How does the life of a storyteller to transfer to a puzzle game? In Storyteller, as long as you fulfill the chapter objective, what happens along the way is ultimately up to the player. The result is a short but relaxing puzzler with some intriguing gameplay mechanics, but it could have been so much more.

At the beginning, the puzzles are very simple, so you can learn the game and its intricate mechanics. There is no official tutorial but the first chapter teaches you what you need to know. In all, there are 12 chapters with 4 puzzles per chapter. While the game is short, towards the end, some puzzles are frustrating.

The art-style has a comic book feel to it and is complimented by the panels you complete. You’re given predetermined background and characters to place in these panels, which is how you achieve the overall objective. How you get there, though, is the puzzle. Some will have an optional objective that is only obtained once the initial objective has been completed, meaning there is some replay value to this short game.

As the game progresses the puzzles become more complex and frustrating. With no hint system at all, some players will be left scratching their heads in confusion. Once you overcome the hardest puzzles, though, the game just ends. And currently there are no plans for any DLC, but I am hoping that will change in the future.

Overall, it’s a very different puzzle game that will seem easy at first but could cause a great deal of frustration when the difficulty spikes. But that is why we play games, right? It’s for the challenge! If you’re an occasional lover of books, I would recommend playing Storyteller. On the other hand, if you’re looking for a fast-paced puzzler, steer clear of this one… unless you have aspirations to become a Storyteller.

PROS
+ strong narrative-based puzzle game
+ art-style has a great comic book feel
+ optional objectives for some puzzles

CONS
– little to no replay value
– no DLC plans currently
– short game

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Game Title: Storyteller
Platforms: Nintendo Switch, PC
ESRB Rating: T for Teen
MSRP: $14.99
Release Date: March 23, 2023
Obtained: Code provided by developer/publisher for press purposes

Have you ever wanted to wage war against the machines? Well, buckle up for this “bullet hell,” select your pilot, and earn those Risk Stars, because, if you’re into shoot-em-ups (shmups), Wings of Bluestar is your destination.

Wings of Bluestar delivers a very engaging story, which is unusual for this genre. The cutscenes in between stages involve dialogue choices that will even affect the ending you receive after conquering eight stages.

The hand-drawn graphics give a stylish anime feeling to the game. This might cause some disorientation between background and foreground elements, though, leading to some cheap deaths. Nonetheless, the game is short, so it will not take long to learn the stages, preventing further aggravation.

Power-ups are plentiful and come quickly for your pilot. The additional turrets you can get are rotatable. I found this mechanic awkward at first, but it quickly became second-nature. You can also level up your pilot’s special ability: One has a R-Type shield while the other has a chargeable beam attack.

Overall this shmup is fun to play. The heavy story combined with the anime-styled graphics are welcoming. It has a decent risk-reward system and plenty of power-ups. If you want to cut out all the story, then try arcade mode. There is even a co-op mode. Altogether, there are plenty of options for everyone. This is a very solid entry for this genre, and the high replay-value has me coming back for more!

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PROS
+ heavy story-driven game
+ multiple endings for high replay value
+ beautiful hand-drawn cutscenes

CONS
– cheap deaths from the environment
– very fast gameplay might turn off some
– overwhelming mechanics to newcomers of the genre

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Game Title: Wings of Bluestar
Platforms: PS4/5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch
ESRB Rating: T for Teen
MSRP: $14.99
Release Date: January 18, 2023
Obtained: Code provided by developer/publisher for press purposes

Do you need some help in Rick Henderson? Here are a few tips to guide you along your journey through the game.

Before choosing Standard Endless, Hard Endless, or Boss Raid mode, there is a Tutorial mode that is a must-play upon booting up the game for the first time, as it will teach you all the needed mechanics. You have three different weapons that you can switch to at any given time: bullet, energy, and missiles. Learning when and how to use these are essential for survival. Some enemies will have shields. Take these out with the energy shot and then switch to bullet to kill them. Missiles are for larger enemies and bosses. Trust me, the bosses don’t last long if you use missiles.

There will also be random weapon pickups in each level, which can change a selected shot into something useful or useless. For example, a regular shot can be changed into a mini gun, a razor shot, or a boomer. This is where multiple plays will come in handy. If a weapon pickup appears that you don’t want, just don’t pick it up! A good rule of thumb is to only pick up weapons that you know how to use and bypass the ones that don’t fit your play style.

There is also a Graze mechanic. Fill this bar up to call in your co pilots to do some damage!! Do so by grazing the enemy shots as close as possible to fill this bar. Learn this skill early on as it will be helpful. Last is your special, and each pilot has a different one. Rick Henderson has a not so great hologram decoy, Ben X9 has a forward teleport, and Thoraxx has a missile barrage that clears the screen. It’s a lot to learn, but the more you play the more it becomes second nature.

Now you’re ready for the endless loops of levels, and this is where the game shines! Every run will be different, the enemies will come at you differently and every level has the potential for a random event. Also the end boss will be a randomized variant of itself. What does this mean? Well, you can’t memorize the levels at all, you’ll have to rely solely upon your skills! When you do kill the end boss, you will have a choice between 4 different upgrades. This can be anything, and they’re randomized between increases in shot damage, increase or decrease asteroids, 5-10% increase in score, double boss health, and plus double points. My favorites are the bullet or missile drones. This aspect of the game kinda gives it a roguelike feel to it and it’s a game changer.

As I’ve said before in my review, if you’re a fan of the genre, you’ll love Rick Henderson! It has that “one more game” feel to it, that beckons you to play again for a higher score.

Welcome to Rick Henderson!! No it’s not a highly liked celebrity or vacation getaway. It is in fact a video game, a shoot’em up, or “shmup” for short. If this is one of your favorite genres, then you’ll dig Rick Henderson and his fellow pilots.

This shooter caters to the fan base by cutting out everything you don’t need. There is NO story at all to this game. Instead, it gives you the necessary tools and mechanics needed to obtain that glorious high score! I do, however, recommend playing through the short tutorial mode once or more to understand the deep game play mechanics.

The atmosphere presented by the retro stylish 16-bit graphics is warm, shaken up by the 80’s synth music. It’s such a nice mix that can keep you playing for hours for the music alone. The randomization of the levels is genius, and it guarantees that every run will be different. Memorizing the enemy waves is no longer a valid tactic; instead, you will need to rely solely on your skill. Even the end bosses have variants, so there is no slacking off!

I really enjoyed this shooter, it gets down to business, and you better pay attention. The randomization of everything has a roguelike vibe to it that I have never experienced in this genre before. On top of that, the retro-inspired graphics and awesome soundtrack are great. I highly recommend this to any fan of shmups!

PROS
+ low price
+ randomization of everything
+ for hardcore fans

CONS
– steep learning curve
– no story
– difficulty might be too high for casual fans

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Game Title: Rick Henderson
ESRB Rating: E for Everyone
MSRP: $7.99
Release Date: August 31, 2022
Obtained: code provided by developer/publisher for press purposes