make slow sections of the game feel even slower. Like all Tales games, Vesperia uses the Linear Motion Battle System, meaning battles are carried out in real-time and you have full control over one character to move freely around the battlefield and attack while the AI controls the rest of your party. This kind of action-oriented battle system can be a welcome change from traditional turn-based battles, since it makes battles a bit more engaging, almost like a fighting game as you chain together attacks and try to find the best time to block or dodge. Vesperia isn't an all-out fighting game though, and your actions feel somewhat slow and stiff—even if the gameplay is real-time you still have to think strategically about how you approach enemies. And to fight well you need to be particularly thoughtful about how you time your attacks and chain together standard strikes and special abilities called Artes. Like most RPGs it's the boss battles that truly shine and require the most strategic thought, and are hence both particularly challenging and more rewarding. The battle system also has its frustrating moments as well, though. For one thing, battling against groups of enemies is almost always a tedious endeavor since they can very easily stunlock you and deal massive damage. As you play you'll get better at avoiding such scenarios but especially in the early parts of the game it's downright frustrating. Additionally, you're always going to be wishing that your party's AI were a little smarter. You can set certain strategy plans to dictate how they act in battle (i.e. focus on healing, keep your distance from enemies, or even customize which Artes they can use), but even with these guidelines your party never feels like it's operating as efficiently as it could, especially when combos are a big part of the battle system—too often an ally's attack might knock an enemy out of your combo. On the bright side, you can have up to three friends join you in battle, and multiplayer combat tends to be much better coordinated—as long as your friends are pulling their weight. It's worth bringing a friend or two along though since another human brain in the mix has a large effect on how battles play out. Like many great RPGs, Vesperia has an almost overwhelming amount of content to sift through. In addition to learning Artes as you level up, you can also learn Skills by equipping different weapons. Skills can be as simple as increasing your strength or maximum health or have more specific benefits such as letting you chain together different Artes for longer combos. Even though you only gradually learn skills as you play they can still be somewhat overwhelming to deal with as they represent the more technical side of Vesperia's combat system. The game doesn't always do a great job of explaining the nitty gritty details of efficient Skill management, but it's also forgiving enough that the learning pains aren't too harsh. Speaking of not explaining things, Vesperia has a bad habit of hiding side quests and side content in obscure nooks and crannies throughout the game. Some of these can be as simple as an extra short cutscene, but it's still a bit annoying to miss out on things that require revisiting previous towns with no indication that there's anything new to see there. Still, even if you don't spend much time poking around for side quests, Vesperia will likely last you a good 50 hours, plenty of value for the cost of the game. This Definitive Edition also adds a few extra features, including two additional playable characters, so there's plenty of value in this little Switch cartridge. Be aware that the game has some minor instability problems, though. I experienced three crashes while playing, and one of them was far enough from a save point that I lost a good amount of progress. The cause of crashes doesn't seem to be consistent but with the threat out there it's more important than ever to save at every available opportunity. Vesperia's graphics are a good reminder of just how long 10 years actually is when it comes to video game design. That's not to say the visuals are bad, but there are few areas of the game that really push the environment graphics to be anything more than scenery, and the jagged edges of polygon models are readily apparent anytime there's a close-up. Still, the colorful anime-influence of the art design is charming and gives the characters a decent amount of personality, even if the animation can feels somewhat stiff at times. What's really disappointing is the inconsistent frame rate that can make some scenes look a little choppy—thankfully this is never an issue within battles though, and you can trust to perfectly smooth action while dishing up combos and devastating Artes. The music also has its ups and downs. There are a few standout tunes on the soundtrack but much of the music feels forgettable, and the voice work is equally inconsistent, mostly for the characters not in the main party. This Definitive Edition also includes the Japanese voices as an option every time you boot up the game though, so you can experiment with what sounds best for you. Tales of Vesperia: Definitive Edition offers up a ton of action-RPG enjoyment, whether you're slashing away at basic monsters or pulling out all the stops during intense boss fights in the real-time combat system. The game has a bad habit of slowing down engagement of the game with a somewhat plodding storyline and an overabundance of nitty gritty details with finding side quests or managing Skills, but RPG fans will certainly enjoy the wealth of gameplay here, particularly the new features that round out this Definitive Edition. Rating: 8 out of 10 Artes
