Can’t teach an Old Pig new tricks

Tomba! or as best I know it as Tombi! is a classic platform adventure game originally released for the PlayStation and is a game I am excited to get back into as I had a blast playing this growing up. Now anyone confused by the name, the European version of Tomba! was known as Tombi! which still seems to be the case today as the version of the game I have on PlayStation 5 displays it as Tombi! Special Edition although the home screen background, game title and marketing of the game lists it as Tomba! so that’s what we will go with.

In Tomba! Special Edition you play as a feral pink haired wild child who has his grandfather’s bracelet stolen by evil pigs that now plague the land and now he sets off on a journey fully throwing pigs around himself while doing so. So what is Tomba! Well the game itself is a platforming game with RPG elements. From the offset it looks like your average platformer. You collect apples, throw enemies and swing across the dangerous terrain in order to progress but underneath all of this is an adventure that has more to it than meets the eye.

As already mentioned Tomba! is a platformer with some RPG elements so aside from platforming you have a world of NPC’s all eager for some help and just from the beginning of the game you will find yourself with a few tasks which pop up on the screen with an AP reward which when finished adds to your total AP which is shown in the top right corner. To begin with you will complete these tasks as you go such as getting the tornado and using it to clear the fog into the next area, This is a must as you cannot progress otherwise. The game also has an inventory system and you can pick up quest items which can be used from there also, there are useable items such as feathers which will will whisk you away to other areas. There’s also various weapons and pants which you can equip which can alter your attack and mobility and change how you interact with the environment.

After meeting the 100 year old wise man you gain the ability to open chests and you will be able to open ones that you previously went past as well as any future ones. Not all chests though as there’s many different types. Remembering where these are is important as you will need to backtrack once you get the ability to open them. You will also come across AP boxes which can spew out rewards and these will become available once you have amassed enough AP as shown on them.

Tomba! is a colourful game , not only is it vivid and full of colour but is also wacky and crazy in many ways. Once you get to the forest full of laughing and crying mushrooms you will understand why.

Tomba! is by no means a big game but there is so much crammed into its small world that some events are well hidden and won’t be found by your average player. You don’t need to do these to finish the game, but if you want to absolutely 100% everything then it’s certainly worth trying to mess around with the terrain no matter how insane that may seem. Those pink plants that excrete gas in the beginning of the game for example are not just for show. Tomba! is definitely one of those where do I go next kind of games as in that I definitely do remember getting stuck when I first played it and admittedly it is one of those games I did not finish however after a bit of perseverance I can say I have now finished it and enjoyed it just as much as I remember.

Now while I have talked about the game as a whole how does it differ from it’s 90s counterpart? Well Tomba! Special Edition does indeed come with some new features. Most notably is the rewind feature allowing you to rewind the game should you fall into difficulty, again Tomba! is not a difficult game but some areas are tricky to navigate like the pesky mushroom forest and this alleviates the annoying of waiting for the game to load again should you lost a life, you can get straight back in without much downtime now. You can also save anywhere now whereas you would previously have had to use the signs which can be found at the start of each area. The game does not feel it has improved in any capacity in terms of graphics but actually seems to have aged quite well. What you do get however is the ability to play with different display methods and also use different borders to display around the game screen, a nice retro touch and if you wish to play with the original audio you can also do that but if you want something a bit more modern then that is an option too as the whole soundtrack has had a remaster. The games sound and music is top notch although the mushroom forest is where I did turn it down just for the sheer annoyance of that zone, you will see for yourself if you don’t already know. The game also features a museum crammed with a load of original artwork, documents and creator interviews if that’s your sort of thing.

So is Tomba! Special Edition worth picking up? Most certainly, it is a charming game full of character and does feel like a retro cult of the 90s. It’s one of those hidden gem kind of games and one which at the time was certainly unique in every aspect. The game looks and plays as great as I remember and I look forward to uncovering all the hidden secrets I missed as a kid.

A PlayStation 5 review code was provided by Limited Run Games

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Rubber Arm Bandit Misfits

Following on from it’s PlayStation, Xbox and Windows release One Piece Odyssey has finally shipped it’s way to the Nintendo Switch in the form of a Deluxe Edition but is it a Pirates life for you or a sunken ship better left in the depths? Read on to find out.

One Piece is a well established manga and anime series well known in Japan that follows a band of misfit adventurers, the stories are usually built on wackiness, humour and its storytelling. One Piece Odyssey is a game that follows that formula but envelopes it into a JRPG, with quests, turn based battles and a story that fans will pretty much fall in love with.