  24. The Switch's collection of Wii U ports has officially worked its way backward all the way to the beginning of the Wii U's library with New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe, a port of the Wii U launch game and its Luigi-centric add-on. Although the core 2D platforming remains as charming as it was in 2012, whether or not this game truly earns the "Deluxe" addition to its title is debatable. NSMBU was, like all of the New Super Mario Bros. games, a return to form for Mario: a side-scrolling platforming adventure that harkens back to Mario's glory days on the NES and SNES. There are themed worlds, Koopalings to contend with, and a princess in need of rescuing. The New Super Mario Bros. series as a whole has taken some flack over the years for being too cookie-cutter in its audio and visual design, and granted, the presentation in NSMBU feels overwhelmingly safe and catered to the broadest possible audience. But there's no denying that Nintendo still knows how to cook up solid platformer gameplay. No matter what the graphics and music are like there are still plenty of great platformer moments to enjoy here, and an excellent variety of level designs as well. Amidst the classic themed areas of deserts, underwater stages, and lava-filled levels there are inventive ways to use power-ups, Yoshis, and Baby Yoshis that ensure you're always tackling something a little different and honing your platforming skills all the while. Add in the four-player co-op element and things become absolutely chaotic—in the best way possible, of course, up until your friends start to intentionally mess with one another by tossing each other around. Regardless, multiplayer adds a nice bit of frantic energy to the game, but if you still want more single-player challenges there's the New Super Luigi U mode which remixes every level of the game into a fast-paced dash to the flag pole. Stages are redesigned to be fresh and a bit more challenging, plus you only have 100 seconds to reach the goal, so sharp reflexes are key. The Luigi mode is a fantastic "hard mode" for a Mario game, one that experienced players will surely appreciate. What about inexperienced players you ask? Well, that's where most of the Deluxe's additions come into play. Deluxe doesn't add anything like new stages or worlds—the major addition is actually a new playable character, Toadette. In her normal form she plays mostly like Mario, Luigi, and Toad, aside from slight differences in her movement and swimming that make her a little easier to control. What makes her truly unique is the new power-up, the Super Crown, which transforms her into Peachette—a Princess Peach doppelganger with the same floating abilities. The ability to slow your descent is a huge help in a platformer obviously, but even the original game had a similar power-up with the Super Acorn, giving players the Flying Squirrel form. What makes Peachette unique is that, if you fall into a pit, she will automatically spring up and save you—only once though. Peachette isn't a complete "get out of trouble free" card, since it's still easy to fall right back into that pit, but overall Peachette makes a nice easy mode for new players. Even if her abilities aren't overwhelmingly easy she is still a far more forgiving character to use than the classic plumbers and caters to players that aren't as adept with the kinds of platforming challenges Mario and Luigi handle on a daily basis. Of course, if you really do need an overwhelmingly easy option, there's Nabbit, the rabbit(?) thief that first appeared as an enemy in the original game then became a playable character in New Super Luigi U. In Deluxe he is now playable in both modes, and he truly is the "walkthrough mode" for a Mario game. Immune to all enemies, Nabbit's only real concern is falling into pits. Granted, Nabbit is clearly meant for the truly inexperienced players that are learning how to play, but removing most of the challenge from the game is kind of disheartening for anyone with a bit of platforming acumen. Thankfully players that don't want to use him can avoid him entirely. New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe is made for newcomers—both the players that missed out on the original games on the Wii U and players that are new to Mario or platformers in general. Peachette and Nabbit can make even the game's most challenging moments more palatable for novice players, even while playing solo, and by the time you get to the New Super Luigi U levels there are plenty of nail-biting platformer challenges to enjoy. There's not much reason to double dip on Deluxe if you've already played the Wii U games, but if you missed out the first time there's a whole lot of side-scrolling Mario gameplay to dive into on a single Switch cartridge. Rating: 8 out of 10 Super Crowns For posterity, below are my original reviews for New Super Mario Bros. U and New Super Luigi U from 2013—enjoy, and thanks for reading. New Super Mario Bros. U New Super Luigi U