The story follows D. Luffy and his fellow band of pirates as they lose all of their power and fall deserted to an island. The games premise is set up quite well although the beginning of the game has you navigating small areas whilst a lot of tutorials play out with small segments of gameplay thrown in. You will almost obliterate all enemies that stand in your way before you are soon stripped of your powers by a local mysterious girl for the sole reason of that she hates pirates. Your characters shrug it off like Okay we will just get them back and then the adventure really begins. This sets the tone of what is to come as the game is very eccentric in all aspects and does not stop.

In the first hour of the game you may ask why these characters all have rubber arms and why is everyone so mismatched in the way they dress? Well this follows the popular manga stories that has been versed for some time now so if you are playing this game for the first time like me without any prior knowledge to the books it all feels odd but once you get past the initial crux of it all there is some fun in the game to be had.

As you navigate the world you will use your characters abilities to navigate such as using Luffies stretchy arms to reach across deep chasms, there are areas of interest and Items lying around either on the ground or in pots and other smashable objects. Enemies themselves can be seen on the map and you will approach them to initiate combat.

Combat takes place in a separate field to navigating and requires you to tactfully take out the enemies who are if not just as strange as the characters of One Piece Odyssey. The combat can also be jarring at first even for veteran JRPG players. Battles can have each character in a different area of the battle fighting different foes to that of your comrades however this is not really explained. Characters have an advantage over certain monsters that essentially plays like rock-paper-scissors. The three attack types are technique which beats power, power which beats speed and speed which beats technique. It’s a little confusing at first but at least the game tells you if your current character is strong against the monster that you’re up against. Switching out characters can see you overcome this advantage but allowing the team to come together in the battle is the overall goal. I would say that the early battles are relatively easy anyway so it gives you enough time to get used to this system and if you can’t then you can still breeze through the story. Battles also use a TP system, TP is a power that can be accumulated by attacking normally and then used to carry out special attacks, it can also carry over into future battles allowing you to easily build it up for the more bigger fights.

Character abilities are equally just as weird as the rest of One Piece. Nico Robin has a move where she literally causes manhood inducing pain, ouch! it didn’t really occur to me what was going on until I saw the crotch view of the camera which became apparent after a few times using it. Usopp has move where he flicks a rubber band which lands poorly on the ground in front of him but dishes out huge damage on the enemy. It makes no sense but with what we have already seen of the game then I think we can let it slide.

If you’re into the super weird wacky world of One Piece then this game may be just the thing. There are new features in the game which will alleviate you from the main story such as side quests and crafting but these are by no means a requirement. The game remains relatively easy and grind free. The characters themselves while vividly different all have their own personality and clearly different traits but are all very likeable.

The games sound and music is really superb and some of the music later differs in that it grand and orchestral and sets the tone. The game has an English language but unfortunately lacks an English dub so a lot of the humour may be lost in translation however it is still a blast to play.

Performance on the Switch so far has been really good and there have been no noticeable frame drops during docked and undocked mode, while the game is not remarkable graphically it is good enough, the game whilst vibrant, graphics have definitely been toned down for it’s Switch version but if you want the full experience that can be played on the go this may just be the best way to play One Piece Odyssey.

A Nintendo Switch review code was provided by Bandai Namco

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It’s no Vacation

Following one of the greatest MMORPG expansions is no easy feat and while Dawntrail lacks giant end of the world gods, despair and sadness that it did in Endwalker, it cleverly ushers in a new dawn that pushes FFXIV into new and inviting lands and gives new life to one of the biggest MMORPG’s on the market. Dawntrail is marketed or known as the vacation expansion where our heroes will take a break but that could not be further from the truth.

The latest FFXIV expansion “Dawntrail” follows the Hero of light venture into a new land known as Tural alongside Krile, Erenville, Allisae and Alphinaud in order to help Wuk Lamat become the new ruler of Tural known as the Dawnservant. This is something we knew would happen before the expansion and as soon as you arrive in the new lands you will meet other characters in the running also hoping to become the Dawnservant and the lengths as to how they will get there. The Warrior of Light alongside Krile, Allisae, Alphinaud and Erenville are tasked with helping Wuk Lamat become the new Dawnservant. Alongside this Wuk Lamats brother is also in the running alongside Thancred and Urianger who are now on the opposing team. Bakool Ja Ja is the new antagonist of the game who is a two headed Mamool Ja and a perfectly executed character in that he has a hot temper only exacerbated by the Chameleon twin part of his body. As a two headed Mamool Ja, Bakool Ja Ja believes it is his right to the throne and while the other participants for the throne strategically and fairly Bakool Ja Ja relies on pure power, cunningness and cheating to win the throne.

As we already have explored the edge of the universe, we now find ourself on a new continent which very little is known by the residents of Eorzea especially from the Aldenard region. On the surface Tural is an island full of culture and deep history which is learned as you progress through the Main Scenario. While it can take some time for the real crux of the story to take hold once it does it really is a great experience. The first Dungeon is cleverly weaved into the story as to allow characters to venture into the next zone.

Aside from the Graphical update which is one of the biggest overhauls of FFXIV Dawntrail there are plenty of new and updated features included in Dawntrail. Levelling is something which will naturally happen playing through the new expansion with the new cap hitting the 100 range across all the main jobs. The new race which is the female Hrothgar which Wuk Lamat shows off perfectly has been added and also two new Jobs; the Pictomancer and Viper have now been added and many features make a welcome return. Fates, Leves, Hunts all return which are great ways to level those alts and crafters. Boosts to the Gemstones earned have been increased during bonus fates, you can also play the game solo for the most part as new avatars become available to the main scenario dungeons. Also new in the fray is Krile Baldesion who now plays as the new Pictomancer Job.

Although Tural is a large island soaked in mountains, forests and snow-capped peaks there are other places such as Solution Nine which is a high tech mini city which is incorporated in a way that works thanks to it being Final Fantasy. Tural is different to Eorzea in many ways, the preferred way of travel is not on a Chocobos back but now by riding Alpacas which have also been incorporated into the story and in the most comical way as Wuk Lamat is not a fan of them as much as not being a fan of being on boats which also seems to happen a lot in the Story. Not only do we have a vast amount of new and some of the largest we have seen so far areas to explore, Soken has again outdone the soundtrack to Dawntrail as he has taken influence from Spanish/Latin esque music and cleverly merged it into these new areas, as soon as you arrive in Tuliyollal you are greeted by Big Band drums and if this does not give you a good impression of the music that is to come then nothing else will.

After having tried out both new jobs available in Dawntrail I can say that Pictomancer does come out on top in terms of fun and pure damage. It has become my favourite job. It is also the most visually pleasing to look at as you cast paint aether variants of elemental damage against your opponents. On top of this you can create images on a canvas such as mog poms and wings and by creating a full picture of a moogle you can incorporate that power into a full on moogle beam. You can also create a large hammer and rain down several critical smashes against your foes, and although this looks like a melee attack it is purely magical and can be cast as a magical attack from afar. While some of the attacks appear physical Pictomancer is a pure magic damage output Job that feels great to play.

Viper is also a new job which is fun to play if you are more into close range DPS but it felt kind of underwhelming in comparison especially as it feels all to similar to the Ninja job just with flashier effects. It is cool to have a job that feels and plays like Zidane from Final Fantasy IX, I mean who doesn’t love a twin bladed sword? the team did mention they would be looking to rework the job so it will be interesting to see how this will pan out.

Nearly all existing jobs have been altered somewhat with new abilities and some old ones have been removed. It is sad to see the legendary Dragoon Jump disappear completely, my main job White Mage seemed to not have changed that much if not at all.

Overall FFXIV Dawntrail brings new life to the Final Fantasy XIV world. With an increased level cap, plenty of new content and a strong Story Dawntrail is chock full of Final Fantasy references throughout, mostly from Final Fantasy IX. Dawntrail features two Expert dungeons end-game and a plethora of other high end level content such as the extreme trials. Dawntrail will continue to bring new promised content in the future such as the Arcadion raid series, and the Beastmaster limited Job as well as Cosmic Exploration. It goes without saying to play Dawntrail you will be required to finish all previous expansions up until the end of Endwalker, and although there are now new Story Skips added to the Store, it is highly recommended to play through the entirety of the game at least once. Dawntrail has had an overall smooth launch especially on PC although Xbox players did see some issues which the developers have looked at and compensated game time for those on that console and have since compensated all with some form of game time compensation due to hotfixes that have taken place.

A PC Review code was provided for the purpose of the Review

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Dawn of a new Day

The Legend of Heroes: Trails Through Daybreak is Nihon Falcom’s latest delve into the more than lengthy Trails series spanning many games. It is the first game to take place in the Calvard Republic, an area many veterans of the series will have heard mentioned many times in the games long running entry. It also marks the first game in the Trails through Daybreak story arc.

While Trails Through Daybreak marks a new saga the game itself comes with plenty of new and returning features, some are very familiar whilst some have a new spin on them or are completely new to the series.