  25. 2018 marked 25 years since the release of Flashback on the SNES, and to commemorate the occasion the game has been brought to the Switch with a handful of modern touch-ups. The core experience remains the same though: Flashback is an old school adventure game that will thoroughly test your patience with clunky controls and obscure puzzle progression. This is one retro game that might have been best left in the past. Like a lot of older games, the in-game storytelling is somewhat obscure, despite promotional materials explaining much more of the backstory. As Flashback begins you're running from pursuers through a jungle, and then you're thrust right into the gameplay. It's a little disorienting, but by design—Flashback builds a sense of sci-fi intrigue as you encounter things like teleporters and hologram technology without any explicit explanation of where they come from. For the early 90s this might have been a novel approach to video game storytelling, but it feels a little dated now. Even by the halfway point of the game there's so much unexplained that it's hard to get invested in the game. It doesn't help that there's not much depth to the gameplay to latch onto either. Similar to games like Another World or Prince of Persia, Flashback finds a sort of awkward niche between point 'n' click adventure games and platformers. You've got some of the dexterity challenges of a platformer with running and gunning, but the pacing and presentation feels much more like a classic adventure game where you explore to gather items and unlock gates, flip switches, etc. The result is kind of a mess, unfortunately. Flashback has neither the depth of point 'n' click puzzles nor the fluidity of a platformer, which makes the gameplay clumsy and unsatisfying. The core of Flashback's problems lie with the controls. Every single action is incredibly stiff: jumping over a gap, climbing up a ledge, even drawing your gun is a slow action. The controls make the gameplay feel incredibly choppy, which wouldn't necessarily be a huge problem if not for the combat, which seems to demand much more dexterity than the game allows. Instead shootouts are stilted and awkward at best, and at worst completely frustrating. Facing more than one enemy at once is a mess since you can't move and shoot at the same time, and in fact even having your gun drawn means you walk in a slow shuffle. As a result two or more enemies can easily gang up on you, and the game frequently throws these scenarios at you—even worse, there are multiple times where you'll walk onto a new screen and immediately start getting shot at, before you even have time to draw your gun. More often than not it felt like I was fighting the controls rather than fighting the game's collection of guards and robots. Even outside of combat there's a strange stiffness to the controls, which also comes down to the awkward button mapping. The A button is awfully overworked as a means to run, jump, and interact with objects, requiring different D-pad inputs to change the action which are, naturally, incredibly easy to mix up. And because actions are so slow there's no fluidity to the platforming sections, which becomes a huge problem when you need to flee from a deadly hazard. Such issues are, I'm sure, a product of the game's early 90s development, but it just makes Flashback not fun at all in 2019. There are also some problems that come down to simple glitches, such as ZL not actually aiming the gun properly like the tutorials claim it should. Flashback's controls are a mess all around. The one saving grace of this 25th anniversary edition is the sole gameplay addition: the ability to rewind time to retry after dying. Dying is especially easy in Flashback, particularly thanks to insant-death traps or simply falling from too great a height, and the rewind mechanic is a true lifesaver—or time saver, since otherwise you'll be restarting at your last save point, which are relatively infrequent. On normal difficulty you only get a collective couple of minutes to rewind, but easy difficulty might be the way to go for new players since it gives an endless supply of the rewind ability. Flashback is still insanely tedious, clumsy, and unsatisfying, but at least with rewind it feels more playable. This version of the game also includes a handful of visual and audio upgrades, which are pretty underwhelming. Classic mode retains the pixel artwork and rotoscoped animation of the original, while modern mode throws on a few more modern visual effects and filters. The result is a look that is technically smoother and yet less visually interesting. It's possible to switch between the two at will though, as well as selectively choose to turn on the individual filters, so at least there's a bit of visual customization available. The game also offers the option of switching between the original 8-bit audio and a remastered version, but either way the soundtrack is so bland that there's little use dwelling on the decision. Some games remain classics by remaining unique and engaging decades after their original release, while others might have been original and exciting at the time but fail to hold together years later. Flashback is unfortunately the latter. Through the lens of modern gameplay, Flashback is just a mess of stiff, awkward controls and clumsy challenges, and even the new rewind mechanic can't quite salvage the tedium found in every moment of this game, from battling groups of enemies to just jumping up to a ledge. Fans who played the game 25 years ago may still appreciate Flashback's clunky old school charm, but without those rose tinted glasses modern gamers won't find much to enjoy here. Rating: 4 out of 10 Flashbacks
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