The story follows Van who is known as a spriggan, a bounty hunter of sorts who does many odd jobs which border on illegal activities and while he tries to keep down on the low many fugitives and law enforcers are aware of who is is and keep him at arms length. A young girl known as Agnes Claudel approaches Van one day and asks him to help her find a rare sentimental orbment that was kept in her late family, not being the sort of work he would undertake he advises her to look elsewhere until it becomes apparent how rare and sacred the artifact is and that these fugitives are only too eager to take it for themselves.

The story and layout of the game functions similar to past Trails games in that you will start off playing through story segments of the game, fighting enemies and exploring dungeons, partake in some shopping, speaking to NPC’s and taking on side quests which push the story forward. A formula familiar to most but with a difference. There are no bonding events per say like past games, instead Van can connect with other party members and also hang around with some NPC’s, this may feel like a step back however there is a new alignment system implemented which allows Van to make choices during his adventure. The choices you make will cause three values of Law, Chaos and Gray to change. These can affect both stats and plot points later on in the game. The games characters are all charming in their own way. Like past games characters will over-react to minor situations and inconveniences and there will always be that one character who is way too excitable for no reason. One thing I noticed is how similar characters are to past counterparts. Van has a resemblance to Rean while Aaron has a resemblance to Randy. Elaine with her stoic pose and the looks of Alisa. Aaron is my favourite character because for one, I share the same name as him, he wields two swords and has fiery red hair. What’s not to love?

Trails Through Daybreaks combat takes a different approach to past Trails games but is highly unique as it is has two modes, a real-time action system similar to that of the Y’s series and has characters spamming attacks and supercharged attacks to take enemies down but can also be switched freely to a turn based combat approach. The game actively encourages both types of play. If you take the turn-based combat approach then the game will feel similar to past Trails games with combat taking place on the field with characters using Arts, Crafts and Item

While the games smaller enemies can be quickly dispatched it is worth noting that they can turn the tide of battle should you feel too cocky by knocking your controlled character off balance and starting off a battle with a disadvantage to the player.

Trails Through Daybreak comes with a plethora of new features that come with the Xipha, a phone like device introduced and developed in Calvard and is the standard battle orbment device, similar to the ARCUS but more advanced; for example Arts Drivers are equipped to the Xipha and provide a list of arts for that user, similar to how Master Quartz were used previously. Each Arts Diver has a number of unlockable slots that can hold plugins which allows customisation to the users arts loadout. Another feature are skill shards which allow players to stack elemental attributes by equipping different quartz on different lines. They function similar to the system in earlier Trails games where certain quartz generates a specific of value for that element. For example stacking Fire elements can unlock a new skill but stack it to the highest value can nullify Fire damage altogether.

There are plenty of returning features such as the speed boost which boosts dialogue and gameplay itself, cooking makes a return but feels more refined than before as Cooking actually gives you points for creating new items and recipes by further expending and providing better buffs for higher ranks.

After playing bother versions of the game on both PS5 and PS4, Trails Through Daybreaks performance on PS5 is no doubt superior when compared to the PS4 version, The performance as well as character models stand out far more, however if it was not for the PS4 version of the game I would not have been able to play through the game for more than an hour and this was due to a bug encountered early on in the game on the PS5 version of the game. After progressing an hour into the story I found a bug which caused the game to shut down after a certain cutscene. The first time I actually passed the cutscene into the next area where I had saved on turning the game off, on returning I was shut down with an error straight away which made me think there is a glitch causing this at that point in the game on the PS5 version, I did end up reinstalling the game which proved ineffective as this issue remained unresolves and the only was past it was to play through the same area on the PS4 version of the game until after that point and transfer the save data to PS5 which allows you to continue your progress. Hopefully this issue was just a one off and it is not an issue that carries on with the full release of the game.

Overall Trails Through Daybreak feels vast, there is lo loading times when entering buildings although there is a small but minor load times between areas in the game. The towns are more vibrant and there is more to explore with some nice touches such as Cars that drive past that your character can get in the way of, and blow their horns in anger as you accidentally run in front of them. Dungeons feel more like dungeons this time round which is an issue I had with certain past trails games, instead of feeling bloated with enemies and the same copy and past backgrounds, they feel more crafted with care, the first subway has trains going past as you explore and graffiti on the walls rather than just feeling like a blank corridor with enemies thrown in for the sake of it. You can still smash open boxes and zip through dungeons at lightning pace dispatching enemies as you go which is good for the grind but as you play through for the first time it always feels good to take it easy and take in the games fantastic music whilst you explore. Trails through Daybreak is easily the best looking Trails game to date and whether you are a returning fan or not you’d be doing yourself a massive disservice to pass up Trails through Daybreak.

A PlayStation 4/5 Review Code was provided by NIS America

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